From award-winning author, Aaron Paul Lazar:
Marcella Hollister realized a lifetime of hopes and dreams when she was given custody of a child. A cousin of her half-Seneca husband, Quinn, the baby’s mother was murdered in a political plot—and Marcella, who’s never been able to have children of her own, formed an instant bond with little Kimi.
Then a distant relative comes forward to claim … forward to claim Kimi—and Quinn, who Marcella thought understood her pain better than anyone, allows them to take the baby without a fight.
Confused and deeply wounded, Marcella takes off for Tall Pines, their secluded Adirondack cabin. She hopes the peace and natural beauty of the mountains will help clear her head and decide whether to forgive Quinn…or leave him.
But the situation at Tall Pines is anything but peaceful. Her high school lover, Sky, arrives to help out—and Marcella discovers her old feelings may not be as distant as she thought. Worse, a serial killer is stalking young women in the area. And when a teen girl whose mother works with Sky goes missing, Marcella and everyone she cares for wind up dead center in the killer’s sights.
*** This is the fourth book in the Tall Pines Mysteries series. All books in this series can be read in any order. Check out FOR THE BIRDS, ESSENTIALLY YOURS, and SANCTUARY. ***
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Betrayal: A Tall Pines Mystery by the talented Aaron Paul Lazar is a riveting tale that kept this reader on her toes throughout – Mr. Lazar’s skill for action-packed storytelling in all the books I’ve had the pleasure to read never lets up. If you favor mysteries with emotionally satisfying characterization and one action packed scene after the other, then this is one you’ll want to add to your TBR list.
Marcella Hollister’s heart has just been torn asunder. The baby she and her husband Quinn have adopted has been claimed by a blood aunt no one knew about prior. Because the aunt and Quinn are tribal members of the Seneca Nation, he surrenders the six month old girl, instead of fighting to keep her, thinking the child needs to know its roots.
Marcella, thinking her husband cares more about his heritage than he does his wife, leaves him and travels to their cabin in Tall Pines alone, heartbroken and enraged. Without the know-how to get the cabin heated and the water running, she calls upon her high school sweetheart Skyler Lissoneau, and her feelings for him resurface, just enough to give her pause.
All is not well in Tall Pines, either. There is a serial killer on the loose. Sky and his sister Callie, her best friend from childhood, decide to protect and keep her busy while she decides her future. Sky runs Project Hope, a lab dealing with essential oils with hopes of finding a cure for Leukemia and, in between the murders, kidnappings, and the marital discord between Marcella and Quinn…
This is when I stop with my rambling, because instead of reading spoilers, you need to read this tale with its many diverse facets. Mr. Lazar just bombards a reader with the unexpected, making it impossible to guess what’s going to happen next, and is exactly what I love about this author’s talent for brilliant plot and prose.
Although Betrayal is the fourth installment of the Tall Pines Mystery Series, I had no problem keeping up with the histories of the characters from pervious stories, as the author gently weaves the backstory into what is current so fluently.
On a personal note, some of the businesses and cafes Mr. Lazar brings into in the story, located in the Adirondack Mountains, reminded me of places where I’ve eaten or shopped, while camping with my family in the Poconos years ago, and summoned loving memories about those times.
Bravo, Mr. Lazar, you kept me up all night reading
Great Addition to the Series
“Betrayal” by Aaron Paul Lazar is a gripping read with heartache, lust, and a serial killer expertly woven together. The story begins with Marcella having to give up a six-month old, Kimi, when a relative of the deceased Seneca mother steps forward to claim the baby girl. Her half-Seneca husband, Quinn, wouldn’t fight to help keep the baby because the Seneca population was declining he wants to preserve his heritage and have the child raised on the reservation. Shattered when the baby is removed from Marcella’s arms, she and her dog, Dak, leave Quinn and take off for their cabin in Tall Pines. When she arrives, she calls Sky, her high school sweetheart, to help her turn on the water pipes and heat. Sky still loves her, and she still kindles a flame for him.
Sky runs Project Hope where a team is working on a cure for Leukemia. After Marcella volunteers to help, she learns about a serial killer at large. The bodies of seven teenage girls have been found on the shore of the Sacandaga River. Then they discover someone has broken into her woodshed and stolen most of the wood and tools.
Quinn follows Marcella, but she sends him away. He refuses to give up on their marriage and stays in a nearby motel. Project Hope’s lead researcher, Ginny, teenage daughter goes missing. Ginny receives a call and takes off to meet up with the abductor.
A blizzard sweeps through Tall Pines as Sky and Marcella search for the teenage girl and her mother. They become stranded in the snow and end up in a cave for shelter. Through all the turmoil and mayhem and Marcella’s growing desire for Sky, she faces an internal struggle to remain faithful to her husband. More threats surface and Marcella becomes the killer’s target. Can the serial killer be stopped or will more bodies be found near the river? And can Marcella’s and Quinn’s marriage survive?
The author has created memorable characters and his scene descriptions made me feel like I was traipsing through the snow with the characters. This is a suspenseful story full of many twists and turns. A good read!
This series is quite a ride! In this 3rd book, Marcella and husband, Quinn, lose custody of his baby cousin to a Seneca relative. Marcella is devastated and leaves to seek solace in peaceful Tall Pines…and her friends…including her childhood sweetheart, Sky. Life is never quite around Marcella and she is soon embroiled in the hunt for a killer, who has been abducting young girls. Lots of action keeps you in your toes and, just when you think it’s over, there’s more. Great series and great narration.