As mysteries from the past rise to the surface, more questions will be raised.The riddle of Riddle will be solved, but how many bodies will it take to find the answers?
Seven years ago Kort Eriksen went to prison for killing his girlfriend Desiree. Now he’s back in Riddle and some people think he got off easy. Others, including long time friend Norma, think he was railroaded because he’s the only Native American in town. Grace Donahue is running away from her past. Trapped in Riddle until her car is repaired she develops a friendship with Kort. Suddenly accidents are happening and people are dying. Is Kort adding to his list of victims or has someone else taken the reins? As mysteries from the past rise to the surface, more questions will be raised. The suspect file grows as victims fall. Is Desiree’s killer back for more or is someone trying to avenge her death? The riddle of Riddle will be solved, but how many bodies will it take to find the answers?
Professional Reviews
First-rate Storytelling
My only complaint with Riddle is that it kept me up until 2 a.m. Thought I’d just dip into the first few pages to get the flavor of the story, but I was hooked. I HAD to know what would happen to Native American Kort Ericksen in the all-White town of Riddle when the convicted murderer returned from prison.
Kort’s homecoming is chilly. His adoptive mother treats him like a boarder. Only high school friends Norma, who wrote to him while he was “inside”; Chad, now owner of the construction company where Kort will work; and diner-owner Jack greet him with warmth. It’s at the diner where Kort meets Grace, a drifter marooned in Riddle until she can pay for car repairs. The two strike up a tentative friendship before Grace discovers Kort’s history. Then she’s solidly on his side, urging him to join her in a hunt for the real killer of his high school girlfriend.
This is dangerous work, made more dangerous by a rash of seemingly unconnected deaths near the town. As Kort and Grace dig into the past, old secrets emerge. One unexpected side effect of their search gives Kort a tantalizing lead on his Native American roots, which he’ll have to pursue after the body count stops rising.
Riddle has minor issues with formatting and the occasional character head-hop, but none of this detracted from the first-rate storytelling.
Piecing together a Hitchcock style jigsaw puzzle!
Riddle was a must read after reading Elizabeth Horton-Newton's intriguing 'View from the Sixth Floor - An Oswald Tale'. Elizabeth is certainly creating a name as a Queen of Intrigue! This book intrigued me from the early pages and continued to do so to the end.
Set in a small town, weaving those human complexities of prejudice, passion, mistrust and revenge with believable characters and stories. A controversial romance with the local outcast Kort, and bubbly Grace who is new to the town and soon becomes aware of the entrenched darkness that lies within its walls.
I found myself trying to piece together a Hitchcock style jigsaw puzzle, not really knowing the whole picture until the last piece slots in.
A compelling read of intrigue and mysteries wrapped in a fascinating love story. A must read!
I wish the late great Alfred Hitchcock could make RIDDLE into a movie!
They say judge a book by its cover. No kidding! The sumptuously designed cover for “Riddle” sucked me right in. And boy, this romantic thriller did not disappoint. In fact it had me truly committed to carve out time in my busy days in order to read it.
From the first page I found myself channeling “The Master of Suspense” himself, Sir Alfred Hitchcock. I’m convinced he would have reveled in the psychological twist and turns, portrayed by the gifted Elizabeth Horton-Newton, in her small town of Riddle she so tellingly created.
I know the fiery sanguine-haired Norma would have delighted the great director (she certainly fascinated me). He also would have appreciated the ratcheting drama of Grace, trapped in Riddle by a car that betrayed her, by breaking down at the least opportune time.
But her car’s betrayal is nothing compared to the questionable justice meted out against Kort. Mr. Erikson had been jailed for the alleged killing of his girlfriend. Or, was he a victim of crude prejudice being the only Native American in bucolic Riddle?
As I read, the layers peeled back page-by-page revealing a narrative as engrossing as anything created by Alfred Hitchcock. I really wish the late great Master of Suspense was still alive, as I would have liked to see Riddle come alive as a quality motion picture. I strongly recommend this book!
Boom! Pain! Blackness!
After an RPG attack on their barracks in Afghanistan, corpsmen, Amber Fox, Luke Owens , Wade Scott and Ross Miller wake up in an Army hospital in Germany.
Thus, begins a months long recovery for all of them. A
