The Forbidden Dreams of Betsy Elliott by Carolyn R. Parsons

The winter of 1933 is particularly harsh but twenty-something year old Betsy Elliott is a force to be reckoned with! Living in Elliott's Cove with her much older and previously widowed husband John, Betsy is feisty, hard working and determined to survive the merciless environment of outport life during the Commission of Government years in Newfoundland. It is a godsend when Newfoundland born-Harvard educated Edmund Hoffe Taylor returned home for the winter to finish writing about the political situation of the day. Stumbling into their lives at a time when extra help is needed and much appreciated,  Betsy initially cringed at having another mouth to feed and a boarder to contend with. Little did she know that this young, spiffy chap with his fancy way of speaking could do more than just the needed grunt work around the house but aroused within Betsy a longing and innate desire to experience a different life, perhaps one beyond Elliott's Cove. Her long gone father, afterall, had always told her to set her sights on something even bigger than she could imagine. Now was the time when the forbidden dreams of Betsy Elliott could be realized but not before a series of life altering events rock the Elliott household and the entire community.

The Forbidden Dreams of Betsy Elliott is a piece of historical fiction that is entertaining, intriguing, and 100% Newfoundland born and bred! From the beginning of the novel to the very last page, there is no doubt that author Carolyn R. Parsons draws from her own life experience as a daughter of a fishing family in the small community of Change Islands, Newfoundland. In her debut novel, Parsons creates a strong but likeable protagonist in the character Betsy Elliott. As readers, we sympathize with her plight, admire her determination and grit and in the end wish nothing but the best for this young mother of two. Likewise the supporting characters are dynamic and serve a very specific purpose in the development of the plot, which is both well paced and meticulously planned. As a reader, I found myself really enjoying the Newfoundland dialect that Parsons used for the dialogue of the characters. It was interesting, natural and not overdone to the point where you were left wondering what the characters were trying to say. The use of such prose also creates a timestamp for the reader, contributing to the creation of a believable place and time in history that Parsons has clearly researched and is familiar with. 

"Are you not afraid of going to hell, Betsy?"

"Hell? Hell is winter when you're stuck with an old lady and man took to his bed because it's too much trouble to get up. When spring comes and the cellar is low and the only thing to do is to take to the ice yourself to get a seal to eat, or perhaps a couple ducks. When you shuts the parlour down because the wood is low and nearly freezes all March month to make do. When you take your babies on a sled into the woods to cut enough to get through, and some man looks at you like you're a meal of seal yourself, and only the infant inside your coat stops him from havin' a go. When you piles up the sled and has to stop to give the baby milk because you had nobody to leave him with and you're worried your other baby will freeze before you gets home. Hell is when you goes into service at ten or when your mother puts your sisters on a steamer for the orphanage because your father died of the fever. I don't concern myself with hell. I figures I'm in it ...."

The Forbidden Dreams of Betsy Elliott is romantic, thrilling, and at times quite amusing! Simply put it is a must read book with a character who transcends time. Betsy embodies the fierce love found in all women who call themselves mothers and wives, not just the stoic, resilient, duty-bound women of the Great Depression. It reminds us of the importance to dream big and to follow our heart, even if it means having to make tough choices. Keeping my fingers crossed for a sequel to this novel! The Forbidden Dreams of Betsy Elliott is a Flanker Press publication.

Operation Vanished by Helen C. Escott

RCMP Corporal Gail McNaughton has just returned to her native Newfoundland to take up a position in the Major Crimes Unit of the local police detachment. Given the challenging task of investigating unsolved crimes from the 1950's, she befriends Larry Morgan, the son of one of the murdered women who is also employed as an historical archivist with the provincial government. Using old newspapers and other historical resources, Morgan is able to generate a list of unsuspecting people who could be placed in the area at the time of  his mother's murder. Little did he know that this list of powerful people could be linked to the locations of three other murders that McNaughton has found on her desk. As McNaughton attempts to prove her theory that a serial killer has been at work, she uncovers secrets that have been hidden for decades. Operation Vanished is an edge-of-your-seat crime thriller that spans the physical geography of rural Newfoundland. More than just an investigative crime story, it is the tale of lives lost, lives found and new life rediscovered.

