Genre: Mystery / Suspense / Light Romance Publisher: Ewephoric Publishing Date of Publication: December 11, 2019
Number of Pages: 378
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A body, a disappearance, just another hot summer in upstate New York. It’s July when antiquities appraiser Annalisse Drury reaches her family’s small-town farm to consult with the trusted aunt who raised her. She learns that her beloved homestead—the one she expects to inherit—is for sale. While Annalisse reels at the betrayal and her shattered dreams, the Walker Farm ranch manager discovers a corpse in the barn. Officials close the suspected murder scene, and Annalisse seeks refuge with her aunt at Alec Zavos’s rural estate in New York’s Catskill Mountains. Then Aunt Kate vanishes. Annalisse solicits the help of Greek tycoon, Alec Zavos, even though their rocky romance has dissolved into routine separation. What began as hope on Crete nine months ago has eaten away at Annalisse’s hope for a future with him. In Spent Identity, Annalisse and Alec come together for the second time and find themselves in the center of not one mystery, but several. Where is Kate, and why sell her farm now? Is the dead man a coincidence or a clue to the aunt’s disappearance? John Doe’s identity may hold needed answers to solve the puzzle before Kate’s unstable health issues make her rescue impossible. The clock ticks, and a vengeful murderer is in charge…
I came for the mystery and stayed for the secrets revealed.
But what really kept me turning the pages in Spent Identity was what happened to Kate? And who is the dead guy in the barn? Ms. Bell skillfully keeps us guessing throughout most of the novel. There are kidnappings, multiple plot twists, various potential baddies, and a few more spoiler-y wild goose chases sprinkled throughout.
The novel moves at a mostly quick pace, with Annalisse driving the search for her aunt.
On the character front, I don’t know if I would want to hang out with this cast of characters on a personal level. Disaster does seem to follow Annalisse and the other characters (and I’m accident-prone enough!). Annalisse describes herself as “Dangerous to longevity”. I do appreciate that she is determined to find her aunt and is willing to fight back when needed. Alec is an interesting character. He has realized that he’s taken on too much work (as a result of actions in the first novel) and that he needs to make some changes to keep their relationship alive. I appreciate the growth shown in his character to the betterment of their relationship.
I loved the addition of P.I. Bill Drake to the characters in this novel. He steps in to help find Kate. While doing so, he injects some much-needed humor into the story. I’d be interested in reading other stories with his low-key Florida vibe.
I’m not sure if it was intentional by Ms. Bell or not, but I did struggle with the love square of the main male characters all showing interest in Annalisse. I had the impression that, in addition to her boyfriend Alec, both Ethan (the Kiwi farm hand) and Bill (the P.I.) were attracted to Annalisse. Alec’s jealousy, deservedly or not, is not the actions of an adult and is a character flaw I am not interested in. And to top it off, Annalisse seemed oblivious to both Ethan and Bill. I would have preferred that Ethan and Bill focus on solving the crime instead of Annalisse.
This novel also serves a somewhat cautionary tale of don’t mess with the crime scene! Annalisse, Kate, and Ethan all try to play amateur sleuth with the dead body in the barn. And I imagine any detective who came across the disturbed scene would be cringing. I think we should take this as a warning and NOT disturb crime scenes when we come across them!
Spent Identity is the second book in a series, but it can be read as a stand-alone. Ms. Bell covers enough of the first novel to fill in any plot gaps for a new reader while not recapping so much as to fatigue a seasoned reader.
Overall, the fast pace kept my attention and the mystery kept me intrigued. Check out Spent Identity for a great mystery read.
I received Spent Identity free in exchange for my honest review. Thanks to author Marlene M. Bell and Lone Star Book Blog Tours for providing this opportunity.
Marlene M. Bell is an acclaimed artist and photographer as well as a writer. Her sheep landscapes grace the covers of publications such as, Sheep!, The Shepherd, Ranch & Rural Living, and Sheep Industry News. Ewephoric, her mail order venture, began in 1985 out of a desire for realistic sheep stationery. A color catalog of non-fiction books and sheep-related gifts may be requested on her website or www.texassheep.com.Marlene and her husband, Gregg reside on a wooded ranch in beautiful East Texas with their dreadfully spoiled horned Dorset sheep, a large and lovable Maremma guard dog named Tia, and Hollywood, Leo, and Squeaks, the cats who believe they rule the household — and do.
Autographed copy of Spent Identity & companion notebook, Mary Poppins-style bag (18×13” tapestry carpet bag with leather trim, handmade in Israel), $100 Amazon gift card, and 18” freshwater pearl necklace.
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Thanks for joining the tour! I especially appreciate your thoughts on individual character flaws. Book 3 will explain Alec’s jealousy issues which seem awkward at times. Comments like yours are a good motivator for this author to have him work through them and be done! I can’t help myself from keeping Anna and Alec in trouble, it’s just too much fun. Thank your for reading and reviewing Spent Identity.
A body, a disappearance, just another hot summer in upstate New York. 
Marlene M. Bell is an acclaimed artist and photographer as well as a writer. Her sheep landscapes grace the covers of publications such as, Sheep!, The Shepherd, Ranch & Rural Living, and Sheep Industry News. Ewephoric, her mail order venture, began in 1985 out of a desire for realistic sheep stationery. A color catalog of non-fiction books and sheep-related gifts may be requested on her website or www.texassheep.com.Marlene and her husband, Gregg reside on a wooded ranch in beautiful East Texas with their dreadfully spoiled horned Dorset sheep, a large and lovable Maremma guard dog named Tia, and Hollywood, Leo, and Squeaks, the cats who believe they rule the household — and do.
Thanks for joining the tour! I especially appreciate your thoughts on individual character flaws. Book 3 will explain Alec’s jealousy issues which seem awkward at times. Comments like yours are a good motivator for this author to have him work through them and be done! I can’t help myself from keeping Anna and Alec in trouble, it’s just too much fun. Thank your for reading and reviewing Spent Identity.
Marlene M. Bell recently posted…Marlene Bell, Counting Sheep, and a Yacht.
Thanks for stopping by, Marlene! And now you have piqued my interest for book three even more!
Great review! Had to laugh about what you said about not hanging out with this group — they bring trouble! Thanks for the post.
Thanks, Kristine! And very true on trouble following this group around!