Stacy Juba’s book “Twenty-Five Years Ago Today”

For my latest recommendation, I am going to tell you about a murder mystery book that certainly kept me in suspense. This book is great for those into the suspense/mystery genres and has just enough romance that it could satisfy those who need at least touch of it in their novels. Here is the review I posted on Amazon:

Twenty-Five Years Ago Today is about a young woman, Kris Langley, who is troubled by her past. When she was twelve years old, her cousin was murdered. Kris feels responsible for the death and cannot get past it. After an attempt to run from the memories plaguing her, she comes back to her home town and begins a job as an editorial assistant for the local newspaper. Due to her chronic insomnia problems, she is happy to find a position where she can work a later shift. Initially, her duties are less than exciting. The closest she gets to news is obituaries and wedding announcements. Yet there is one other assignment she must complete daily, a report on what occurred each day twenty-five years ago. This requires pouring through old headlines from long ago to find interesting events. That is when she runs across an old article about a woman’s unsolved murder. Kris finds it horrible that the crime has never been solved after such a long time and takes it upon herself to look into the case.

Of course, solving a mystery of such long-standing that has left the police baffled will not be easy. She has no previous experience with investigative reporting and her boss would never agree to such an adventure. This means Kris must quickly gain the skills needed, question the family and witnesses, and do it without the newspaper finding out before she solves the crime. Along the way, she meets an attractive man, Eric, who is a nephew of the deceased woman. He doesn’t like Kris sticking her nose into matters best left in the past, but neither of them can deny the attraction they feel toward each other. It is just one more surprise, in a string of many, which will leave the reader wondering how things will turn out. Who exactly is the murderer and how can Kris resolve her feelings toward a man she shouldn’t become involved with?

This book was somewhat deceptive for me. In the beginning, it appeared to be a bit slow, but as each page progressed, I become more hooked on the story. Once the background information was introduced and the murder investigation began, it really picked up speed. I also enjoyed the little excerpts at the beginning of each chapter detailing some small event that occurred twenty-five years ago. They were rather creative. All the characters were fleshed out and realistic. Kris had her strengths and flaws which made her likable and easy to relate to. There was a bit of romance, but the story didn’t rely too heavily on it. In fact, I almost thought Kris and Eric seemed awkward, except that their relationship was very realistic considering the way they met. The odds of them surviving the difficulties of the investigation were not good and I think the author handled that situation well.

The plot kept you guessing until the end. I honestly couldn’t determine who the killer was for sure as the author provided a lot of evidence that pointed different ways. When the end finally came, I found myself pondering over the events and wondering how I would have reacted under similar circumstances. Stacy Juba’s book will certainly leave an impression on readers that will last long after the final pages are finished. If you enjoy mystery books with a splash of romance, this may be the book for you. I am certainly glad I read it and would happily recommend it to others.

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Please do check out the book if this type of story interests you. I am sure you will not be disappointed!

~ by Suzie on June 24, 2011.