FIREWALL

It is a privilege to read a great author’s work. You step into the pages, you insert yourself, and the story takes you places. At first, I sat back and thought about the Caribbean. Very nice. It might be a nice change from the wax and wane of January trying to come early in November. I found myself face first in Firewall and longing to read it rather than do my studies.

But Emma got derailed from her tropical holiday and had to help her godmother, Caroline. Wealthy people can be targets stemming from a number of reasons, but mostly because someone wants a part of the deep pockets. Caroline was getting blackmailed. What could be in her past that she wants locked away? Some family secrets are contained for a reason.

I will admit I am pretty rough around the edges, but if I need to hob knob, I could probably for the short term do some codeswitching to fit in with Caroline’s lavish lifestyle for a week or two. Belonging would be another story.

Emma Streat is a former opera singer who has been struggling with her husband’s murder. She is adjusting to a new life-finding herself single and trying to provide a stable home life for her kids.

I know nothing of opera. I know about murder…as in solving them.

Alas, I digress.

What matters is that despite the wealthy and refined setting, Eugenia Lovett West takes you through a twisting story to unveil the mysteries surrounding Emma Streat’s family. It is fast paced and interesting.

Emma is the perfect person to help Caroline with her problems. She is family and she has some mad detective skills.

As socialites go, her godmother is also connected to other highfalutin types. Emma fits right in as a covert operative. Pretty soon her snooping becomes an unraveling.

Her problem solving abilities are keen. She may not have the best evidence collecting skills, but she is savvy to the most important procedures. Television and the media might have provided some insights.

Firewall also made me want to see more of the world. My international experiences are quite narrow.Traveling the world with Emma to solve this cyber crime was quite fun.

Emma is an amateur sleuth which makes it more believable.  If she left it up to the authorities, who knows what would have happened!  West’s character is a superb depiction of the average investigative mind who persists because she has to- because nothing will stop her. Perhaps Emma has more invested in the mystery because of her attachment to Caroline.

Of course, Emma has a personal life and she can’t be all business. There was also a string of men to add intrigue and some gender play to the mix. You can’t help but enjoy Emma’s spunk as she plays out a modern Nancy Drew case, but with more depth.

Does she solve it or leave it up to police to catch the blackmailer in the end? Does Caroline’s dark secret become known? Well now, that would ruin it.  Plus, there is too much action to pass up. Go get your copy on Amazon. You can visit her site here.

 

***********************************************About the Author********************************************

Eugenia Lovett West was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Her father was Reverend Sidney Lovett, the widely known and loved former chaplain at Yale. She attended Sarah Lawrence College and worked for Harper’s Bazaar and the American Red Cross. Then came marriage, four children, volunteer work, and freelancing for local papers. Her first novel, The Ancestors Cry Out, was published by Doubleday; it was followed by two mysteries, Without Warning and Overkill, published by St. Martin’s Press. West divides her time between Essex, Connecticut, and Holderness, New Hampshire, where she summers with her large extended family.

According to a Growing Bolder article I read prior to Firewall, I learned she didn’t start writing until she was 81. She is now 96. Phenomenal. She is definitely a lifelong learner as well as inspirational.