Dead Man's Leap: A Batavia-on-Hudson Mystery Novel - Perfect for Crime Fiction Lovers & Book Club Discussions

In Dead Man's Leap, book two of the Batavia-On-Hudson Mystery Series, author Tina deBellegarde transports the reader back to the tranquil Catskill Mountains lakeside village of Batavia-On-Hudson, New York, for an intriguing mystery story that will keep the reader guessing and turning the pages.The Batavian villagers are gathering items for their annual charity rummage and auction event that will benefit the children's hospital. But when a storm hits, the villagers seek shelter from the rising flood water at the Community Center. In a small village where the villagers seem to know everything about each other, the village is also full of secrets hidden from the public eye. One never really knows what burdens each carries, what battles they are fighting, and that things are not always as they appear. Tensions grow among everyone sheltering at the center, the storm is taking its toll on them, putting them on edge. Especially when the flood waters wash up a corpse on the shores of Dead Man's Leap. Sheriff Mike Riley with the assistance of librarian and amateur sleuth Bianca St. Denis investigate a two decade old mystery that has been kept secret by some of the villagers, and maybe the storm has been a blessing in disguise that releases the villagers' burdens of past secrets.Author Tina deBellegarde weaves a fast-paced and suspenseful tale that follows Sheriff Mike Riley and amateur sleuth Bianca St. Denis' investigation to uncover the truth behind the decades old mystery of the corpse found after the storm.I loved reading this slow-building and action-packed story. I was kept intrigued by Mike and Bianca's investigation into the mystery of the corpse as they slowly put the pieces of the mystery puzzle together and uncovered the truth. The reader will be easily drawn into this richly descriptive plot that will keep them guessing as long hidden secrets, family dramas, a growing list of possible suspects, motives, and clues are uncovered. And if that's not enough, the storm also makes Bianca and Mike deal with personal issues of coming to grips with finally releasing the grief of her husband's death, and acknowledging his own crumbling marriage.I would be remiss if I didn't mention how much I loved reading snippets of the quirky villagers' individual secrets, and the richly vivid description of the tranquil lakeside village in the Catskills Mountains, that makes me want to take a roadtrip to the picturesque Hudson Valley region.Dead Man's Leap has enough drama, tension, action, dark secrets, intrigue, and unexpected twists and turns that will take the reader on one heck of a thrilling roller coaster ride.