Sleeping in Eden

The problem with lies is that often the circumstances will ultimately reveal themselves in due time and the threads by them will weave more people into the situation that were ever meant to be. Such is the case as the threads begin in Nicole Baart's latest novel, Sleeping in Eden. In the small town of Blackhawk in Northwest Iowa, Dr. Lucas Hudson is called to a crime scene to act as coroner who is vacationing to determine cause of death on what seems to be an open and shut case of suicide. Inside a barn Dr. Hudson finds the body of Jim Sparks who is hanging from a beam and a chair lies overturned in the dust. As the sheriff and his men attempt to cut down the body, they uncover another body lying undisturbed beneath where Jim has hung himself. It appears as through the body has been buried for quite some time and it seems as if Jim may in fact have had something to hide besides ending his life.

Now it seems that the past and present will intersect as these two discovered will unearth more than most had hoped in the small town of Blackhawk. As the reader opens Sleeping in Eden, they will discover the book is laid out in alternating chapters focusing on Lucas and then Meg. Lucas is the present day doctor dealing with now two dead bodies and trying to uncovering their secrets since Jim Sparks left no suicide note but also not someone that the residents of Blackhawk would miss. In fact the only surprise residents have is that Jim took the permanent way out instead of simply moving out of Blackhawk. Meg in a character the reader is introduced from the past who existed in the town of Blackhawk before Lucas ever arrived. It is here we learn her story of a summer love between Meg Painter and Dylan Reid and it's those choices that they both were a part of that has launched this investigation into the present day. Just what happens when popular Meg meets Dylan, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks is about to be discovered through this story.

Like the tracks of the train that run parallel down the side of town, so do these two stories run side by side. At some point you know that they will have to intersect one another and that's what keeps the reader flipping pages and trying to discover the connection before you reach the end. It shows reader just what the implications are when secrets are kept and the implications that can have on seemingly innocent characters who come along much later in life. This was the perfect setting for a murder mystery spanning more than one time period and Nicole Baart does an exceptional job at making the setting and characters life like and believable.

I received Sleeping in Eden by Nicole Baart compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster Publishers for my honest review and received no compensation for a favorable one. I was surprised to discover since Howard Books usually prides itself on Christian books, this one did manage to squeeze past the publishers with a handful of profanity and some questionable content. However, this one still manages to deliver with its intended purpose which is a compelling mystery that entertains its readers. I'd rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars. For those mystery and criminal fiction fans, you'll want to add this one to your summer reading list.

For more information about Sleeping in Eden, Nicole Baart, or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Sleeping in Eden by Nicole Baart

You can also find Nicole Baart on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Howard Books; Original edition (May 21, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439197369
• ISBN-13: 978-1439197363
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1 inches 

You can find this novel on paperback and eBook formats wherever fine books are sold. 

Far From Here

Danica Greene always hated flying, so it was almost laughable that the boy of her dreams was a pilot. She married him anyway, and together, she and Etsell settled into a life where love really did seem to conquer all.

When opportunity to spend three weeks in Alaska helping a pilot friend presents itself, Etsell accepts and their idyllic world is turned upside down. It's hit dream, he reveals, and Danica knows that she can't stand in the way. Etsell is on his last flight before heading home when his plane vanishes shortly after takeoff, leaving Danice in a free fall. He's gone, but what exactly does gone mean? Is she a widow? An abandoned wife? Or will Estell find his way home to her?

Forced to search for the truth in her marriage, Danica grapples with the impossible questions about her husband's mysterious disappearance. And when she learns that Ell wasn't flying alone, the bits and pieces of the careful life that she constructed for them take to the wind...

I received Far From Here by Nicole Baart compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster for my honest review and found this story hard to comprehend. I don't know what I would do if my husband went missing, with no sign of a crash and no remains of a plane, just a big opened ended question much like what Danica is faced with in the book. Not quite knowing what to do or where to begin, she struggles with taking advice from her dysfunctional family who means well and from her surrogate mother-in-law who offers to help her get her life back on track by any means possible. There's even a kind pastor/neighbor who offers to get her mind off things by helping her maintain her lawn without bringing up her missing husband.

This really hits home in so many ways because the struggle by Danica to figure out what to do is very real. She deals with how long does she wait before she must realize he isn't coming back, how does she cope with being alone, and how does she deal with the truth that her marriage wasn't all she thought it was. A very compelling read and one I could not put down until the final page was turned. A believable and well-written story about a tragic loss and how one woman will weather the storm. For that I rate this story a 5 out of 5 stars.

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Far From Here by Nicole Baart