As the story-line of the past and present are interwoven, McHahon introduces us to Jax, present day, and Ethel Monroe-early 20th Century. Jax receives numerous missed calls from her troubled sister, Lexie, who lives on their grandmother’s estate. Jax soon discovers Lexie has drowned in the pool and when she arrives at the estate, it is apparent that Lexie has been researching the history of their family’s past.. As Jax unravels the mystery of her sister’s drowning, she realizes that maybe she was wrong about a few things…
In the early 20th Century, Ethel Monroe longs for a child. She and her Husband’s efforts to conceive haven’t come to reality-one might say. When her husband takes her on a trip to Vermont, to ease Ethel’s-stress-to a newly built Hotel, they find out that the area claims the natural springs holds a special power. Ethel’s deep longing to have a child because so strong, she succumbs to the temptation of the water’s powers. As the story unfolds, Ethel soon realizes the reality of what you wish for in this life comes with a price…
A good mystery writer needs to know how to build dramatic tension and suspense that flows evenly through their stories. McMahon certainly knows how to balance those elements and more… She shows, brilliantly, how her characters work through complex situations in their lives and has a unique way of drawing the reader in as if they were experiencing the conflicts for themselves. She most certainly holds a special place in the mystery genre.
McMahon’s stories capture the essence of the human spirit. Every single character in,”The Drowning Kind,” are complex and fascinating. She touches on how fragile relationships of family members and other people in your life or past can be and how many things tend to not be what they seem. Even though the hurt we may experience from others, regrets, and broken bonds can be healed. In short, the character development is outstanding!
The eeriness vibe of the story has you on pins and needles at times. You quickly become involed with the plot and begin to imagine all sorts of scenarios that might happen or did happen. Atmospheric, engrossing and a heck of a lot of, “Oh my word!” holding your breath moments. If you like a good mystery and a well-balanced blend of genres, this book is for you! This is a story I would definitely want to re-visit again.
I rated this book five stars and obtained a galley copy from the Publishers through NetGalley.
Stephanie Hopkins
I started working this journal page on August 10th-I believe- and I really didn’t have a set plan on where I wanted it to take me. I knew I wanted to paint abstract flowers in a field. It was a rocky start so I put the pages aside for a bit to get back to center. We all have days like that.
I decided not to put windows on the lower part of the house nor the back fields or detail to the gazebo. I wanted some quirky feel to it. To open the mind to a story of one’s own imagination. The sky and back fields represent a dust storm settling and draws your attention to the front fields of abstract flowers. This piece has inspired a much larger abstract I want to paint on canvas.
This is the most paint I’ve ever put on book pages before. The paper held up great! I wish you could see these pages in person. I couldn’t quote seem to capture the vibrant colors with my phone camera. All in all, I’m pleased with the pages and this project turned out to be an eye-opening experience in painting abstract flowers. I’m used to just drawing life-like ones then painting or coloring them. A new art journey begins…
The Cover: The blue bottle caught my eye at first. I’m really drawn to the color of blue at present. I do like the flowers in the background and the design gives them a feeling of movement. Really cool.
The Cover: Such a beautiful cover! Makes one want to walk down that dirt road amongst the flowers and trees over hanging.
Not only is this a great cover, the series is fantastic! One of my favorites around. This particular format I’m spotlighting today is on audio and available for request for NetGalley Members. -Stephanie Hopkins
I spent a couple Summers with my Grandparents when I was in my teens. I have fond memories of that time I had with them. They had a vegetable garden out back. My Grandmother and I would pick all sorts of veggies, sit on the back porch snapping green beans, and enjoying the outdoors. Often, we would spend time in her quilting room and I loved exploring all the wonderful textiles and vintage thread spools she had collected over the years. My mom told me that blue was my Grandmother’s favorite color. That would explain all the blue fabrics I have from her. This page has a piece of her fabric from her stash I inherited. The memories came flooding back as I adhered the fabric on the background. Cherish the time you have with your family and hold tight to the good memories. -Stephanie Hopkins
The Cover: I’m crazy about the color blue! That is what first caught my attention about this cover. I might have design the cover layout itself a little different to give it a more Gothic feel to it. The cover almost looks Cartoonist to me. Having said that, I love the color, as I said above, the wallpaper, arch way and the clock! The cover has actually inspired me to create an art piece using some influence of the layout.
A Weekend of Art
Layered Pages 