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Double Cross Reviewed By Fran Lewis Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Fran Lewis
- Published October 11, 2009
- Crime & Mystery
Fran Lewis
Reviewer Fran Lewis:
Fran worked in the NYC Public Schools as the Reading and Writing
Staff Developer for over 36 years. She has three masters degrees and
a PD in Supervision and Administration. Currently. She is a member of
Who's Who of America's Teachers and Who's
Who of America's Executives from Cambridge. In addition,
she is the author of three children's books and a fourth Alzheimer’s
book is Memories are Precious: Alzheimer’s Journey: Ruth’s story
in honor of her mom. Fran
hopes to create more awareness for a cure of Alzheimer.
She
was also the musical director for shows in her school and ran the
school's newspaper. Fran writes reviews for authors upon request and
for several other sites. You can read some of my reviews on Ezine.com
and on ijustfinished under
the name Gabina.
Follow Here To Listen to Fran's Radio Show and Here
View all articles by Fran Lewis
Author: James David
Jordan
ISBN: 978-0-8054-4754-5
Publisher: B&B Media
Group
Click Here To Purchase Double Cross: A Novel
Taylor Pasbury is a unique and quite resourceful
young woman. At 29 years old she has had quite a few brushes not only
with the law, death but also with her own serious addictions that
caused her to take time and rethink where her life was going. With a
mother who abandoned her and her father at the age of 9 and a father
who was murdered right in front of her eyes, it is no wonder that she
became shortsighted and lost track of her life. Taylor owns her own
security agency and worked for a man named Simon Mason. Simon was the
closest person to her more like a father or older brother. Simon
Mason ran Simon Mason World Ministries and he was murdered. His
assistant Elise Hovden was running the organization but Taylor caught
wind of the fact that someone, namely Elise embezzled money from the
organization, namely half a million dollars. This brings me to my
review of an interesting and quite entertaining murder/mystery by
James David Jordan, Double Cross.
As the story begins
we meet Taylor and Simon’s daughter Kacey who are about to confront
Elise at her home about the missing money. Nothing that has to
do with Taylor is ever mundane and ordinary and having a
controversial past of her own this encounter with Elise would prove
to be more than she and Kacey bargained for. You see, when they get
there they find Elise has committed suicide-death from carbon
monoxide poisoning. But, did she really commit suicide, according to
the partial note found by Taylor and Kacey she did. However, events
prove that it might not be the case.
As Taylor is
waiting to be questioned by the police she and Kacey decide to do a
little detective work on their own. Finding a partial suicide note in
a printer, thumb drive and Elise’s cell phone. Keeping the phone
and the thumb drive hidden from the police, Taylor hoped to find the
answers she needed to solve the murder and blackmailing
scheme.
Enter Michael, her close friend who works for
the FBI who helps her out of the mess with the police officer and
enables her to find out what she needs when a reporter requests an
interview with her. But, there is so much more that happens that you
will not believe.
After 20 years her mother
shows up at her door and she learns that her brother was not only
Simon’s son but also her mothers too as a result of an affair
between her and Simon. How would you react if a stranger came to your
door and told you she was your mother and shows not one iota of
remorse?
Blackmail, deceit embezzlement and more are
just the tip of the iceberg. Simon was being blackmailed before he
was killed. Someone threatened to tell the news about his son Chase
and the affair. Next, the accountant for the ministry Brandon, seemed
upset about answering her questions regarding the money making him a
likely suspect for the blackmailer. But, was he?
When
a reporter calls Taylor and requests a meeting and reveals that she
knows more than she should, Taylor agrees to speak with her. The
reporter revealed that she was doing a story on a drug and extortion
ring run by organized crime in Dallas and she thought that the murder
and the theft from the ministry might be related. During their
discussion they discussed Simon being blackmailed, Elise’s
embezzling of the money, his illegitimate son, and his former
accountant who knew about his son and more.
Taking a
bullet in her hip and saving the life of the reporter was just part
of her job. She felt like she vindicated herself for her father dying
and Simon’s death, which she blamed on herself.
Added
to this her mother’s third husband Stanley who is quite odd and
according to her mother quite rich. But, her mother has no idea where
his finances came from and she and Taylor want to investigate him
together. But, who is guilty, him or her mother? Was Simon being
blackmailed not only about his son but using prostitutes too? Is that
how all of the pieces will fit together?
With a mother
who has decided to take up detective work Taylor finds out that her
stepfather’s finances are not quite what they appear to be and how
he might fit into the equation. Her mother is really an added gem in
this story. She is a combination of Maude, Rosanne and Peg Bundy. The
tenaciousness of Maude, the outrageous behavior of Rosanne who tells
it the way she sees it, and the makeup and appearance of Peg Bundy
who have Hillary Venerable. You have to love her
resourcefulness and the way she justifies her behavior and
actions.
Who was blackmailing Simon and what part did
Elise play in the scheme? How was the blackmailer paid and how did
she try to double cross the blackmailer? You won’t believe how
cunning and conniving she really was. The ending is filled with more
twists and surprises than you would ever expect. But, the bond that
forms between Taylor and her mother and a mother’s love for a
daughter is heartwarming. A mother who left her daughter at a young
age and daughter who would never do the same and would always be
there for her. Just how did all the pieces fit together you will have
to read for yourself.
What part did Stan play and what
part did Elise play and who did the Double Crossing? Kacey, Taylor
and Hilary go on a dangerous quest to find out the truth about her
past and more. What they find out will forever change their lives and
their relationship. This book teaches us that it is never too late to
forgive someone we love for his or her past mistakes and embrace them
with understanding and help them survive their own personal
struggles. We all have them. This is a must read for everyone and
will renew you faith in more ways than one. This well written novel
keeps you guessing until the very last page and we can only hope the
author will write a sequel and ask me to review it.
Click Here To Purchase Double Cross: A Novel