REVIEW: Sarah Brown and the Cabin

 Sarah Brown and the Cabin
Author: Audrey Walker

Every Fall I end up binge reading mysteries and thrillers. I guess there's just something about the weather growing colder and spending more time indoors that makes me want to curl up with a good investigative story. I also love discovering new-to-me authors. So, I gladly added this book to my autumn reads.

I discovered Audrey Walker's books quite by accident. I accepted a freebie copy of a prequel to another series she writes. And this first book in the Sarah Brown series was a freebie special at an online bookseller. The story is short -- only 7 chapters -- but a nice introduction to Sarah Brown. I'm very curious what the next book in the series is like, so the free first story served its purpose. It's not too difficult to suck a book blogger into a new series. :)

The basics: Sarah Brown is a detective known for her sometimes unconventional investigative tactics. She needs a break, so she goes to stay at the family cabin in the mountains for a few days. Her annual getaway. But, her vacation is basically ruined when a dead body shows up outside the cabin. She has no clue who the dead woman is, who killed her or why the body was left outside the cabin where she is staying. The investigation quickly heats up and Sarah discovers her own life might be in danger.

I like Sarah as a main character. She's feisty and a good detective. The mountain cabin setting is great as well and the plot is an interesting premise. But, the story never really hits a true conclusion. It just stops. There is no explanation of who or why. Too many unexplained plot threads. I feel like I read an unfinished story. Too much is left unexplained at the end. After reading this entire story I'm in pretty much the same boat as Sarah Brown -- I have no idea who the dead woman is, who killed her, or why the body was left outside Sarah's cabin. I can't even really call the ending a cliff hanger -- nothing was revealed....at all. Like I said, I feel like I read an unfinished story.

I'm willing to invest the time to read the next ebook in the series to see if more information is revealed and anything concluded. I'm intrigued. But if there's no conclusion or definite explanation of any of the plot in the next ebook, I will  unplug at that point. I've read too many indy digital releases that spread one plot line out really thinly over multiple ebooks instead of ever concluding any portion of the story. It doesn't make for enjoyable reading, or good writing.

Interesting start to a series, even if the ending was completely unfulfilling. I'm willing to read the next book to see what happens.