On the night of her welcome party, Bianca thinks she witnesses a struggle in the garden, perhaps even a murder. When the police investigate and find no body, she is stumped, yet alarm bells won’t stop ringing. She knows she’s witnessed something.
When a dead body surfaces and suspicion falls on her son, Bianca’s maternal instincts spring to action to protect Ian and clear his name. Meanwhile, things in Batavia-on-Hudson are tense. Sheriff Mike Riley is losing his re-election while tackling devastating news about his dead partner and wavering about his troubled marriage.
Autumn Embers explores the malleable nature of our identities and reminds us that chosen families can be stronger than we think, and that true friendship can bridge any distance. (Summary via Goodreads)
In Autumn Embers, the third book in the Batavia-on-Hudson Mystery series written by Tina deBellegarde readers will feel like they are reading two different books. Tina takes main character Bianca out of Batavia-on-Hudson and sents her thousands of miles away to Japan to spend time with her son as well as return a priceless artifact to it's rightful owners. Bianca found it previously and after research located it's real place of origin.
Unfortunately at the beginning of her visit with her son during the welcome party that he organized, there are some univited and unwanted people who crashed the party and Bianca witnesses a commotion in the garden. To make matters worse no one believes her until a body turns up....
Meanwhile back home in Batavia-on-Hudson Bianca's close friend and the Sheriff, Mike, is facing the elections and he has two components running against him and one is his deputy. Mike hasn't had his head in the game as he has been dealing with a lot of personal things and doesn't think that he will win. That will put him in an unpleasant place as whether to stay in Batavia or move.
Luckily Bianca and Mike have each other and even though they are miles apart, they still call and talk each other through what they are dealing with. Bianca really needs Mike's help when her son Ian turns out to be on the top of the suspect list.
Bianca knows very little Japanese but that won't deter her from looking into the death of Ian's ex-friend. And she has Ian's friends to help her.
Readers will love how deBellegarde splits the story up with Bianca in Japan and Mike back in Batavia-on-Hudson with each having their own storyline but then how she gracefully overlaps the story is magical !!! You cannot help by allow your imagination to open up, especially when you are with Bianca in Japan.
Thank you, Missi, for reading and reviewing Autumn Embers. I am thrilled that you enjoyed the dual timeline and that you found Bianca's Japan to be special. Kyoto is a spectacular city, I can vouch for that!
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