NORTHERN LIGHT (2020)

Northern Light by Deb Davies
My Rating: 3 of 5 Stars 

I always enjoy discovering a new mystery writer and when the books turns out to be the debut of a friend, it is a real pleasure! Hopefully the subtitle "A Coast-To-Coast Michigan Mystery" suggests this will be the beginning of more adventures.

THE STORY: Claire, with her best friend Laurel in tow, has retreated to the summer cabin in Michigan to recover from the death of her husband. When friends and family begin arriving, the house fills up. The first sign of trouble occurs when a raven, somehow trapped in the house, trashes it.

 

While the friends go on with their lives enjoying Northern Michigan, unpleasant events happen and escalate putting everyone in harms way. Will they figure out the mystery before it is too late?

FIRST LINE:
"Claire and Laurel were sitting at a heart pine table, letting the day fade."

 
WHAT I THOUGHT: What seemingly starts as a cozy mystery turns out not to be for the faint of heart. The curious events that happen in the first half bloom into pure evil in the second.

 

The story reads like a literate mystery combined with a violent thriller. The author has created a very specific world. For example, she is "passionate about rescued animals and nature", so those topics find their way into the story. Michiganders will recognize places, products, and traditions the author weaves throughout the book.

 

The characters, of which there are many, are living in our pre-Covid 19 world and dealing with all the challenging modern day issues. The dialogue and banter seems natural as does the friendship between Claire and Laurel. 

 

Her charming, quirky characters make it difficult to believe that any of them could be guilty of so much wanton destruction and death.

BOTTOM LINE: RECOMMENDED. With her love song to Northern Michigan disguised as a mystery, Deb Davies is an author to watch.

Disclaimer: A copy of Northern Light was provided to me by BHC /Net Galley for an honest review. Deb Davies has been a friend for many years.

Hardcover:  248 pages
Publisher: BHC Press (August 20, 2020)
ISBN-10: 1643971204

ISBN-13: 978-1643971209

THE AUTHOR: "Deb Davies enjoys writing mysteries about her favorite place: Michigan. She is passionate about rescued animals and nature, and also enjoys classical music. She resides with her husband, Rick, in an old farmhouse on a trout stream near Luzerne, Michigan. Northern Light is her debut novel in her Coast-to-Coast Michigan Mystery series." (from Amazon)