Book One of The Melanie Simpson Mystery Series
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It’s the 1960’s and a year after her father was killed in a car crash, 15 year old Mel is trying to come to terms with the aftermath of his death. Her mother is an alcohol induced stupor, having turned to the bottle to deal with her grief; but that leaves Mel having to deal with the household chores and bills, not to mention starting her freshman year at high school.
Mel has a tight group of friends, which includes her boyfriend and neighbour, Frankie, and they help her discover what really happened to her father. Their discovery is shocking and soon, Mel’s whole world is turned upside down and inside out. The town of Lake Oswego, near to Portland in Oregon, will never be the same with the secrets she’s about to uncover.
The beauty of this book isn’t just that it’s set in a real place (I have a deep seated love of looking places up on maps and on Wikipedia – it helps when I can envision where scenes happened when reading urban tales), it’s that Schneider has completely and utterly committed to the era. I can see the teenagers dancing and singing along with The Beatles, putting vinyl on their record players. At one point, Mel even tries to make a long distance call via a phone box and has to ring the operator before she can do so. Something that is so mind boggling to even think of now, but was more than common place in the 60’s. It was something that even happened occasionally in the 90’s if one didn’t have the phone number for the person you’re calling. That little attention to the details like that just somehow make the book that little bit more enjoyable.
From the very first page, this book grabbed me. It is written with a sense of nostalgia for a bygone era, but without the rose tinted gleam that others implement. There’s a rising tension throughout the book, and the ending had me gasping for breath, as Mel’s world shatters into even smaller fragments than it already had. There’s espionage, there’s friendship, love and fun. There’s fear, humour and a playlist that is literally music to my ears.
S.A
This book was originally reviewed as part of the Reedsy Discovery ARC program. You can read the original review here.
Tale of the Tarot: Book one of The Melanie Simpson Mystery Series is available to buy here.
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