Book Review: Unhallowed Ground by Mel Starr

 Unhallowed Ground by Mel Starr is the fourth book in the chronicles of Hugh de Singleton, medieval surgeon and detective. 

Although this is part of a series, I didn't feel like I missed anything by not having read the first three. However, it did make me want to read the others so I could get more of the story of Hugh and his wife. I am also looking forward to reading the fifth so I can find out what happens next (especially to the baby that Hugh's wife, Kate, is carrying).

Synopsis of the book from the publisher's website:

Thomas atte Bridge, a man no one likes, is found hanging from a tree near Cow-leys Corner. All assume he has taken his own life, but Master Hugh and Kate find evidence that this may not be so. Many of the town had been harmed by Thomas, and Hugh is not eager to send one of them to the gallows. Then he discovers that the priest John Kellet, atte Bridge's partner in crime in A CORPSE AT ST. ANDREW'S CHAPEL, was covertly in Bampton at the time atte Bridge died. Master Hugh is convinced that Kellet has murdered atte Bridge - one rogue slaughtering another. He sets out for Exeter, where Kellet now works. But there he discovers that the priest is an emaciated skeleton of a man, who mourns the folly of his past life. Hugh must return to Bampton and discover which of his friends has murdered his enemy ...


ISBN: 9780857210586

Published: 21st October 2011

Format: Paperback

Unhallowed Ground is a delightful mystery set in 14th century England. The main character, Hugh de Singleton, is a surgeon who is caught up in a murder mystery when the death of a rogue is discovered near Hugh's hometown. I enjoyed learning many medieval terms and the culture of this area during that time. I found the book a little hard to get into at the beginning, but I soon became swept into the story and didn't want to put the book down until I was finished.

I give Unhallowed Ground 4 1/2 out of 5 stars!

(I received this book from Kregel for review purposes. I received no monetary compensation for this review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.)

Book Review: Refuge on Crescent Hill by Melanie Dobson

I really enjoy stories of the Civil War and the heroes who stood up for the rights of the black people. Men such as Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and William Lloyd Garrison and women likeSojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and Harriet Beecher Stowe were not afraid to voice their opinions and fight for what was right. I have studied the lives of these and others and have been inspired by their examples of courage and honor.

I also love to read fiction that is either set in the time of the Civil War, or present day stories that are about people who are trying to uncover the secrets of the past. It is fascinating to read of the period in our history when people owned people and many times treated them like dirt. It is a shamful time of our history, but one that we can learn from.  

Refuge on Crescent Hill is a modern day story of a family who harbored slaves in their home during the war and helped them find their way to freedom. Her is a description of the book from the publisher's website:

Moving home after a recent job loss was supposed to reassure Camden Bristow but what she finds is an empty mansion 150 years old. What happened to the house she played in as a child, the bedtime stories that told of secret passageways and runaway slaves, and all those family memories?

When antiques start disappearing and footsteps are heard, Camden wonders what really happened here . . . at Crescent Hill? Who still has access to the house? And for what purpose? As she works to uncover the past and present mysteries harbored in her home, Camden also uncovers secrets about her family that could change the town--and her life--forever.

Refuge on Crescent Hill has all the things that make good fiction: mystery, romance and an interesting plot that keeps the reader wanting more. I enjoyed how the writer made the house seem real and how she gave a sense of place that made me feel like I was there in the little town of Etherton, Ohio. The characters are believable; even the protagonists were like people I have known and have been afraid to associate with. I was well entertained.

The spiritual aspect was well written and not too didactic. The refernces to God were woven seamlessly int the plot and not overdone.

I give Refuge on Crscent Hill 4 1/2 out of 5 stars!

Kregel for review purposes. I received no monetary compensation for this review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.)
(I received this book from

Melanie Beroth Dobson's first novel (Together for Good) was published in 2006, and she has now authored nine contemporary and historical novels including Love Finds You in Nazareth, Pennsylvania which releases in November 2011. Melanie and her husband, Jon, met in Colorado Springs in 1997 at Vanguard Church. Since they've been married, the Dobsons have relocated numerous times including stints in Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Colorado, Berlin, and Southern California. These days they are enjoying their home in the Pacific Northwest.

