I read Blood Under Cherry Blossoms by T.J. Holz for The Review Crew last week.
This book is less than 100 pages and really good quick read. It is a debut novel for the author.
About: "A mysterious photo. An unsolved murder. And a killer desperate to cover his tracks.
It’s a slow summer for D.C. college professor Adelaide Patulski, until she discovers an old photo that could catch the killer in an infamous 1986 murder: A teenage boy sprawled under cherry blossoms, as his killer runs away.
A picture is worth a thousand words. But this photo is worth a lot more: it might cost Adelaide her life.
Suddenly her computer’s being hacked, she’s being watched and getting death threats.
Adelaide’s being hunted.
And the only way to save herself is to solve an unsolvable murder before she becomes the next victim.
If Adelaide can get her next-door neighbor, a cranky and recently fired Secret Service agent, to help her solve the case, she might actually have a shot.
But this is D.C. and the killer’s spent 35 years rising through the ranks. And Adelaide’s running out of time.
Can Adelaide catch the killer before he catches her? Or will this summer be her last?"
I received a pre-release copy of this book and I’m reviewing it voluntarily.
This book is less than 100 pages and really good quick read. It is a debut novel for the author.
About: "A mysterious photo. An unsolved murder. And a killer desperate to cover his tracks.
It’s a slow summer for D.C. college professor Adelaide Patulski, until she discovers an old photo that could catch the killer in an infamous 1986 murder: A teenage boy sprawled under cherry blossoms, as his killer runs away.
A picture is worth a thousand words. But this photo is worth a lot more: it might cost Adelaide her life.
Suddenly her computer’s being hacked, she’s being watched and getting death threats.
Adelaide’s being hunted.
And the only way to save herself is to solve an unsolvable murder before she becomes the next victim.
If Adelaide can get her next-door neighbor, a cranky and recently fired Secret Service agent, to help her solve the case, she might actually have a shot.
But this is D.C. and the killer’s spent 35 years rising through the ranks. And Adelaide’s running out of time.
Can Adelaide catch the killer before he catches her? Or will this summer be her last?"
I really liked this book. The story grabs you right away and the suspense does not stop. While it is a short book, it is not short on action. Thirty plus years after George Oakwood is shot and killed while trying to stop a purse snatcher, Adelaide comes across a photo from the scene. As she looks up information on the photo, and finds it is a cold case, she is driven to finding out why this photo was stashed in a box, who took the picture and if it would lead to the killer. Immediately she is receiving threatening emails which then disappear before her eyes, threatening strangers at her door and a feeling of being watched. Rescued by her neighbor Joe, she convinces Joe to help her pursue the answer despite his warning to leave it alone, the landlord's warning to leave it alone and the people threatening her. Very good descriptions which will leave you looking over your shoulder. It was pretty creepy when Adelaide would read an email from the unknown person and then it would literally disappear, or the bad guys would show up out of nowhere.
The ending is very good and leaves an opening for more books with Joe and Adelaide. I would definitely read more in this series.
About the author: "T.J. Holtz is a mystery crime writer who was born in Romania and has lived in numerous countries in Europe, including The Netherlands, UK, Italy and Spain. With a master's degree in Business Communication, T.J. has previously worked as a Sociologist, conducting cross-cultural research studies."
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