Dust of Lies receives 5 star reviews

 

 

Readers’ Favorite

Review of Dust of Lies: 5 Star Reviews by 4 reviewers

 

Reviewed by Deborah Lloyd for Readers' Favorite

             When the old jail in Barber, Arkansas, was being demolished, Kay watched the event. She was the only reporter for the local weekly newspaper and planned to write an article about it. She and her husband Darrell moved to the small town a few years earlier to care for his elderly mother, and this job kept her busy. Kay spotted some writing on a piece of stone wall; it was a mysterious poem and appeared to be decades old. The jailed man named a woman as the cause of his problems. Kay was intrigued and felt compelled to figure out what the cryptic message meant. Her professional quest soon became enmeshed in her personal life. In Dust of Lies, written by G.K. Davenport, a complex tale is unraveled. Using a combination of true historical facts and modern-day fictional characters, an engrossing plot unfolds.

The author’s storyline engages the reader from the first page to the last. Historical facts are illuminated through complicated current relationships. As Kay works through old information, she has to determine who is telling her the truth, and who is lying. The author skillfully places clues within the context of Kay’s discoveries as to who is trustworthy – and who is not. This entanglement between the past and the present is at the heart of the story. Another interesting aspect is the natural settings that are essential to the plot – from the Ozarks to the Texas plains. Author G.K. Davenport has penned a fascinating historical mystery, peppered with facts and fiction, in Dust of Lies. For those interested in a unique mystery, this book is not to be missed!      

Reviewed by Pikasho Deka for Readers' Favorite

Dust of Lies is a southern mystery novel written by GK Davenport. Kay writes for the Barber Gazette. While witnessing the destruction of an old and abandoned county jail, she stumbles upon a block of plaster on which a poem is inscribed. Convinced that the poem had a story behind it, Kay dives headfirst into solving the mystery. Kay's investigation leads her to the door of her mother-in-law Viva, a woman with secrets who reveals far less than she knows. Viva’s old friend Bessie helps Kay discover that the famous outlaw Jesse James's illegitimate son Jesse Cole, a.k.a., Cowboy might be the key to solving the puzzle. As Kay and Vivo follow the breadcrumbs spread throughout the past, Kay unearths secrets about her husband Darrell's family that may change their lives forever.

Dust of Lies is an enrapturing tale of lies, betrayal, and lost treasure soaked in history and rich in suspense and intrigue. The characters feel flawed yet human, with well-thought-out backstories provided by GK Davenport that make them realistic and compelling. Even though the pacing of the plot is a bit slow for my taste, the character-driven narrative makes up for it as I found myself thoroughly absorbed by the characters as well as the story. I particularly enjoyed the dynamic between Kay, Viva, Bessie, and Granny, with each of them having distinct quirks and personalities. I adored Dust of Lies, and I would recommend it to readers who love southern-flavored novels. 

Reviewed by Lesley Jones for Readers' Favorite

In Dust of Lies by GK Davenport, Kay and her husband Darrell moved to Barber, Arkansas a few years ago to care for his elderly mother, Viva. As a reporter for the Barber Gazette, Kay is sent to report on the demolition of an old prison. She discovers a century old poem written by a young man called Ezra Hacker who committed suicide, blaming a teenage girl, Ora, for his fatal decision. Kay faces strong opposition when she begins to ask questions about the poem from many people, including Darrel, who want to forget the past. But she is determined to solve the mystery behind the poem and Ezra's chilling message. Her investigations reveal the town's shocking links to legendary outlaws and buried Confederate gold. Kay's search for the truth takes her from Arkansas to Texas on a historical journey revealing dark secrets that involve the people closest to her.

Dust of Lies by GK Davenport is a gripping novel that captured my interest from the beginning. I loved the intriguing layers to the plot and how they were revealed gradually. The relationship between

Kay, Darrell, and Viva was brilliant and the development was perfect. The storyline was a flawless mixture of historical events and fiction and there were also many strong sub-plots that were masterfully entwined to support the main story. The author also had an exceptional ability to create fantastic backstories for the main characters which highlighted their values, thoughts, and beliefs. The novel is filled with extraordinary female characters who possess strength, determination, and courage. There are brilliant areas of conflict throughout which made the novel even more compelling and the constant plot twists were outstanding. I cannot recommend Dust of Lies highly enough, a fantastic read.

Reviewed by Deborah Stone for Readers' Favorite

            Dust of Lies by G. K. Davenport is about a mystery uncovered by Kay, one of two reporters at the Barber Gazette in Barber, Arkansas. While covering the demolition of an old county jail, Kay uncovers secrets from the past that many would rather she leave buried in the rubble. Some encourage her to uncover the truth and others warn of the dangers if she proceeds with her inquiries. Somehow these warnings seemed more like threats. Kay’s mother-in-law, Viva, begs her to find the truth about the past, but she isn’t telling everything she knows. The search becomes entangled with family history and Darrell, Kay’s husband, is not happy with her intrusions into the past, so she and Viva move forward without him.