Prior to launching her own public relations company in 1999, Melanie was the corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family where she was responsible for the publicity of both events and products. Melanie received her undergraduate degree in journalism from Liberty University and her master's degree in communication from Regent University. She worked in the fields of publicity and journalism for more than fifteen years including two years as a publicist for The Family Channel.

Jon and Melanie have two daughters — Karly (8) and Kiki (7). The entire Dobson family loves to travel and hike in both the mountains and along the cliffs above the Pacific. When Melanie isn't writing or playing with her family, she enjoys exploring ghost towns and dusty back roads, line dancing, and reading inspirational fiction.

Book Review: The Killing Storm by Kathryn Casey

The Killing Storm by Kathryn Casey is an intense story of a mother, her abducted son, and the Texas Ranger who investigates the kidnapping. All this happens during a deadly hurricane that threatens the city and hinders the investigation.

is a skilled writer. This is her third novel in the Sarah Armstrong series. However, it the first of her books that I have read. And I'm glad I did. I found this book to be exciting as well as entertaining. I was pulled into the plot from the first chapter. I especially liked how it flowed seamlessly from one chapter to the next, keeping my interest while remaining plausible.Kathryn Casey

Here is a plot summary from the author's website:

A quiet afternoon in the park, and four-year-old Joey Warner plays in the sandbox, when a stranger approaches looking for his runaway dog. While Joey’s mom, Crystal, talks on her cell phone, the stranger convinces the child to help search. By the time Crystal turns around, her son has disappeared. Yet her behavior is odd, not what one would expect from a distraught mother. Is Crystal Warner somehow involved in her son’s abduction?

Meanwhile, on a cattle ranch outside Houston, Texas Ranger Sarah Armstrong assesses a symbol left on the hide of a slaughtered longhorn, a figure that dates back to a forgotten era of sugarcane plantations and slavery. Soon other prizewinning bulls are butchered on the outskirts of the city, each bearing a different but similar drawing. Before long, the investigations converge at the same time a catastrophic hurricane threatens. Someone very close to Sarah is brutally murdered, and the clock ticks, as the storm moves in. If Sarah doesn’t act quickly, the child will die.



I like books that explore the depraved mind and help us see our sinful nature in a unique way. I am fascinated by the reasons why evil people do what they do and how God uses others to restrain that evil and punish the wicked. Thank God he rescues us from ourselves!

I am grateful to Pump Up Your Book for sending this book to me for review. I am looking forward to reading more of Mrs. Casey's books!

I give The Killing Storm 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

(I received this book from Pump Up Your Book! for review purposes. I received no monetary compensation for this review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.)

Book Review: City of Veils by Zoe Ferraris

Burqas, sand dunes, camels, the Quran. Harley-Davidsons, lingerie stores, Bluetooth, birth control pills. I would not have expected all of these incongruous things in one book, but they are all in City of Veils. It seems that the city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, while being an ancient city (500 B.C.) and the gateway to Mecca, is very large and quite modern. I learned a lot about this area of the world just by reading this work of fiction. It was fascinating.

City of Veils is a murder mystery. A filmmaker by the name of Leila is found dead on the beach and no one knows how she got there. Detective Osama Ibrahim is called to the scene to investigate. As he looks into the evidence, it appears this will be another murder that will go unsolved.

Until Katya becomes involved. Katya is one of a few females who work in the coroner's office. And when she and her friend Nayir begin to dig a little deeper, they find that this is no common murder of a housemaid but a crime of passion by one who wants to stop Leila from trying to blackmail him. Also part of the story is the involvement of Americans and a romance that is threatened by the culture in which the lovers must live.

This book was a refreshingly different one than I am used to reading. I usually don't pick up books about other countries or cultures. I'm not sure why, but I'd rather read the ones that have their setting in the United States (unless they are set during WWII). So this was a stretch for me. And I'm glad I read it. I really liked learning more about Middle Eastern culture and getting a feel for how men and women interact in that part of the world. Plus, the mystery itself was written very well. I'm going to look for Ms. Ferraris' first book, Finding Nouf, which was referred to in City of Veils. I'm sure it will be just as good as this one was.

The "f word" is used about a dozen times in this book. Therefore, I give it 4 1/2 stars (out of 5). Otherwise, a great read!

You can read more about the author, Zoe Ferraris, here.

(I received this book from Little, Brown for review purposes. I received no monetary compensation for this review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.)