Operation Vanished is the second crime thriller novel for Helen C. Escott. Written with the same investigative expertise that she became known for in Operation Wormwood, this is truly a missing persons novel readers will not be able to put down. The readers interest is piqued from the very first line of the very first chapter.

                      "Every time I think of that day, I remember it in black and white."

As the narrative unfolds Escott expertly weaves the tale from a child abduction case to the cases of other young murdered mothers, teachers and nurses. Though the plot is propelled by a series of different crimes, as well as through different settings, Escott is able to skillfully craft a connected sequence of events while periodically inserting just enough information to help the reader get to know the main character, Corporal Gail McNaughton. The result is a well executed storyline that pays respectful homage to murdered and missing women and children.

Operation Vanished was written by Escott "to shine a spotlight on missing children and women" and to ensure they will "never be forgotten". Though it is a fictional investigation that highlights an era when women were barely considered "persons" under the law, the imbalance of power that exists between men and women, children and adults is still relevant today and very much a recurring central idea in this story. Escott develops the main idea through the creation of cracker jack investigator Corporal Gail McNaughton. As the story evolves MacNaughton's backstory reveals an individual with her own internal challenges ranging from crippling episodes of PTSD  to waging a battle against the abuse of power in the still male dominated profession of policing. Likewise, the victims of the heinous crimes are all presented as strong influential women who were successful in their own right but casualties of their era and of a psychopathic mind. 

Operation Vanished is a powerful page-turner that will resonate with any reader who enjoys a good murder mystery. Helen C. Escott doesn't just seek justice and remembrance for female victims of crime but makes a brilliant attempt to emancipate them from the bonds of yesteryear. Operation Vanished is a Flanker Press publication.

The Woman In The Attic by Emily Hepditch

English grad student Hannah Fitzgerald had lived for 18 years with her reclusive mother Adelaide in a small saltbox house on the south coast of Newfoundland before deciding to attend university to pursue her dream of becoming a writer.  Hannah must now return to her cliffside childhood home to prepare her mother for transition to an assisted living facility. Struggling with early onset dementia, Adelaide's condition has rapidly deteriorated and the house that Hannah once called home has dilapidated beyond repair. Struggling to cope with her mother's violent and aggressive outbursts, a nosy personal care attendant, and a house in dire need of some TLC Hannah begins the process of sorting through her mother's personal possessions only to discover a never-before-seen trap door to a pristinely kept attic bedroom with beautiful furnishings and a trunk containing clues to a very sinister past. Hannah attempts to piece together her mother's secret life but, with each discovery, more questions abound, lies are revealed and suspicions arise that a murder has been committed.

Described as a "claustrophobic psychological thriller", The Woman in The Attic is a novel that I simply could not put down until I turned the final page. Emily Hepditch does a superb job at developing true to life characters through a storyline that mirrors the lives of real life people in rural Newfoundland. Readers can't help but feel compassion and empathy for Hannah as she is faced with the tragic realities that having a parent diagnosed with dementia brings but also feel the same torment, anguish and sadness that is revealed bit by bit as the plot develops. Through beautiful writing and wonderful use of figurative language, Hepditch creates vivid sensory images for readers, inviting them to become participants in the story. One such example is in Chapter 1 when Hannah takes a break from the long drive home and pulls over to have a look at the ocean. Hepditch writes,

"I can see from here the ocean, a magnificent sapphire blue in the clear morning sunshine. The waves this morning are tall and strong, crests rising, roaring, finally sweeping in a violent crescendo at the cliffs submerged in its belly. I watch the foaming whitewash and imagine the power, the strength of the ocean, the way it engulfs everything in its path in wide, tireless swallows. I watch a white gull disappear from where it bobs in the water, the poor creature a victim caught in the thralls of an angry ocean arm."

This novel will capture you and keep you wanting more. The Woman In The Attic is a Flanker Press Publication.