Sara Mason Mysteries (Trilogy)
River Bones by Mary Deal.
Sara Mason Mysteries Book 1.
A serial killer is on the loose in Sacramento River Delta.
When Sara Mason returns to her hometown to start a new life, she learns that a murderer is terrorizing its residents. Despite battling difficult childhood memories, Sara is determined to make peace with her past.
But she soon learns that the elusive psychopath is now stalking her. Sara’s attempt to rebuild her life is hindered even more by the discovery of skeletal remains on her property. As the investigation focuses on several suspects, Sara discovers critical clues and bravely volunteers to be a decoy for the sheriff’s department.
Sara’s destiny has brought her back home, but will her decision lead her down a path lined with danger… and straight into the arms of a madman?
★★★★★”Will keep the reader on their toes till the very end. ” – Ken Farmer, bestselling author
★★★★★”A thrilling mystery.” – Barbara Deming, The US Review
★★★★★”Enthralling.” – Readers’ Favorite
Review by Eva Pasco: 5.0 out of 5 Stars. An Enthralling Thriller! Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2023. Verified Purchase. ‘River Bones’ held my attention throughout. For starters, I appreciated the geographic and cultural details of the Sacramento Delta area interwoven throughout the story. More than the setting’s window dressing, it’s Sara Mason’s former childhood home which triggers painful memories and predisposes her to think and react in certain ways as she makes a new life for herself in the Delta.
The author has a knack for making the reader’s hair stand up on back of the neck when things go bump in the night at Talbot House while a prolific serial killer is on the loose. Like Sara, the reader becomes suspicious of several characters: Crazy Ike, Frederik, Pierce Newton, Fletcher Gable, Huxley Keane, and Tripp Unwyn to cite most.
Whoever the perpetrator is—he snaps the victim’s hyoid bone and buries their remains in soft soil near a stream or under boulders. On that note, I felt the author did her own extensive profiling to create a credible killer hiding in plain sight. I highly recommend this enthralling thriller where mystery and suspense loom large.
Review by SK: 5.0 out of 5 Stars. Fantastic Read. Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2023, Verified Purchase. River Bones is a fantastic read. Mary Deal paints a picture of the Sacramento River Delta community so vividly, you feel like you’ve stepped through the pages and are right there with the characters. The plot keeps you guessing as to who could possibly be the serial killer in a cold case mystery. Deal mixes intrigue and suspense sprinkled with romance and two adorable puppies.
A brief synopsis: Sarah Mason’s past and present collide as she returns to her hometown thirty years later, excited to attend her high school reunion and restore her beautiful Victorian home. Though much of the community is still the same, someone is disturbing her new home and the life she hopes to rebuild. A ghostly visitor in her dreams is trying to communicate with her, but what does it all mean? Can she connect the dots, finally solving the mystery of remains found hidden around the community and the disappearance of one of the community’s beloved residents? Read to find out more!
Review by Brebre716: 5.0 out of 5 Stars. Serial killer. Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2023. Verified Purchase. I love a good book on a serial killer and this one joins the list. Though the storyline is long it keeps you reading wanting to know more. If you are into serial killers, I highly recommend this one.
Review by Author Cynthia K. Christakis: 5.0 out of 5 Stars. Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2014. Verified Purchase. BOOK REVIEW AND VETTING by Cynthia Seasons. About the Author: Mary Deal, a native of Walnut Grove in California’s Sacramento River Delta, has lived in England, the Caribbean, and now resides on the island of Kauai in Kappa’s, Hawaii. She was Founder and past President of Kauai Writer’s Roundtable. She is also an artist, photographer and newspaper columnist. She is the author of six suspense novels and two nonfiction references for writers.
OVERVIEW: Author Mary Deal creates a haunting mystery thriller set in the Sacramento River Delta where the history of an abandoned plantation house is the focus of the plot which attracts a serial killer among other beings.
SYNOPSIS: River Bones was a winner in the Eric Hoffer Book Awards competition and a Finalist in the National Indie Excellence Books Award. Main characters Sara Mason, Fredrik, Daphine, Crazy Ike, Linette and Buck Alden and Esmeralda Talbot are brilliantly utilized to create a plethora of plot twists which keep the reader on their page-turning toes unable to guess ‘who done it’ . Author Deal effortlessly tosses the reader bones to retrieve only to be thwarted by other entwining clues until it seems as if everyone is involved in what seems to be an unsolvable clump of mysteries and murders.