Local lore and historical facts begin to merge, but it is getting harder to tell the truth from fiction. Always up for solving a problem, Kay forges ahead and finds allies and enemies in unlikely places. While her investigation takes her to Texas and back, she is never out of sight of those who monitor her progress. Who can she really trust? Who knows more than they are telling? The biggest question is, who is willing to harm her if she doesn’t stop?

            Dust of Lies by G. K. Davenport is a journey through truth and lies, trust and fear, hope and hopelessness. G. K. Davenport unravels a convoluted family story that branches out to include historical figures, some benign, some infamous. Each twist and turn takes the reader deeper into the maze of lies where truth is hard to recognize. When you think you know where G. K. Davenport is taking you and you have figured out how this all ends, you will discover that the journey isn’t over yet. Filled with probabilities and possibilities of the past, this well-written novel offers intrigue, danger, mystery, and a few surprises along the way. G. K. Davenport’s style of writing and command of the English language makes this a very enjoyable read and well worth your time. While you try to unravel the mysteries.

            Copies of Dust of Lies can be found on https://4rvpublishing.com/ gk-davenport.html, from bookstores and from other online stores.

Review: Dust of Lies

 

Dust of Lies

Written by G.K. Davenport

Published by 4RV Publishing

2020

Review by MLM Opinion's Reviews 

I enjoyed the book. It’s an excellent little mystery read. It’s about Kay, a reporter who is looking for the story of the year. She was going to cover the story of an old jail building that was about to be knocked down, the last piece of history.

“Here, I hang. With my face to the wall. Ora Price was the cause of it all.” She finds a piece of a wall with words written by a prisoner, Ezra Hacker, who died while incarcerated. It was a poem that touched her, and she found herself wanting to know more about this man and his history. 

The poem is where the story begins. Kay is determined to figure out Ora, the prisoner’s wife, and what causes Ezra to abandon all responsibility. Her mother-in-law encouraged her to dive deeper and discover the truth. 

Dust of Lies is an excellent look into the past and the secrets waiting to be exposed. This book kept me wanting more, and I couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend this book, especially if you love a good mystery.

How to Improve Mysteries

by Vivian Zabel  

          I take and read several writing magazines: The Writer, WRITERS' Journal, and Writer's Digest. All of them give me ideas and advice that helps me be a better writer. As I read some of the current issues, I realized that some of the articles included suggestions that definitely apply to writing mysteries, thrillers, crime, and/or suspense novels and/or stories.

          In my reading, and from my experiences over the years, I found some writing tips that definitely apply to writing mysteries and sub-genres.

          Some of the suggestions apply to any writing; some perhaps more to the mystery genres. However, all are usable to us. At the end of this article, I'll give the sources for the information I'm using, besides my own expertise. I highly recommend that everyone read all the articles.

          Create believable and distinctive characters. Have you ever read more than one book where at least one character could be dropped into more than one story, even if the names aren't the same, and no one could notice? I mean other than in a series or a sequel that contains the same characters.

          Ways to make characters believable and distinctive are several, but a few include 1) to have characters not be predictable, 2) to make them three-dimensional rather than stereotypical or all good or all bad, 3) to "show" their personalities and characters rather than "tell" the reader what kind of person they are. An antagonist shouldn't be a "flat" all bad, evil person. A protagonist shouldn't be all good without any faults or short comings.

          Include the four elements. Every well-written novel or story needs to have 1) a strong hook at the beginning to grab the readers attention and keep it.

          2) Conflict is necessary to have a plot, a story. Of course without conflict, we would have only a narrative, and we wouldn't have anything to interest a reader.

          Conflict leads to a 3) struggle, according to Diane E. Robertson, both internal and external. The ups and downs of the struggle make the plot move forward to the 4) resolution, the end of the story. Authors need to be sure that that end is not a false finish. The end must make sense and satisfy the reader. A surprise ending should still be credible.

          Make sure the plot is plausible to the reader. Often, coincidences are thrown in to surprise a reader, but if credibility is stretched too far, the reader won't accept it. Hallie Ephron states, "... never, ever, ever make a coincident integral to the solution."

          Don't conceal clues from the reader. The reader should know all the clues as soon as the mystery solver or detective does.

         I gave a few of the many tips found in three articles and a bit of my own knowledge mixed in.

***
Sources, besides the information I've accumulated over the years:

The Writer, Hallie Ephron,October 2008 page 26-29; Paola Carso, December 2008 page 28-29.
WRITERS' Journal, Diane E. Robertson, January/February 2009 page 46-47.


4RV Publishing website
4RV Publishing Bookstore 

Promotion: Review of Priscilla Homes and the Case of the Glass Slipper -- The Midwest Book Review

posted by Vivian Zabel

         Appearing on "Katherine' Bookshelf," in The Midwest Book Review for September, is Priscilla Holmes and Case of the Glass Slipper by John Lance and illustrated by Diana Navarro .

