Kindle Edition Amazon Author website Category:  Mystery/Suspense Publisher: L R Sofras Type: Fiction Pages: 209 Copyright: January 1 2013 A psychological romance with a twist of suspense. A successful author's life unravels when he becomes involved with two completely different women.  This is not a story about murder but a dark journey inside a writer's mind. Commitment-shy Ellis Crawford, creator of the famous and highly successful Jenna Crane mystery series finds his comfortable life swept away when he meets Emily, his perfect woman. Despite his deepening love for Emily, Ellis finds himself haunted by painful memories of a previous love whose heart he broke, and begins to regret his past behaviour.  On top of that Emily wants him to kill of his beloved heroine Jenna Crane - against fierce public opinion. But life is too short for regrets and when his own rapidly spirals out of control, taking his reputation as an author with it, where will Ellis turn for help? Excerpt They circumnavigated the pond eating their lunch and chatting inconsequentially. He ignored the occasional curious glances of dog walkers, buggy-pushing parents and other couples as they passed. It could be that they recognised him - he knew he was something of a local celebrity - or that they were surprised to see him eating fish and chips from a paper bag. But he was a writer; surely that gave him permission to do eccentric things on a whim? "Do you ever find being a fiction writer gets in the way?" Emily asked, glancing up at him in what he considered to be a rather flirtatious manner from under her long, dark lashes which he suspected were the real McCoy. "In the way of what?" he prompted. "You know: life; relationships and all that." He gave a low chuckle. "What would make you think such a thing? Do you imagine the boundaries between fact and fiction get blurred in my mind?" A low wall appeared at the edge of the pathway. It was only the height of a couple of bricks, more a shallow ledge than a wall, possibly aimed at keeping cyclists off the grass. Emily hopped up onto it and walked along it, pretending it was a tightrope. Her action was childlike and endearing and he took her flailing hand to help her balance as one might a small child. The extra fifteen or twenty centimetres made her slightly taller than him and allowed her to look down on him, which seemed a curious juxtaposition considering their relative roles. "Yes, I imagine they must. You writer-types spend most of your day in a world outside of reality. One you've created all the rules for, so it must be hard to function as well in a world in which someone else makes all the rules." "That's bollocks," he sputtered angrily, before he could stop himself. A woman pushing a toddler in a buggy glared hard at him as she passed by. He glanced after her, about to apologise, and saw her quicken her pace. "You could apply that premise to practically any profession," he added in a calmer voice. The wall came to an abrupt end where the path came to an intersection and Emily skipped down, landing beside him and once more lower than him. She tilted her head to one side and gazed at him looking captivatingly lovely. "That's true." She thought for a moment. "I once knew a doctor who told me he thought he was God."

Killing Jenna Crane
At first, just by reading the title you'd assume `Killing Jenna Crane' is a murder mystery. You'd be woefully mistaken. It is a mystery, just not the kind you'd expect. Ellis Crawford is a famous author; know most notably for his Jenna Crane mystery series. When he meets Chloe, who is renting a room in the house across the street, their friendship blossoms into something more and he is well-taken care of. Eventually, the bloom falls off any rose and he finds himself becoming distant from Chloe, treating her shabbily, and hurting her deeply without even realizing (or truly) caring he is doing so. It's not long after Chloe leaves, he meets Emily. Strangely enough, she is staying in Chloe's old room. Yet, she is nothing like Chloe to his enjoyment. Where Chloe wants him to keep writing Jenna Crane novels because she enjoys them greatly, Emily pushes Ellis to do what he secretly desires and kill her off. He feels he is above the wildly popular works and longs to write more serious treatise under his own name. The more he's with Emily, the more his life begins to unravel. But who will help him now as he's alienated everyone close to him - except Emily?

Ms. Sofras has a way with characterization which brings readers to feel deeply (good or bad) about those who populate her novel. Honestly, I felt Ellis was a jerk (to put it mildly) and was happy to see him reacting to Emily the way Chloe was to him. His obsession with Emily makes him lose focus and cost him a great deal, including his reputation. Yet Emily isn't all she appears to be and Ellis will need to take a long hard look at his life to realize the truth. And the truth isn't often pretty. `Killing Jenna Crane' was a sophisticated mystery and character study which will capture your mind easily and swiftly. An excellently complex novel with an unexpected twist - a must read!

Killing Jenna Crane - Magnificent!!
I tell you what--I am totally blown away by this story. Very cleverly written. Ms. Sofras goes deep into the character's mind. There are many plot twists that will keep you reading into the night. You will want to keep reading so be prepared to stay up late!

Killing Jenna Crane - Try it - you'll be hooked
The latest novel from the increasingly successful Lynette Sofras is a bit of a departure from the contemporary romance which has been her trademark style up to now. Killing Jenna Crane is a psychological romance with a twist of suspense which keeps the reader hooked from the first page. The central character, the writer Ellis Crawford, is a modern man with a contemptuous view of women which is crying out for correction (at least from the viewpoint of this female reader!) and he certainly gets his comeuppance but not at all in the way readers might expect - which is where the skill in plot construction shows very clearly. Despite his flaws Ellis is the kind of man readers can relate to and understand because he is very human and knows his own faults, even if he chooses not to correct them until later in the novel. The other characters are well drawn, especially the two women who offer him a tantalising glimpse of a loving future but who are effectively contrasted to show Ellis two very different options to choose from. Family tensions and essential background details are skilfully interwoven into the narrative so that they never become intrusive but provide realistic psychological triggers for the actions of the characters; the scene where Ellis makes a disastrous appearance on a breakfast television show is comic in itself but even funnier viewed in retrospect when the reasons for his behaviour are explained.

I am reluctant to explain too much about the plot so as not to spoil the ending. However I definitely suggest that you read Killing Jenna Crane if you are looking for strong, imaginative writing which hooks you in and leads you inexorably to a satisfying but unexpected conclusion. The writer's experience in narrative construction and stylish writing are demonstrated on every page; it is a tribute to Sofras' skill that the masculine viewpoint is totally convincing, while the plot-line will satisfy the romantic aspirations of the majority of women readers. This is a feat which has been pulled off brilliantly in the novel and which makes it a good place to start if you have never heard of Lynette Sofras before. I don't think this will be the last of her books that you want to read, once you have sampled the work of this talented and engaging author.