1. WHAT DID I LIKE THE MOST ABOUT THIS NOVEL? I liked Author Deal’s genuine ability to carry through with the complex plot and subplots she set in motion in this well written, well executed mystery. I liked the research and inclusion of historical background of the Sacramento Valley Delta to draw me more personally into the story and the characters. I liked that the characters were flawed in realistic believable emotional and physical disabilities. I like the entire novel and therefore Author Deal.
2. WHAT DID I LIKE LEAST ABOUT THIS NOVEL? I liked least the repetitive leaps of goodness and generosity of Sara with little cluing me in to how her thinking resulted in her decision-making process. However, since I have never personally experienced the death of a sibling at a very young age, perhaps it is possible to miss and be life-long influenced by a long-dead sister to the extent Sara did.
REVIEW: River Bones rates at the top with a five on a scale of 0-5 in my opinion. Author Deal created a good old fashioned mystery thriller, which both entertained and kept me curious as I was unable to ‘guess’ what I thought at first, would be a predictable ending. Job well done. I recommend this novel to any reader.
Review by Amazon Customer: 5.0 out of 5 Stars. Great story! Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2023. Verified Purchase. I enjoyed this book more than any I’ve read in some time. It was well written and had good pace. Characters are interesting and the location is familiar. I have spent sunny afternoons driving many of those roads.
Review by Kindle Customer: 5.0 out of 5 Stars. Hidden Killer. Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2023. Verified Purchase. This is an excellent book about serial murder from a twisted mind. The plot has many turns. The ending is well done.
Product Details:
River Bones-Sara Mason Mysteries Book One
Paperback: 325 Pages
Publisher: Creativia; 3rd Edition (October 17, 2017)
Language: English
Thrillers (Mystery)
Thrillers (Serial Killer)
Amazon Print:
https://www.amazon.com/River-Bones-Sara-Mason-Mysteries/dp/1979217904/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Spanish Version:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BZ5BZM6/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i11
The Howling Cliffs by Mary Deal.
Sara Mason Mysteries Book 2.
Sara Mason joins in searching for Huxley’s MIA brother’s remains in the Vietnam jungle. She is joined by her friend Esmerelda.
Later in Hawaii, Sara learns that a six-year-old neighborhood girl had gone missing ten years earlier. Something odd is going on at the nearby forest cliffs; someone wants this cold case to stay cold.
But even after attempts are made on Sara’s life, she pushes on with the investigation and pursues the leads that take her on a path of danger. Can she solve the mystery of the Howling Cliffs?
★★★★★ “Detailed and rich, the descriptions of Kauai made me feel like I was really there, and I became totally absorbed in the atmosphere. As a history buff, I thoroughly enjoyed the historical aspect of Vietnam as well the behind-the-scenes forensics. Howling Cliffs is a must read for all mystery fans.” – Kim Murphy, Amazon Review
★★★★★ “There is great depth to both her characters and locations that many books lack… Another wonderful mystery by Mary Deal.” – Hilary H. Hall, Amazon Review
Review by LoveToRead: 5.0 out of 5 Stars. Great read!! Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2023. Verified Purchase. Having read Mary Deal’s previous suspenseful book River Bones, I had to read The Howling Cliffs and was not disappointed. It’s a thrilling read, and I couldn’t put it down. I love the character Sara Mason and her neighbor, Birdie, is a dear. Her amazing K9 is unforgettable. The suspenseful murder mystery keeps you on edge, and I am not giving any spoilers here. I highly recommend this series and give it five stars. I am looking forward to reading Book 3 in this series.
Review by Berk Rourke: 5.0 out of 5 Stars. A fast and great read. Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2018. Verified Purchase. This page turner held my attention for a continuous read today after briefly starting yesterday evening (July 3-4). I have read the entire book and the reviews as I often do before reviewing any book I read. Here are some comments about reviewing a book. First, I think anyone who does not read the entire book is both a fool and a troll if they offer a review. In that respect this book starts and ends with Sara’s and Huxley’s on-going search for the remains of MIAs in Vietnam. Thus, it ties itself together front to end while engaging through the rest of the book in a Sara Mason mystery that is an attention grabber to say the least. Secondly, about reviewing, I start every read with the idea that the author deserves my approval simply because they have had the courage and the creative juices to do the hard work of putting a book before the world. The author or the publisher must persuade me to reduce my five-star initial review, my starting point. Nothing in this book persuades me to lessen my initial outlook. Finally, I seldom offer any information about the actual story I have read because to do so ruins the read for others. So I will not tell you what this story divulges. I will say that the characters are beautifully created so they seem real as you read this fictional story. The content deals with difficult topics which most authors choose to ignore and does so in a manner befitting an actual investigation of criminal activity. If there are criticisms to be offered, they might relate to the notions a trad editor would apply to this book. This is not a trade publication, but an Indie publication. That does not forgive errors by authors or their publishers, but the errors in this book are so miniscule in nature and so difficult to see that only a trad editor would and has trolled this story. IT IS A WORTHY BOOK, A WORTHY READ YOU SHOULD NOT IGNORE. I enjoyed it immensely. Few books hold my attention as well as this one did. A great read.
