Rhapsody in Red by Donn Taylor
MY REVIEW:
I sincerely hope that I can do justice to my review of Rhapsody in Red due to the fact that I struggled to stay awake while reading it. I do not blame the book because when I could actually stay awake I found it to be mostly engaging.
Once again Professor Preston Barclay finds himself involved in yet another mystery and this time he is the primary suspect. As he and another professor strive to find the real killer and prove themselves innocent, the evidence points to several suspects and Press is threatened multiple times.
The constant musical soundtrack that plays in the professor’s mind is still present. I do wish I was more educated on the many songs mentioned because I think that would have rendered the book even more entertaining. I also enjoyed the frequent puns and humor interspersed throughout the story. A bit of action and danger kept things moving along but putting together all the clues proved to be daunting. Any of the suspects could have been guilty and the big reveal was a surprise to me.
If you enjoy a mystery that makes you think, Rhapsody in Red as well as Taylor’s previous novels may be for you.
I voluntarily reviewed a digital copy of this book provided by Celebrate Lit. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
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Book: Rhapsody in Red Author: Donn Taylor Genre: Mystery Release date: September 2018 Click here to get your copy! |
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“IT WAS A BAD DAY TO FIND A CORPSE ON CAMPUS.”
Preston Barclay is a reclusive history professor with musical hallucinations. The feisty Mara Thorn is a newly arrived professor with a strong desire to be left alone. But finding the body of a murdered colleague shakes them out of their quiet lives. Worse yet, police accuse them of her murder, forcing the ill-matched pair into an uneasy alliance for their defense. However, that proves more perilous than they’d thought. To succeed, they have to outwit the police, avoid discipline by the college’s incompetent administration, and escape threats and attacks by the unseen and ruthless forces behind the murder. It’s a one-in-a-hundred chance, and if they fail, they’ll end up unemployed, behind bars, or worse . . .
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Donn Taylor led an Infantry rifle platoon in the Korean War, served with Army aviation in Vietnam, and worked with air reconnaissance in Europe and Asia. Afterward, he earned a PhD in Renaissance literature and taught literature at two liberal arts colleges. His published works include six suspense novels and a book of poetry. He is a frequent speaker at writers’ conferences. He lives in the woods near Houston, TX, where he writes fiction, poetry, and essays on current topics.
MORE FROM DONN:
About Rhapsody in Red: From teaching eighteen years in small denominational colleges, I knew that part of the academic world well. So when I came to write the Preston Barclay Mystery Series, that’s where I turned. What would happen if someone dropped a murder into that placid environment?
That was the basic question. But that part of the college world also has internal conflicts and tensions that even the best-intentioned people can’t avoid. That leads most faculty into being discreet. But what would happen if one professor kept saying openly what the rest of the faculty were only thinking? That’s why the series protagonist, Professor Preston Barclay, is always in trouble.
In writing the series I wanted to mainly to give readers an interesting story about a murder and the complications leading to its solution. But I also wanted them to enjoy the story’s interplay of strong and often quirky personalities navigating the varied conflicts of the small-college world.
Whether I’ve achieved those objectives will be decided by each individual reader. But CBA Retailers and Resources Magazine wrote that Rhapsody in Red is “peopled with academia’s most intriguing eccentrics and snobs,” and Christian Review of Books wrote that it’s “a delightful change from the clichés of most novels.”
Readers who enjoy Rhapsody in Red may want to look at its two sequels, Murder Mezzo Forte and Murder in Disguise.
BLOG STOPS:
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, August 19
Adventures of a Travelers Wife, August 20 (Author Interview)
Daysong Reflections, August 20
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 21
For Him and My Family, August 22
deb’s Book Review, August 23
Inklings and notions, August 24
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, August 25
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, August 26
Texas Book-aholic, August 27
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, August 28
Locks, Hooks and Books, August 29
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, August 30
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 31
Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, September 1 (Author Interview)
Blogging With Carol, September 1
GIVEAWAY:
To celebrate his tour, Donn is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card plus one paperback copy of Rhapsody in Red!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/1141d/rhapsody-in-red-celebration-tour-giveaway
C.E. Hilbert lives in sleepy town outside Columbus, OH in a 120-year-old fixer-upper with her Golden Retriever, Georgie. She believes that life goes best with Jesus, cookies made with real butter, summers watching baseball and winters filled with hockey.
Dana Mentink is a two time American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award winner, a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award and a Holt Medallion winner. She is a nationa and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author of over forty titles in the suspense and lighthearted romance genres. She is pleased to write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense, Harlequin Heartwarming and Poisoned Pen Press. You can connect with Dana via her website at 
Lisa Harris is a USA Today bestselling author, a Christy Award winner, and the winner of the Best Inspirational Suspense Novel from Romantic Times for her novels Blood Covenant and Vendetta. The author of more than forty books, including The Escape, The Chase, The Traitor’s Pawn, Vanishing Point, A Secret to Die For, and Deadly Intentions, as well as The Nikki Boyd Files and the Southern Crimes series, Harris and her family have spent over 17 years living as missionaries in southern Africa. She is currently stateside in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Learn more at www.lisaharriswrites.com.
Carolyn Miller is an Australian author of inspirational romance, particularly that of the Regency era, and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds where flawed people can grow in faith, hope and love through stories that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives.
