Twenty-Five Years Ago Today
Non-series
Stacy
Juba
Mainly Murder Press (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-615-29011-6 (0615290116)
ISBN-13: 978-0-615-29011-9 (9780615290119)
Publication Date: October 2009
List Price: $14.95
Synopsis (from the publisher): Kris Langley has always been obsessed with murder. She blames herself for the violent death of her cousin when they were kids and has let guilt invade every corner of her existence. Now an editorial assistant and obit writer for a Massachusetts newspaper, Kris stumbles across an unsolved murder while compiling "25 Years Ago Today" items from the microfilm. She grows fascinated with the case of a young cocktail waitress who was bludgeoned to death and dumped in the woods. Determined to solve the case and atone for the death of her cousin, Kris immerses herself in the mystery of what happened to Diana Ferguson, a talented artist who expressed herself through haunting paintings of Greek mythology. Not only does Kris face resistance from her family and her managing editor, she also clashes with Diana's suspicious nephew, Eric Soares -- until neither she nor Eric can deny the chemistry flaring between them. Kris soon learns that old news never leaves the morgue and that yesterday's headline is tomorrow's danger, for finding out the truth about that night twenty-five years ago may shatter Kris's present, costing her love, her career, and ultimately, her life.
Review: Budding
reporter Kris Langley reopens a 25-year-old unsolved murder
investigation in Twenty-Five Years
Ago Today, a mystery debut by Stacy Juba.
Kris is writing obituaries, press releases, and any other odds-and-ends
assignment left on her desk for the newspaper of the small
Massachusetts town of Fremont. Her primary task, though is to come up
with the daily "25 and 50 Years Ago Today" column that is included with
each edition of the paper. While researching the archives, she comes
across an unsolved murder mystery that might be of interest. But she's
reluctant to use it, as she has a murder in her own family, one that
was solved from a legal perspective, but is unresolved in her own head.
Believing that solving a crime from the past may help her deal with her
own issues, she prints the story, opening long closed wounds in the
community, and unwittingly putting her own life at risk.
Whether intended or not isn't clear, but Twenty-Five Years Ago Today has a
claustrophobic, at times overwhelmingly so, feel to it. The small town,
close confines of the newsroom, even Kris's constant introspection, all
contribute to this impression. The author does a credible job conveying
what it must be like to be the new employee in the newsroom, Kris's
ambition to prove her value and worth to the organization, and later
her amateur sleuthing. The cold case news item gambit may not be the
most original choice here to set up the mystery, but the whodunit
elements of the story are well done. As is Kris's desire to come to
closure with the murder of her cousin (though some readers may find too
much of the narrative dwells on this aspect of the story).
Incorporating Greek mythology is an unexpected, and somewhat
surprisingly relevant, angle. Overall, Twenty-Five Years Ago Today is an
interesting mystery, and if the first in a series, serves as a solid
introduction to the character of Kris Langley.
Special thanks to Stacy Juba for providing a copy of Twenty-Five Years Ago Today for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
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Novels by this author …
Twenty-Five Years Ago Today
Mainly Murder Press (Trade Paperback), October 2009
ISBN-10: 0-615-29011-6 (0615290116)
ISBN-13: 978-0-615-29011-9 (9780615290119)
Omnimystery keywords for Twenty-Five Years Ago Today ...
Location(s) referenced: Massachusetts.