Product Details:
The Howling Cliffs: Sara Mason Mysteries Book Two
Paperback: 300 Pages
Publisher: Creativia; 2nd Edition (December 2, 2017)
Language: English
Thrillers (Mystery)
Thrillers (Serial Killer)
Fiction: Cozy Detective Mysteries
Amazon Print:
https://www.amazon.com/Howling-Cliffs-Sara-Mason-Mysteries/dp/1973444119/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Spanish Version:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BZ5S3ZQ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p2_i0
Dead To Life: Pocket Book Edition by Mary Deal.
Sara Mason Mysteries Book 3.
Sara Mason and love interest, Huxley Keane, follow a trail of clues in an attempt to match a bullet-scarred key found in the Vietnam jungle.
An apartment key was given to Rocky, Huxley’s brother, by his fiancée. If sweet Emma Ellis kept a matching key all these years, it would prove Rocky is not MIA, but deceased.
Tracing Emma proves to be a perilous escapade; she doesn’t wish to be found and attempts to stop Sara and Huxley, whose very lives are threatened. In separate incidences, both Sara and Huxley are left to die of their wounds. And when they finally catch her, horrifying truths about the woman send their sensibilities reeling.
NOTE: This is the pocket book edition of Dead To Life, convenient to both read and carry.
Review by Martha A. Cheves-VINE VOICE: 5.0 out of 5 Stars. What happened to Emma? Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2020. Verified Purchase. Sara Mason and Huxley Keane are still on the hunt for proof that his brother Rocky, who turned up as a MIA during the Vietnam War, was indeed dead. After receiving a box full of letters from Huxley’s mom, the two sit down to read the letters in hopes that the information would provide some of the most defining clues leading to verifying that the key that was found in the Vietnam jungle did belong to Rocky. The key was one given to Rocky by his fiancée, Emma Ellis. It was to the apartment she shared with her sister Evelyn in San Francisco and would give him access to a place to stay if he were to return unexpectedly. But shortly after Rocky became MIA, Emma’s sister Evelyn took her own life and Emma may have moved to Hawaii. With this piece of information, Sara and Huxley begin their search in San Francisco in search of information that will lead them to Emma in Hawaii and the possibility that she will have the matching key that will confirm the one found in Vietnam was indeed Rocky’s.
As always, Author Mary Deal takes you through page turning tunnels as you join Sara and Huxley in their search for Emma and the key. You’ll see the life changing events that put Emma into an investigation by not only the Hawaiian police but also the San Francisco Police. You’ll find yourself trying to understand how and why such a level headed person could turn into what Emma turned into.
Review by Book Lover: 5.0 out of 5 Stars. Brilliantly written mystery! Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2020. Verified Purchase. I’ve known Mary for quite some time and her love of writing shows. In the first book, River Bones, I felt as though I were part of the story, that I was there in every aspect of it, even in the horrific, terrorizing scenes. So, in Dead to Life, the third Book of her Sara Mason Mysteries, that same feeling took hold of me. It was like visiting an old friend, but this time I got to go to Hawaii with her, which I always wanted to do…even though I’m just reading a book. That’s how real it was for me. I wasn’t just a reader anymore; I became involved with the characters.
The tension stayed at an even keel and only increased when it deemed necessary and important to the story. As for the setting, I’ve never been to Hawaii, but only seen pictures of it through Mary, she is a wonderful photographer as well, I could picture every scene clearly in my mind, almost smell the Plumeria flowers that grow there. The sad parts tugged at my heart and I won’t say what those are, you’ll just have to buy it.
If you love books that make you feel the emotions, give you great visuals as you read, the need to want to go further into the next chapter and so on and so on…this is a must read. It’s an easy read. An enjoyable read. A suspenseful read. It’s everything you want in a book.
