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Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Book Review - Braha - a Tale of Innocence and Intrigue - Julie Mangano

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Title:  Braha, A tale of innocence and intrigue

Author: Julie Mangano

Review:  This was a great book.  When asked to read and review it, it caught my interest because of the genealogy aspect of it.  The book went between the modern day and the early 1900s through World War 1 to the murder of the Czar of Russia.  The story follows the diary of the main characters great great grandmother Leena who is ......no spoiler here as I am not going to tell you who or what Leena was as that would give away the big surprise in the story, suffice it to say it adds a new twist to the story of Anastasia.

The story follows a young woman who returns to see her grandfather only to find out he is dead under suspicious circumstances and she needs to find out why and how it happened so she can go on with her life.  As she progresses through her investigation she finds that her grandfather left her a journal that was written by her great great grandmother telling of her travels from a small village in Russia to their town where she was now living.

As she goes through her grandfathers papers she finds that he had started tracing his genealogy and this leads her to uncover a secret that has been hidden for many generations, a secret that killed her grandfather, her father and now even possibly her. Who can she trust, Reed a man who is her grandfathers confident and lawyer and seems to know all of his secrets, or the deputy who is investigating her grandfathers death and would love to be closer to her, her choice is murky as both men seem interested in keeping her safe and yet something is not right with one or perhaps both.

The intrigue is great and the climax is fast moving and exciting, with that said I did not like the epilogue  I felt the story was very strong but the epilogue was very weak and made the ending seem contrived so a sequel could be written. The overall story though is fascinating and a fun read.

 I give this book four stars out of five!

Synopsis:  Linden St. Clair is working overseas when she learns her beloved grandfather has passed away under suspicious circumstances. Returning home, she discovers he has left her an old family journal, as well as clues to an explosive family secret. The journal, written by Leena Weiss, Linden's great-great grandmother, recalls the woman's early years as a German girl living in a small Russian village. Leena's life is turned upside down when a Russian army officer turns her into his object of affection. Caught in a difficult situation, Leena soon finds herself living a life one the run, pursued by the Okhrana, a secret police organization and predecessor to the KGB. A century later, Linden peels back shadowy layers, exposing clues and secrets. Despite professional security services, she and her family remain pawns in a deadly game that extends beyond borders and crisscrosses the globe.

Paperback, 318 pages
Published March 24th 2014 by Createspace

Author Information:   Julie Mangano

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