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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Dec 7, 2021  
Watch the book trailer for the romantic mystery novel SCATTERED LEGACY: MURDER IN SOUTHERN ITALY by Marlene M Bell, Author on my blog. There's also an amazing giveaway for a chance to win the a prize pack valued at $425 for one winner! The prize pack includes:
- a $50 VISA gift card
- a Patricia Nash leather bag
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil from the Puglia Region of Italy
- Orecchiette Pasta from the Puglia Region
- Weekly 2022 Engagement Spiral Calendar
- Silver/Gold Italy Coin necklace on 18” silver chain
- autographed copy of Scattered Legacy by Marlene M. Bell

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2021/12/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-scattered.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
To outsiders, the relationship between Manhattan antiquities assessor Annalisse Drury and sports car magnate Alec Zavos must look carefree and glamorous. In reality, it’s a love affair regularly punctuated by treasure hunting, action-packed adventure, and the occasional dead body.

When Alec schedules an overseas trip to show Annalisse his mother's birthplace in Bari, Italy, he squeezes in the high-stakes business of divesting his family’s international corporation. But things go terribly wrong as murder makes its familiar reappearance in their lives – and this time it’s Alec’s disgraced former CFO who’s the main suspect.

Accompanied by friend and detective Bill Drake, Annalisse and Alec find themselves embroiled in a behind-closed-doors conspiracy that threatens the reputation and legacy of Alec’s late father – linking him to embezzlement, extortion, and the dirty business of the Sicilian Mafia. The search for the truth sends the trio straight into riddles, secrets, and an historic set of rosary beads. Annalisse leads Alec toward a discovery that is unthinkable, and events that will change their futures forever.

Scattered Legacy is the third in Marlene M. Bell’s thrilling Annalisse series, which weaves romance, crime, and historical mystery into addictive tales to instantly captivate fans of TV show Bones or Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.
     
Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Ann Patchett | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
It seems like a fairly regular day in Southern California: the day of young Franny Keating's christening party. When her father, Fix, opens the door, he's surprised to see Albert Cousins there. Fix, a cop, doesn't associate much with the DAs on his beat, and he certainly didn't invite Bert. But Bert has shown up with a bottle of gin--looking to hide from his own wife and children--and he soon joins the party, making drinks with Fix's beautiful wife, Beverly. By the end of the evening, Bert and Beverly have kissed, triggering a chain of events that will alter the lives of all involved.

This is an expansive book, covering the lives of the intertwined Cousins and Keating families in a series of almost interconnected stories. They are linked, of course, and form the framework of Packer's novel, but almost seem as if they could stand on their own. They are also set against the backdrop of another <i>Commonwealth</i>: when Franny, then in her twenties, meets famous author Leon Posen, she tells him the many stories of her misguided family. He spins them into the tale of his novel, <i>Commonwealth</i>, forcing the family to face up to some of their most awful losses and decisions in the starkness of print.

Some of the chapters of COMMONWEALTH aren't always particularly exciting, but they are poignant, and there is a deepness to them. They offer an amazing insight into these families-- an almost "behind the scenes" look at five or so decades of their lives. The varying viewpoints of the narrators helps as well, and you can watch a Cousin or Keating child age in just a couple of chapters. It's also interesting to watch the spouses--so changed by the affair--and how it's affected their lives.

Overall, this is a lovely book, tender in many ways, and a little heartbreaking. It's not a page-turner, but it's beautiful and leaves you thinking.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Edelweiss (thank you!); it is available everywhere on 9/13/2016.