Helen Haught Fanick

Sisters Kathleen Williamson and Andrea Flynn are on their way to visit their niece, Maggie Flynn, who is working at the Alpenhof hotel in Canaan Valley. Their grandparents owned the hotel at one point in time, and Maggie has made some interesting discoveries about the grandparents.

Kathleen and Andrea’s welcome by the owner is about as icy as the weather outside. Later that evening, the sisters find that owner dead behind the front desk.

Canaan Valley has become a popular ski destination for show more many people from the DC area. A good number of visitors are foreigners. Just like the new owners of Alpenhoff. Could there be a connection?

Andrea and Kathleen become involved in the search for the killer and the connection. Andrea is more focused on the murder than Kathleen. Kathleen is more interested in finding the Monéts that the grandparents brought back from Paris.

“Moon Signs” is a fun, cozy read. Along with the sleuthing there are two separate romance threads. This is the first in the series. show less

While the mystery was OK, the protagonists, Kathleen and her sister Andrea, are the real appeal of this book. It was fun to see active, intelligent older women in the main roles (even if it didn't eliminate the romance angle!). I will be reading the next book in this series...

During World War II, after the Nazis occupied Czechoslovakia, the resistance movement worked to help defeat Germany. When ASSIGNMENT PRAGUE opens, Anton Janek is watching a woman, Tereza Valentova, fall from a plane as part of an assignment which brought her to Prague. Her parachute didn’t open until just before she was able to maneuver it into a tree. The partially open chute plus and branches helped break her fall, but she was injured. He was able to get her and the remains of the show more parachute out of the tree. She suffered several injuries, including a badly broken leg.
The remainder of the plot describes how this resistance cell dealt with their assignments and obstacles. Who could they trust? Who could help them get information to help their cause? What would they have to do to gain or retain access to these people? It also describes the conditions the Czechoslovakians endured, primarily lack of food and restrictions on their movements.
One thing that had too much emphasis was all the emphasis on sexual relationships. (I’m glad they are not detailed.) Other forces, like how they decided who to trust, deserved more attention. I also don’t believe Tereza would have confessed to a priest she had never met about who she really was, what her assignment involved, and what she had done. She had no way of knowing which side he was on at that point and whether he would honor the confidentiality of a confession. She also didn’t know for sure that he was actually a priest.
The story flows smoothly and is well-written. I cared about the main characters and wished there was an epilogue to know what happens to them after the war ended.
This book was a free Amazon download. show less

Bad Moon Rising is a delightful collection of short stories by San Antonio-based writer Helen Haught Fanick. The three short stories feature the unnamed narrator who, with her sister Andrea Flynn, gets caught up in a series of mysteries – the murder of the mayor of the town of Pine Summit, the murder of their Aunt Libby, and a plot to kill a relative – which Andrea solves a la Jessica Fletcher. Written with wry wit and pithy dialogue, they hang together well, giving a good sense of place show more and character. The narrator’s identify is finally disclosed in the second of two excerpts of novels Ms. Fanick has written; Moon Sight and Moonlight Mayhem. Kathleen Williamson, is a cross between Dr. Watson, who is somewhat passive observer and chronicler of events, and Mike Hammer, who can dive into action when necessary, is a delight to get to know, as are the stories in Bad Moon Rising. I give this book four stars. show less