Review by Berk Rourke: 5.0 out of 5 Stars. A Key Mystery. Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2020. Verified Purchase. The key to learning of the mystery laid out in this story is to listen very carefully to the masterfully drawn dialogue between the characters. This is a character driven story in which Huxley Keane and Sara Mason seek to find his brother’s romantic interest. The story spins its way through San Francisco and an interesting visit with Brian Porter and his spouse, then to Honolulu, and finally back to San Francisco for its conclusion. Along the way these wonderfully fleshed out characters present you with a lot of information which will lead you to what you may think the end of the mystery will be. But you might not be correct? Well, enough said. You’ll have to read this book to find out what happens. It is masterfully done and easily merits a five-star rating.
Review by Amazon Customer: 5.0 out of 5 Stars. Well written clean story. Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2022. Verified Purchase. Loved this book. The characters were well developed and likeable. Even though it was obvious from the beginning which sister actually survived, the plot has many twists and turns. This is not a cliffhanger, which I appreciated. I also appreciated that there was no foul language or explicit sex scenes. Always a big plus for me.
Review by Minglement: 5.0 out of 5 Stars. Wow! A favorite! Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2020. Verified Purchase. This author has an amazing talent for drawing the reader in with endearing characters, great plots laced with mystery, and beautifully described settings. I felt like I was there and the characters felt like friends. I hated to see it end.
Review by LoveToRead: 5.0 out of 5 Stars. Awesome mystery. Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2023. I loved this book. The 3rd in a fantastic series. Wonderful, likable characters, great twists and turns with mystery, and beautifully described settings. As in the first two stories in this series, I was right there with Sara as she solved this intriguing mystery – no spoilers here. Author Mary Deal is amazing.
Product Details:
Dead To Life: Sara Mason Mysteries Book Three
Paperback: 435 Pages
Publisher: Gumshoe-A Next Chapter Imprint; 2nd Edition (July 30, 2020)
Language: English
Thrillers (Mystery)
Thrillers (Serial Killer)
Thrillers (Women Sleuths)
Amazon Print:
https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Life-Pocket-Mason-Mysteries/dp/B08CMYCHT4/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
About Mary Deal: Mary Deal, a native of Walnut Grove in California’s Sacramento River Delta, now resides in Honolulu, Hawaii. She was Founder and past President of Kauai Writer’s Round table. She is also an artist, photographer and former editor of a print magazine and newspaper columnist.
She is the author of six suspense novels: “The Tropics,” an adventure/suspense trilogy, “The Ka,” a paranormal Egyptian suspense, “River Bones,” a thriller that takes place in her childhood hometown area, “Down to the Needle,” a thriller, taking place along the West coast, “Legacy of the Tropics,” a re-write and expansion of The Tropics, and “The Howling Cliffs, a Sara Mason Mystery” and 1st sequel to the award winning River Bones. She has also published “Off Center in the Attic,” a collection of over-the-top short stories and flash fiction pieces. The eBooks, “Write it Right – Tips for Authors, Vol. I and Vol. II are nonfiction references for writers. Write It Right – Tips for Authors – The Big Book (a Finalist in the National Indie Excellence Book Awards) brings both of the Write It Write eBooks together in paperback.
“River Bones” was a winner in the Eric Hoffer Book Awards competition and a Finalist in the National Indie Excellence Books Awards. Her short story, “The Last This I Do” was nominated for the Pushcart Prize.
Awards and Special Recognition:
- Author, Painter, Photographer
- Amazon Best-Selling Author
- Pushcart Prize Nominee
- 2021 Global eBook Awards – Winner/Gold
- 2021 International Book Awards – Finalist
- 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards – Finalist
- 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards – Winner
- 2019 National Indie Excellence Book Awards Finalist
- 2017 Global eBook Awards Bronze
- 2016 International Book Awards Finalist
- 2016 Global eBook Awards Silver
- 2016 National Indie Excellence Book Awards Finalist
- 2015 Global eBook Awards Bronze
- 2014 National India Excellence Book Awards Finalist
- 2011 National Indie Excellence Book Awards Finalist
- 2009 Eric Hoffer Book Award Winner
Amazon Author’s Page:
https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Deal/e/B0035B02X6%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share
Professional Websites:
http://www.writeanygenre.wordpress.com
https://www.marydeal.com
Art Gallery:
http://www.MaryDealFineArt.com
Gift Gallery:
http://zazzle.com/IslandImageGallery*
Facebook:
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Author’s Page At Book Marketing Global Network:
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