Author: TG Wolff

Listen to the first chapter here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For podcast

TG Wolff Review

Echo from a Bayou is a paranormal suspense. John Bastian went head-first into a tree. He woke from a coma and, yeah, he could see dead people. Even weirder, John woke with memories of a war he never fought in, a career he never had, and a wife he never kissed. Flashes hinted at map leading to treasure and an ax leading to death of the man who John was…Jack Bachman. Now John is on the hunt for the treasure, his murderer, and the woman he left behind.

Bottom line: Echo from a Bayou is for you if you like your suspense steeped in the supernatural, paced to draw out the good stuff and finishing with one of the best, eerie endings you’ve ever seen.

Strengths of the story. From the start, the premise of the story grabs you. This isn’t a typical time travel type of story but a well-reasoned reincarnation story. This not only is a unique spin on the supernatural genre but eliminates all the problems of logic stability that is inherent in time travel.

The characters are also a winner. John / Jack is an ordinary man, put in extraordinary circumstances. He doesn’t flip a switch and go into hero mode but his slowly driven there by memories and urges his rational mind has to justify. The best friend, Kevin, is an excellent comic relief. The bad guy, Scott, is complex. Just because he’s evil doesn’t mean he’s always an asshole.

The pacing matches the expectation set with being suspense. Certainly, some scene hit the thrill level, but, overall, this is one you sit back and enjoy…until you have to read faster because the shit is hitting the fan.

Where the story fell short of ideal: Having finished this book several days ago and revisited the plot, this is a really solid suspense. There is very little to pick on here. If you like thriller-like pacing, you may find this a bit slow, but again, this is true to the suspense genre.

While I totally loved the end, I did have one question for the author on why/how it happened that way. Regardless of his answer, this is at the top of my list for cool ways to finish a book.

About J Luke Bennecke

J. Luke Bennecke, a master civil engineer, became an award-winning author, philanthropist, and daredevil pilot amidst the concrete jungles of Southern California. While constructing bridges and highways, Bennecke secretly plotted high-octane thrillers that became instant bestsellers. But his adventures didn’t end there. As a licensed real estate broker and general contractor, he built homes with the precision of a ninja, all while jetting off to exotic destinations, voiceover acting, and giving back to the community via annual high school scholarships. Living in the shadows of Cherry Valley, CA, Bennecke’s next daring escapade is always just around the corner.

Echo from a Bayou was published by Jaytech Publishing and Promoted by Partners In Crime book tours

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Listen to the first chapter here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For podcast

Strengths of the story. The strength of the story is the premise: the exploration of a fascinating “what if”. What if an election was stolen…that the victor would have won anyway? Was a crime committed? Where is the accountability? How high does it go? What would the victors do to stop the story from coming out?

This is Imogen’s 4^th case so she is an established and well-developed character. As this book is set in Scotland, not the US, there are no continuing characters from previous books. This makes it an easy choice to pick up, even if you haven’t read the previous books.

Thriller lovers should be aware this is a political thriller, so the tension and action are more intellectual and less physical. The pacing is strong with the storyline continuously moving forward. Interestingly, the story is largely driven by the “villains”, forcing the heroes to act and react throughout the book.

Where the story fell short of ideal:

I had two minor challenges reading the book. First centers around point of view. Bastard Verdict is told from multiple points of view, as is common with thrillers. But occasionally, the change in point of view happened within a continuous scene, often subtly. It was enough that I had to stop and re-read to understand the narrating character changed.

The second challenge centered around logic and sequence. Once the story gets rolling, the actions of the characters are consistent, even if driven by fear, greed, or paranoia. They are bad guys, after all. The starting premise that gets Imogen going on the research isn’t the strongest and a coincidence regarding one of the characters strikes as convenient. Small detractions for an otherwise enjoyable read on an intriguing premise.