Böcker av M Louise Smith

Middy Brown and I have been constant companions for twenty years. Journal V concludes the series. I'll miss her. One day I logged into my computer and there she was, demanding my attention. She's been on my case since that moment, at writers' conferences, author panels and having fun. Middy's struggles almost took her down before moving beyond her 'empty nest. syndrome'. She refers to the days prior to her adventures as living with full-time postpartum depression. She's taken me along during her fifteen-year journey, which has taken me twenty years to write. She's intuitive, wonderful, compassionate and often a very nosey gal, charging forward where 'angels fear to tread.' She can't remember how many times Cal, the dreamiest P.I. on the planet has carted her out of the E.R. when the angels (or Cal) almost didn't make it in time...Whew! Every woman, at some point in her life, is a "Middy" finding herself and love again, at least we hope we are.

Middy Brown Journal IV finds our spunky gal continuing to attract complicated adventures that transpire simply because she is such a dear and compassionate meddlerbut in a really good and sincere way. Long divorced from old George Brown, a domineering chauvinist, she has risen above his constant degradation and verbal abuse; but the damage does remain. We find her finally enjoying a beautiful and romantic marriage with her former cop and private investigator boss, Calvin Cleere, the dreamiest PI on the planet. Time is marching on, and when she unexpectedly inherits Mosscreeka beautiful, large, and gracious mountain estateshe and Cal agree that she should fulfill her dream and utilize a portion of this large estate as a guest house and event center. Her now-husband, Cal, closed his Denver office and was tapped by the Department of Homeland Security for a highly classified and often-covert position. The department moves in for this highly prized contractor, installing an impenetrable workspace with top-of-the-line surveillance equipment and a bulletproof coded entry door, all in an upstairs corner of Mosscreek. Middy has her own security clearance, so she does have access to the code and Cal if she knocks fist. From this austere location, he is somewhat able to monitor his deeply adored, classy but often error prone problem-magnet wife. Middy has become an astute businesswoman, but she simply cannot avoid involving Cal in her well-intended and often-disastrous activities. When she worked for him as his not-so-perfect assistant in his PI practice, on many occasions he had to extract her from the ER, when her very best intentions went astray and she didnt quite dodge the bullet. Now, in a new and happy marriage and enjoying her position as proprietress of the lovely Mosscreek Manor, very little has changed; Cal just cant seem to keep her away from her inclination to innocently make disastrous and sometimes hysterically funny decisions.

Estelle Fischer was a beautiful young debutante happily engaged to a rising NFL star quarterback, her childhood sweetheart. Everything changed in a horrific second one summer night when she became responsible for a gruesome accident that tragically injured one of the frat guys spending the summer in a condo down the beach. The injured was, unfortunately, the only son of a vindictive and powerful US senator. Fear of the senators wrath and her own distractive guilt brought her dreams to an abrupt halt. In a daze of agony, she found herself accepting a sacrificial life caring for the pompous man, now a hopeless cripple, by quietly abandoning her engagement to marry him.A widow at sixty-three, she sells the family home in Colorado to return to the small compound of beach cottages on the Texas Gulf Coast where she spent her youth, a mile away from the scene of that long-ago accident. She hopes to recapture some of what has been lost over the tumultuous years by arranging a reunion of the old friends that she abruptly and painfully left behind. This includes her first love, now a hardened Vietnam vet; her abandoned fianc, a retired, disillusioned sports hero; and the girls, grown into troubled women. Perhaps a reunion of these friends from the past will open a path to forgiveness and understanding and even provide an opportunity to love again. The difficult thing is trying to prove to her selfish and angry children that she has not taken leave of her senses.

Praise for the first printing of Middy Brown's Journal I--An Appointed Time:"I couldn't put it down; I hope the next book comes out soon!" Pat McCord, Anchorage, AK"Inspirational mysteries like An Appointed Time are uplifting and emotionally charged novels. By the end, the audience feels good and hopeful about themselves and their reading experience. This particular book is loaded with subplots that not only enhance the story line, but also sustains the reader's attention throughout the book. M. Louise Smith has created a wonderful heroine regaining the spirit of her life even as she encourages fans to do likewise." Harriet Klausner, BookBrowser (* * * *--Amazon.com rating)"An Appointed Time is a book that is filled with mystery, international intrigue, danger and excitement, romance and heartache. It is also the story of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. And, it is the first of what this reviewer hopes are many more Middy Brown Stories." Jo Rogers. My Shelf"Rib-Rickling Funny!" Julie Failla, St. Louis