Viv Drewa

Midnight Owl is the first book in the Joe Leverette Mystery Series. Don’t get too comfortable because the book starts off with a real bang. The action erupts on page one as a young woman is stalked. We, the readers, get to watch her death by dismemberment. That’s right, dismemberment. So if you’re looking for a sweet little murder mystery with a Miss Marple lookalike pottering around, think again. This is not it. The body is cut into six parts, and these parts are found by six individuals, completely unrelated to each other or the victim. The problem is, each ‘witness’ has had a horrible dream involving seeing the criminal kill the young woman. The body part they dream about is the one they find. They awaken to the sound of an owl hooting three times. Naturally, they don’t tell the police this because they’d be thought mad or even suspects. An even bigger problem is the killer is now going after these ‘witnesses’ and he manages to kill two. Detective Joe Leverette, who is assigned to the case, finds himself (hesitantly) attracted to one of the witnesses, Carole Sage, who is a ‘sensitive,’ meaning she can see the original murder and the murders of the two witnesses. The police sting set up to catch the killer fails, but is Carole next on his list?

Well, put aside your chores because you’ll just read and read and read (as I did) until you fall off the edge of the cliff. There’s no cliff-hanger in the conventional sense. The book ends with the reader going, “Oh no, don’t end now!” I’m a bit of a cosy mystery fan so this one had my hair standing on end. I love things that are slightly paranormal, but not outside the bounds of what could happen. I found the idea of the dreams and Carole’s psychic abilities fascinating. I also found the fact that the chief of police accepted her help in this regard quite refreshing. I wonder how many times a psychic has pointed out the location of a body to the police.

The book is quite graphic, but when you consider some novels and television series that make sure the reader/viewer is awash in blood and gore, I didn’t think this level of action overstepped the bounds. Murder, after all, is a bloody business and to commit cold, premediated murder, one has to be a particularly horrible person. I was disappointed that the book ended so abruptly, literally at the moment critique, but I have it on good authority that the author is writing furiously to continue the tale. I’m dying to know who the killer is, why the ‘witnesses’ had dreams, what’s the meaning of the owl hooting, so I’m eagerly waiting for the next in the series. I didn’t feel I got to know as much about Joe Leverette as I’d have liked, but that’s what sequels are for, and I hope the author expands on his character and back story. I’m also rooting for a romance between him and Carole. If you’re a murder mystery or detective thriller fan, you’ll love this book. Five stars.… (mehr)

If you enjoy reading murder mysteries and have the stomach for graphic scenes and detailed forensic evidence, Midnight Owl will be a great read. If you like continuing sagas where the first book keeps you waiting for the author to write and release the next book in the series so you can find out if your suspicions are right or wrong, this Joe Leverette (Mystery Book One) should be in your hands as Call Of The Owl (Joe Leverette Mystery Book Two) is promised for release in 2016.

Well written adult material, realistic characters, easy to follow dialog and a plot that reinforces monsters do exist.

I always quote a passage to show the authors style, but I am very careful not to spoil the story. Quote from Book:

“Heather North had felt as if someone were following her for a while now, weeks to be exact. The sensation was driving her crazy.

She lived in a relatively safe area with a short walk from her parking spot to her apartment, but the feeling was much stronger tonight and it made the walk look a lot farther.

Behind the large SUV to the left of her car, a figure waited. He watched Heather get her purse and sweater out of her car and lock the door. He watched her look around nervously, checking her surroundings before heading to her apartment.

The one thing that Heather really didn't like was that there was no fence between the parking lot and the small wooded area next to it. Her insecurity tonight made it feel even more ominous. A great horned owl gave off three quick hoots making Heather jump and almost drop what she was carrying.

Before she had a chance to step away from her car, a strong arm wrapped around her waist and a damp cloth was clamped tightly over her mouth. She dropped her purse, keys and sweater and everything went dark.”

What happens next will cause your blood to run cold, but you will not stop turning the pages, because the sleuth in you will want answers.

I suspect Author Viv Drewa’s studies in medicinal chemistry at the University of Michigan played a silent role in her active criminal investigation mind set. No doubt her ability to hold her reader’s attention through suspense is attributive to her writing experience since 1963.

Dreams and Owls have played roles in folklore throughout history. How do dreams and Owl hoots play into this mystery?

Will the author who is known as ‘Owl Lady’ give us any hoots in book two of this series?

Cold Coffee Press/Café endorses Midnight Owl (Joe Leverette Mystery Book One) by Viv Drewa as a mystery suspense thriller. We reviewed this book from Kindle/PDF format. The review was completed on March 22, 2016. For more information please visit Cold Coffee Press http://www.coldcoffeepress.com and Cold Coffee Cafe http://coldcoffeecafe.com/

Kindle Purchase Link
http://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Owl-Leverette-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B015HXPEUA/re...… (mehr)

If you love wild life, especially Owls you will enjoy reading The Angler and The Owl by Viv Drewa.

This fast paced, short story, action adventure will keep you on your toes as you travel with Ornithologist France Hunter and her team on her second trip down the Amazon River to look for rare, even new species of Owls.

Here is teaser from the book:

“Francine Hunter, who had been called France since her younger sister couldn’t say Francine, was sitting on a boulder, sipping a bottle of water. She’s enjoying the sun and eager to get to the place where she found her first new species of owl: the blue-ringed owl. She looked through the opening of this enormous canopy enjoying the lovely foliage and wishing she was already deep inside.
She fell in love with not only the rain forest, but the Amazon River. France also loves the chorus of the animals and birds that she heard here years ago, and still enjoys now. The Amazon reminded her of the stories she heard as a young girl, about foreign travelers and their adventures. And exotic birds and animals.”

As you can imagine, there is danger and possibly a little romance.

Cold Coffee Press endorses The Angler and The Owl by Viv Drewa. I also enjoyed Viv's murder mystery titled ‘Midnight Owl’ (Joe Leverette Mystery Book One). Two other titles published by this author are ‘The Owl Of The Sipan Lord’ and ‘From The Pages Of Grandfather’s Life’. All her books can be found here on Amazon. I purchased this book on May 16, 2016. The review was completed on June 5, 2016. For more information please visit Cold Coffee Press http://www.coldcoffeepress.com

Kindle Purchase Link
http://www.amazon.com/Angler-Owl-Viv-Drewa-ebook/dp/B00HQP60OW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_...… (mehr)