Molly: House on Fire by R. E. Bradshaw

Publisher:       R.E.B. Books

Molly: House on Fire is the story of Molly Kincaid.  Years before she left a town that never treated her or her mother very well and now she’s come home, reluctantly.  Molly has a new name and is a successful lawyer, but she can’t overcome the hurt of the past.  When her mother was murdered, only one police officer cared enough to pay any attention and now he has died. Molly has returned to repay a debt by defending his grandson against a charge of murdering his own mother and walks into a mystery that ties the two events together.  Molly also meets her match in Leslie Walker, the specialist who works with her client.  Together they discover that the town has changed in many ways, but not some of the most important ones.

This was an enjoyable story, slightly predictable, but with characters that hold the reader’s attention.  It will keep you reading; however, there are some problems.  There are a lot of mistakes in the beginning of the book.  That includes misspellings, words missing and words used incorrectly.  For example, at one point a character walks down the “isle” of a store.  Silly errors like that should have been picked up by the editor.  In fact, an editor should have done a lot of work on this book.  There were many extraneous scenes that drag the story out and do nothing to move the plot forward.  They could have been easily eliminated.  The paperback copy was sloppily produced with uneven margins and too much white space.  All they do is make the book longer.

If the reader ignores the physical problems with the book, there is an enjoyable story there.  With a little more care to its production, it could have been outstanding.

The Girl Back Home by R.E. Bradshaw

Publisher:                CreateSpace

Jamie Basnight is on her way home in disgrace.  She was an expensive, successful lawyer in Durham, NC, and then threw away a long term relationship with a woman she thought she loved.  Now Jamie has returned to her childhood home on the Outer Banks to become a country lawyer and try to recover from what she has done.  As she begins to rebuild her life she reconnects with old friends, including the woman who was the object of her first crush.  Though she is hoping for reconciliation with her lover Mary Ann, Jamie can't deny her feelings for Sandy, who is married with grandchildren.  What follows is a swirl of events and emotions, complicated by Sandy's marriage and Mary Ann's reappearance.  Whatever the result is, Jamie's life is never going to be the same. 

Bradshaw's book is a treat for anyone from southeastern Virginia or the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  It's full of references to places that are familiar and cultural traits of the area.  Bradshaw does an excellent job of describing them.  That's also may be one of the book's drawbacks. The descriptive passages are extensive.  For someone who isn't that interested in the geography of the area, there are long stretches that may be jumped over.  There are also mistakes that would be picked up with more careful editing.

The rest of the book is what is expected of a typical romance.  The pacing and the characters are well handled and the reading moves quickly.  There is a particular scene of confrontation near the end that is told very well and shows Bradshaw's ability to write.  The love that the author has for the area comes through in the story and almost becomes a character itself, adding to the richness of the tale.  In all it's an enjoyable read.