Review: Revelations by Laurel Dewey

Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Publisher: The Story Plant, 2011
479p

A story of secrets withheld........and secrets revealed.


Synopsis: The small, upscale Colorado town of Midas had barely registered on Sergeant Detective Jane Perry’s radar before her former boss and current colleague told her she needed to join him there for a case. All she knew was that it was a long way from Denver — both in terms of physical distance and sensibility. Jacob Van Gorden, the fifteen-year-old son of a prominent area businessman, has disappeared, and all signs point to his abductor being Jordan Copeland, a man who committed a similar crime decades ago. There are indications that Jacob is still alive, so the clock is ticking, but as Jane investigates Copeland, she begins to have doubts about his guilt. And at the same time, she begins to uncover trails of devastating – and even deadly – secrets all around Midas.

Meanwhile, Jane must deal with two considerable secrets of her own. One hits her like a left cross before she leaves Denver, and the other creeps up on her from the most unlikely of places. On top of this, Hank Ross, owner of a bar in Midas, has somehow managed to find a way beneath Jane’s armor-plated defenses, forcing her to contend with feelings she hasn’t allowed to surface for a very long time.


This is the third book in the series featuring Jane Perry and once again Laurel Dewey stamps her individual mark on the thriller genre with her unique blend of crime-solving , the esoteric and spirituality - a combination I find irresistible.

I found Jane less abrasive than I did in Redemption which may be because I learnt to understand the vulnerability beneath the prickly exterior and I enjoyed watching the beginnings of a relationship develop between her and Hank. Still a very tough and independent lady though and one who takes pleasure in not doing things by the book.

But it was Jordan Copeland who stole the limelight. What a brilliant character - imprisoned for a ghastly crime, now living the life of a hermit,a self styled spiritual psychologist who sometimes talks in riddles and sometimes with deep spiritual wisdom, he really keeps one guessing as to what his role in the story will end up being. In her conversations with him Jane learns a great deal not only about the people involved in young Jacob's life and their secrets but also about herself ......

" But what they never told you.........is that the secret you keep and bury takes on a life of its own. The secret becomes flesh and blood and it chases the family from one generation to another, contaminating the bloodline as it goes. It hovers around you and within you......"

The legacy of deeply suppressed and hidden family secrets that need to be healed by being brought into the open is the major theme of the book and it touches all the characters in some way.

Fantastic reading - once I began Revelations I didn't want to put it down and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a well-written and fast-paced mystery thriller. Laurel Dewey has become one of my favourite writers in this genre and I'll be eagerly awaiting her next book.

About the Author

Laurel Dewey was born and raised in Los Angeles. She is the author of two nonfiction books on plant medicine, a Silver Spur nominated Western novella, hundreds of articles, two previous Jane Perry novels, Protector andRedemption, and the Jane Perry novella, An Unfinished Death. She lives in Western Colorado with her husband.

To find out more about Laurel and her books visit:http://www.laureldewey.com

I received a complimentary copy from the publishers and Tracee at Pump Up Your Books