Dangerous Questions by Joyce T. Strand proved to be an interesting and entertaining read. I recently discovered this author, and I enjoyed her writing and character development.
This story did not have me nervously biting my nails. However, I found that I kept turning the pages as I had to know when Emily would figure out who murdered her friend and why.
Aside from the murder, there were many other criminal activities taking place. Robbery, defrauding, debt bondage and drug trafficking, and those were just the tip of the iceberg.
Emily Lazzaro, a magnet for danger, is determined to unearth the identity of her friend’s murder, even at the risk of her own safety. Her fiancé, Jackson, is not keen on her investigation, but she would not make his disapproval be a discouragement. Her inquisitive nature and her determination led to her asking questions that would ultimately place her in danger.
I enjoyed getting to know the characters, from the international investors to the precocious seven-year-old.
I liked that the author did not place sole focus on the mystery. She incorporated the personal issues of her characters, which gave the story an authentic feel.
The mystery kept me on my toes with its many twists and turns. By the end of the story, I discovered how all the criminal activities tied in with each other.
Conclusion / Recommendation
Overall, an enjoyable read and one I would recommend to fans of the genre.
About Joyce T Strand
Joyce T. Strand is the author of who-done-it contemporary and historical mysteries set in San Francisco, the Napa-Sonoma wine regions of California, and in Ventura and Ramona, California. Her contemporary novels, written as stand-alone trilogies, feature protagonists Jillian Hillcrest, a publicist in Silicon Valley; Brynn Bancroft, a financial guru in transition to winemaker from corporate executive, who was Jillian’s boss in the Jillian Hillcrest mysteries trilogy; and Emily Lazzaro, the daughter of the winemaker in the Brynn Bancroft trilogy, who has moved to a small California town and become the manager of a bed and breakfast. Her first historical mystery,
The Judge’s Story, tells the story of a Superior Court Judge with a passion for social justice as well as the law who strives to discover the truth behind the mystery of a robbery-murder in a small California town in 1939. Her second historical mystery, The Reporter’s Story, features a young female reporter in 1912 San Francisco who confronts murder, intrigue, and smuggling on her way to becoming a world-recognized reporter. None of these sleuths goes looking for crimes to solve, but they are all drawn in when they confront murder, burglaries, and fraud. All of her novels are inspired by actual events and/or real people, although they are definitely fictionalized.
Much like her protagonist Jillian Hillcrest, Strand headed corporate communications at several biotech and high-tech companies in California’s Silicon Valley for more than 25 years. Unlike Jillian, however, she did not encounter murder in her career. She focused on writing by-lined articles, press releases, white papers, and brochures to publicize her companies and their products and welcomed the opportunity to turn to fiction.
Strand lives with her collection of cow statuary in Southern California, and enjoys exploring and writing about the growing wine region in the Ramona Valley near San Diego. She received her Ph.D. from the George Washington University, Washington, D.C. and her B.A. from Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA
