Shadows in the Mind's Eye by Janyre Tromp | A skillfully woven historical fiction novel rich with elements of suspense, intrigue, and mystery.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary e-copy of this book from the author as part of her book launch team. All thoughts below are my own and I was not required to post a positive review. Also, this blog post includes affiliate links. You may view my affiliate disclaimer here.
HISTORICAL SUSPENSE
Debut novelist, Janyre Tromp, has skillfully woven an exciting, historical fiction novel rich with elements of suspense, intrigue, and mystery.
Through her lovable characters, Tromp delights readers with a twisting, turning story of life post-WWII as a soldier, forever changed by war, returns home to his family on their mountain farm, only to face the darkness that is creeping in the shadows.
Scroll down for my full review…
Charlotte Anne Mattas longs to turn back the clock. Before her husband, Sam, went to serve his country in the war, he was the man everyone could rely on--responsible, intelligent, and loving. But the person who's come back to their family farm is very different from the protector Annie remembers. Sam's experience in the Pacific theater has left him broken in ways no one can understand--but that everyone is learning to fear.
Tongues start wagging after Sam nearly kills his own brother. Now when he claims to have seen men on the mountain when no one else has seen them, Annie isn't the only one questioning his sanity and her safety. If there were criminals haunting the hills, there should be evidence beyond his claims. Is he really seeing what he says, or is his war-tortured mind conjuring ghosts?
Annie desperately wants to believe her husband. But between his irrational choices and his nightmares leaking into the daytime, she's terrified he's going mad. Can she trust God to heal Sam's mental wounds--or will sticking by him mean keeping her marriage at the cost of her own life?
My Review: ★★★★/5
Debut novelist, Janyre Tromp, has skillfully woven an exciting, historical fiction novel rich with elements of suspense, intrigue, and mystery. Through her lovable characters, she delights readers with a twisting, turning story of life post-WWII as a soldier, forever changed by war, returns home to his family on their mountain farm, only to face the darkness that is creeping in the shadows.
What I Loved:
Tromp’s characters and their dialogue is truly authentic to life in the mountains. This aspect created a world of simple goodness and a close-knit family of delightful characters who burrowed deep into my heart. I loved Sam and Annie’s marriage, their interactions and the in-depth look into their innermost thoughts and struggles as they worked their farm together and recovered after being apart for years. Though they each battled doubts and darkness differently, their persistence, their strength and their love for each other and their family was admirable and inspiring.
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The novel has wonderful historical aspects set in post-WWII, small-town America. I enjoyed the setting and the well-researched history of the American mob which is a part of Annie’s backstory.
I found this novel to have a bit of a slow build, with much groundwork and mild, mind-bending suspense being laid early on. By the second half of the novel, the excitement and action picked up with more intrigue building, and a mystery unfolding, that kept me interested and gave the novel a bit of a “whodunnit” feel. The ending was a wonderful surprise and I liked how it played out.
Lastly, I enjoyed that Tromp rounded out this story well by diving into the heavy topic of post-traumatic stress and balanced it with hope, perseverance and a focus on working hard through troublesome times with the help of a strong family bond and tight-knit friendships. There was a resounding “love-conquers-all” aura to the novel that won my heart over!
Summary:
Readers who enjoy novels such as the True Colors series (a series of books based on romance and American crime) or authors such as Allison Pittman or Jaime Jo Wright may like this novel. This novel is clean fiction and is not necessarily faith-based, but could be considered inspirational for the focus on family ties and finding hope in the darkness. I had hoped for a strong Christian-faith element to the novel but found it read more like a secular novel, therefore I believe it is one that both Christian fiction and secular readers might enjoy.
Content: There were several uses of authentic dialogue that included “Good Lord”, “Lord Almighty” or some variation of such which some readers may consider is taking the Lord’s name in vain.
About the Author:
Author Janyre Tromp. Image courtesy of http://JanyreTromp.com
Janyre Tromp is a firm believer in the power of an entertaining story. As such, she’s a book editor by day. And at night, she is a historical novelist whose loves spinning tales that, at their core, hunt for beauty, even when it isn’t pretty. She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with her family, two crazy cats, and a slightly eccentric Shetland Sheepdog. Visit her website at: http://JanyreTromp.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/JanyreTromp | Facebook: www.facebook.com/JanyreTromp | Instagram: www.instagram/JanyreTromp
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