I’m researching dynamic beginnings to mystery novels. A Smokey Mountain Mystery by Steve Demaree has a great first five pages, asking compelling questions he makes me want to know the answers to. In a story, you have to catch me quickly from the beginning. many a novel and movie I leave mid way thru if the story and characters don’t compel me to know what happens next. You can read a bit here –> http://www.amazon.com/Smoky-Mountain-Mystery-Book-Beaten-ebook/dp/B00K0R96TE/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1428837968&sr=1-1-fkmr1&keywords=a+smokey+mountain+mystery+Steve+demar  I wrote a review on Amazon.  Book Reviews are not easy for me to do, I am studying how to do it properly.  

My Review Title is: A sophisticated reader, this story drew me in and kept me interested through the unexpected ending

I do not know this author. I found this book on Kindle as I searched Free and Mystery. As a publisher, I read a lot. For me, a book has to begin dynamically to keep my attention. A Smokey Mountain Mystery by Steve Demaree drew me in to the characters immediately. Being in business my whole life, I like the theme of the harried executive finally taking time to unwind and relax, while juggling keeping in touch with the real world at the office. I enjoy reading about places I’ve been or want to visit. In the first five pages the author asked compelling questions that made me want to know the answers. Many novels and movies I leave midway thru unless the story and characters compel me to know what happens next. This story did. Pam Archer gets her workaholic husband Jack to agree to their first vacation since their honeymoon. He rents a chalet in the Smokies and within days, Pam navigates abductions, anonymous text threats, stalking, blackmail and murder. This story moved along quickly and kept me guessing. Some scenes may have seemed implausible to other reviewers, but as a criminal defense paralegal for 22 years, having intimate knowledge of thousands of real life crimes, including kidnappings and murder, I found the forensic details accurate and relevant. I consider myself a sophisticated reader so I enjoy being unable to anticipate the plot twists. At one point Jack is missing and I took issue with Pam going about her business as a tourist until I realized she was doing so, knowing she was being watched, to keep from tipping her hand that anything was amiss. Plus I’ve learned first hand that you NEVER know how someone will react under pressure to grief, worry and loss. It was a great story, well written with good sentence structure – a rarity among Kindle free books. It gave enough detail to get me into each scene with no excess . I’m mega liberal but found the lack of sex scenes and innuendo refreshing. I will read more by this author. Yes, even if I have to pay for them.