Saturday, December 6, 2014

Book Review: Hilltop Sunset: A Brynn Bancroft Mystery by Joyce Strand

Hilltop Sunset: A Brynn Bancroft Mystery 
by Joyce Strand


Paperback: 299 pages
Publisher: McCloughan & Schmeltz; First edition (November 12, 2014)
Amazon Paperback Link

Kindle Edition
File Size: 1312 KB
Print Length: 299 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Amazon Kindle Link

Note: I received a review copy of this book free from Book Marketing Services. The review posted below is based on my personal thoughts while reading the book.

Ratings: ★ ★ ★ ★

My thoughts:

This is a good mystery book which quickly grabbed my attention from the first to the last pages. The characters are all likeable, I liked Brynn and her husband. They are recently divorced, decided to end the marriage as both of them had multiple affairs while married. I don't know much about their history as a couple since I didn't read the first book series (Jillian Hillcrest books). Anyway, I think this book one evolves on their relationship, husband / wife turned best friends...I found it weird, uninteresting at first but when I was halfway the book, boom! I couldn't stop reading! 

As for the mystery, I had a good guess who the bad guy was but the suspense was making me doubt myself. ;) Nice plot and ending. If you are looking for a good mystery book, pick up this book!

About the book:

A mystery set in wine country pitting financial exec Brynn Bancroft against a determined stalker, a troubled love interest, and career clashes. Brynn Bancroft learns that a former employee who beat her nearly to death has returned to stalk her and her friend, Jillian Hillcrest, also a former victim. Recently divorced, Brynn turns to a new love interest only to encounter additional unwelcome issues. Meanwhile, short-timer Brynn, who has resigned from her Silicon Valley company, becomes bored fulfilling her remaining responsibilities there. She begins to prefer supporting the launch of her ex-husband's new hilltop winery while waiting to move to her next position. Between her stalker and her new love interest, Brynn faces a series of life-threatening events.

About the author:


Joyce T. Strand is the author of who-done-it mysteries set in the San Francisco Silicon Valley and Napa-Sonoma wine regions of California. 

Her most recent novel, Hilltop Sunset, is the first of a new series featuring protagonist Brynn Bancroft, a financial guru in transition to winemaker from corporate executive. Brynn Bancroft is a minor character in Strand's novels On Message, Open Meetings, and Fair Disclosure--three mysteries solved by Jillian Hillcrest, a publicist whose boss was Chief Financial Officer Brynn Bancroft. 

Much like her protagonist Jillian Hillcrest, Strand headed corporate communications at several biotech and high-tech companies in California's Silicon Valley for more than 25 years. Unlike Jillian, however, she did not encounter murder in her career. She focused on writing by-lined articles, press releases, white papers, and brochures to publicize her companies and their products.

Strand lives with her two cats and collection of cow statuary in Southern California, and seeks out and attends as many Broadway musicals and other stage plays as possible. 

She received her Ph.D. from the George Washington University, Washington, D.C. and her B.A. from Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA

2 comments:

Joyce Strand said...

Thanks so much for taking the time to read and review Hilltop Sunset. Reviews are important to both authors and readers and help to bridge us. I hope you continue to offer this service.

Bookingly Yours said...

Hi Joyce, thanks for dropping by my blog! Yes, I don't think I'll stop reading and blogging anytime soon! ;)

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