Sticks & Stones (Hollis Morgan Mystery) - Softcover

James, R. Franklin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1603819193 ISBN 13: 9781603819190

Publisher: Camel Press, 2014

Synopsis

“Sticks and Stones can break my bones ....” Despite what the old children’s rhyme says, words can cause grievous harm. A lesson ex-con Hollis Morgan, a casualty of her deceased ex-husband’s white collar crimes, knows all too well. Now that she has received an official pardon, she is free to pursue her dreams of moving up in the world from paralegal to attorney. While awaiting the results of the bar exam, she hopes to clear the name of a friend accused of libel by philanthropist Dorian Fields, a man whose charitable giving looks a lot like money-laundering. Only problem: the evidence has disappeared and her friend Catherine is found dead. Although initially thought a suicide, Hollis' friend was murdered. Catherine was writing an article about Fields for a tabloid. Hollis and attorney Mark Haddan convince the magazine to let them carry on with the libel defense, but they have fewer than 60 days to prove Catherine’s exposé was well-founded. In the meantime Hollis has other distractions; she is also helping to settle the estate of Margaret Koch, a rich client of the law firm whose impetuous actions as revealed in her letters still embitter the lives of those she left behind. And then there are the two men vying for her attention—one a police detective, the other a private eye. Normally Hollis trusts her built-in lie detector, but in this case, too many people are lying for too many reasons. One of them is not only a liar, but a killer. Sticks & Stones is Book Two of the Hollis Morgan Mystery Series, which began with The Fallen Angels Book Club.

About this title

About the Author

R. Franklin James grew up in the San Francisco East Bay Area and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley. She and her husband currently live in northern California. Sticks & Stones is the second book in Hollis Morgan Mystery Series, following The Fallen Angels Book Club. Coming soon: Return of the Fallen Angels Book Club. You can find R. Franklin on the Web at rfranklinjames.com.

Review

"The Fallen Angels Book Club by author R. Franklin James is an enjoyable first book in the new series featuring Hollis Morgan. Hollis is a good heroine as she is smart, determined and resourceful."
--Barbara Cothern, Portland Book Review

Sticks & Stones is the second book in the Hollis Morgan Mystery series by R. Franklin James. When I received the book from the author with a request to read and review her work, I didn't know anything about it - or that it was part of a series. However once reading the book I realized that it can just as well stand on its own, so if you haven't read the first book, The Fallen Angels Book Club, you won't have a problem reading Sticks & Stones.

Sure, it does have a few references to past happenings, but nearly not as much as to impact the enjoyment of the book when it's the first time you pick up something written by this author.

The story follows Hollis Morgan, a former convict who has been pardoned for something that she did years ago (and you can read more about that story in the author's first mystery novel). She is right now a paralegal at a prestigious law firm, who simply tries to do her best and forget about her past. She is quite good at research and a true asset to the company with her skills, that's why her boss is not the happiest when Holly wants to pass the Bar exam to become a full fledged lawyer.

One night Catherine, one of her best friends and a former colleague who is now a freelancer for a known tabloid comes to her house with a strange and urgent request for help with researching a case she's been working on. She's been accused of libel by the well known and respected philanthropist Dorian Fields. who works with charity organizations all over the place, and whom everyone seems to love and respect.

Hollis, still tired from work and nervous about her exams, doesn't agree right away to help Catherine, however agrees to give her an answer the next day. But sadly this will never happen as Catherine is found the next day dead in her car in the garage, of an apparent suicide.

However things are just too weird and the timing just too tight to really be a suicide, Holly thinks, and s --?

A fast paced mystery with lots going on.... I really liked the human touches.... Hollis finds a box of letters written to the dead woman in her probate case and I learned a lot about Hollis from the way in which she reacted to the letters. She goes way beyond what was required for her job to see that the outcome of the case is what it should be. Hollis also comes in contact with a young man named Vince, "a revering addict on the other side of withdrawals." Hollis buys him lunch several times and when he asks her why she is being so nice, she answers, "Because I could." Readers are sure to be captured by this plot-twisting, exciting mystery. It is a real page turner and I certainly am going to keep reading this series.

--Long and Short Reviews (6-4-2014), 4 Stars

Edition details

• Publisher: Camel Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1603819193
• ISBN 13: 9781603819190
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 264