Review by Katerine Boyer:


Priscilla Holmes and the Case of the Glass Slipper
John Lance
4RV Publishing LLC
PO Box 6482, Edmond OK 73083
9780982659496 $14.99

John Lance has done it again! He has written an amusing children's book with a new twist in Priscilla Holmes and the Case of the Glass Slipper. There are some curious references to a familiar fairy tale that has to do with a beautiful girl who went to a dance at the palace and danced with the prince, then left in a hurry and lost her magic glass slipper.

Priscilla, the Ace Detective, is called on by the prince to find the beautiful princess he danced with at the ball. So she gets to work. She begins to follow the clues and comes up with 3 clues that she has to sort out to solve the mystery of who the missing princess is. They are:

"1. A pumpkin coach

2. A magical glass slipper

3. A pair of mysterious strangers. One wears the same size shoe as the missing princess."

She follows the clues to Gary the Glassblowers, then to The Magic Bean to talk to Merlin. This leads her to Aunt Mag's house and the two mysterious strangers. Because of her Ace Detective status, she soon puts the clues together and finds the princess just as the prince shows up. Then comes the twist. For this review, suffice it to say that they all lived happily ever after. You will have to read the book to find out what happens that is a little different from the story you may remember from your childhood.

The illustrations, so aptly done by Diana Navarro, as she did with the first book about the ace detective, provide the reader a definite idea of the characters in the book. The background she depicts in her art is also very well done.

John Lance lives in Massachusetts with his wife, two daughters and two slightly-crazed Labrador Retrievers. He enjoys spending time with his family and reading, writing and working in his garden.

Kathleen Boyer
Reviewer



          Priscilla Holmes and Case of the Glass Slipper is now part of the holiday sale found on the 4RV Bookstore.


4RV Publishing website

Promotion: A Review of Priscilla Holmes, Ace Detective

by Vivian Zabel     

 

          Since we often have days without any articles scheduled, presenting recent book reviews and book trailers might interest readers. I can post such material without it being self-promoting, too, where if the authors involved did, they would seem to brag.

          Katherine Boyer recently posted a review for Priscilla Holmes, Ace Detective (written by John Lance and illustrated by Diana Navarro), the first in John's series taken from fairy tales. The review has appeared on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Books a Million. It will appear in the Midwest Book Review in September. She graciously gave permission for the review to be posted here.

• Title: Priscilla Holmes, Ace Detective
• Author: John Lance             
• Publisher: 4RV Publishing LLC

·Publisher's address: PO Box 6482

Edmond, OK 73083

• 13-digit ISBN number: 978-0-9840708-7-9
• List Price: $13.99

Priscilla Holmes, Ace Detective by John Lance is a very funny, imaginative children’s book that calls on many familiar fairy tales, such as the Muffin Man, Cinderella, Rapunzel and others, to tell the story and solve the crime.  It will make adults want to reminisce about their childhood and retell their favorite stories. 

            The mystery loosely follows the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears as they return home and find someone has been in their house.  Priscilla is hired by the Bear family to find out who broke furniture in their house and ate their porridge.  She begins her investigation and finds the following clues:

                        “1. Shoeprint (small)

                         2. Long blonde hair

                         3. Pink bow”

            With just these three clues and her ‘greatly honed detective skills’ she investigates and solves the mystery.  The solution will not be a surprise to those who are up on their fairy tales.  However, following Priscilla through her detecting process is unanticipated fun for all ages.  The penalty for the perpetrator is one that is in line with the offense.

            I really enjoyed the book and Mr. Lance has a great knack for relating fun stories for children.  The illustrations by Dianna Navarro are wonderfully imaginative and telling.  Children are going to have a lot of fun with this story and laugh at the insertion of other familiar stories and nursery rhymes.

            In an interview with Tracy S. Morris, Mr. Lance discussed the origin of this story: 

“Priscilla Holmes is one of those rare cases (for me at least) where the character came first. I was sitting in my study one day and looked out the window to see my daughters playing in the backyard and that was when a girl detective popped into my head. Priscilla is smart and determined (like my daughters) and has a distinct dislike for cleaning her room (also like my daughters).”

 

John Lance lives in Massachusetts with his wife, two daughters and two slightly-crazed Labrador Retrievers.  He enjoys spending time with his family and reading, writing and working in his garden.

Name: Katherine Boyer
E-mail address: kbooks1@verizon.net

         

 The book may be bought from the 4RV Publishing Catalog, as well as found on other online bookstores and through any physical bookstore.

         

          

Trailer for Midnight Hours

by Vivian Zabel

I would like to share a special book trailer, created by Aidana WillowRaven for my mystery/suspense novel Midnight Hours.



Midnight Hours can be found through any book store or any online book supplier. It's also available on 4RV Publishing Catalog and the 4RV Publishing website.


NOTE:
Tomorrow's article by vehoae will be replaced by another book trailer or by a review of one of 4RV's releases. Her computer, her new computer, decided it didn't want to work. Vehoae will join us next month after her computer recovers.

Vivian Zabel