Who knew that the city of Fresno could be home to a murder mystery? Peggy Lara, author of “Dreams Unveiled”, has made her attempt to place Fresno on the map with her new, not yet released, murder mystery.

With the setting being Fresno, Lara mentions Fresno City College and California State University, Fresno. A couple planning their wedding faces a tragic end when the bride is murdered the night before her wedding.

The same night as the bridal murder, the neighbor of the happy couple was murdered while taking out his trash. These murders were ruled as the results of a burglary and the case had never really been solved.

Detective Melanie Sanders, however, has not been able to escape the case. Something has been drawing her back to Arbush Lane whether it’s another case or thoughts of the murders. It isn’t until three years later that she finally gets a case-breaking clue that just might save the life of the next blushing bride.

As Robert Baxter makes an effort to move on with his life and marry Holly McPhearson, a threat comes to light and Holly’s life and happiness are in jeopardy. It’s a race against the clock to figure out who the murderer is and to save the wedding.

Lara brings to the table an excellent fiction story but the composition of this story is what needs to be worked on. The beginning is rushed. It is as if Lara wanted to hurry towards the center of the story.

Her hurry to the pinnacle of the mystery leaves a few errors in the writing and manuscript. There were instances that needed grammatical editing and issues with the separation between a thought and the rest of the sentence.

Admittedly, the first thought that appeared when reading a synopsis of this novel was a question wondering if it was worth the read. The novel, however rough, picked up speed by chapter 20 and became a gripping read. It was a pleasant
surprise after such a shaky start but it was indeed worth the time in reading.

With time ahead, Peggy Lara has the opportunity to shake readers from their comfort zones and grip them with a thrilling murder mystery. Given the right time, editing and exposure, Lara just might rise to the level of reverence inspired by Mary Higgins Clark.

This novel will debut June 1 and will be available electronically via eBook. For more information on the novel, visit www.bookendpromotions.com.

Rating: B-