Reviewed by Dee
TITLE: Goslyn County
AUTHOR: A.M. McKnight
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 305 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 28, 2015
BLURB:
A mostly black community with its roots in farming, Goslyn, Virginia lay just south of the State’s Capital. The once small, close-knit county had grown rapidly in the past two decades and boasted a population of just over fifty thousand. But the county’s crime stats had grown as well, and the latest offenses included several break-ins and rumors of a meth lab. Time had brought many changes, and many of the longtime folks of Goslyn no longer recognized their community and longed for days gone by.
Goslyn PD Detective Olivia “Ollie” Winston loves her family and friends and shows it through her sense of humor. Just like her neighbors, she too worries about the recent events, and it’s her job to find out who’s behind the crime spree.
While investigating three burglaries, Olivia meets IRS Special Agent Maureen Jeffries who is pursuing a tax fraud suspect. Their cases are connected, and both soon discover they have much in common, personally and professionally.
REVIEW:
Goslyn County has a lot going on and a lot of characters. As much as I struggled to keep track of who was who, I was in awe of the fact the author managed to do so without a single slip. Within the first third of the book readers are introduced to – Olivia Ann Winston, Pat Henly-Rice, Maureen, Grandma Rita May Jones, Bertrand Lewis, CJ (Calvin) Henry Jr, Detective Roland, Marcus, Malcolm Malley Henry JR, Ronnie, Harold Brooks, Lisa, Jackie, Carol Taylor, Chief Roy Anderson, Nicole Beal. Some of those dropped out of the mix and others joined the cast further on!
This story is told from multiple point-of-views, which isn’t surprising given the huge cast of characters. Initially, I struggled with the head-hopping, however around the middle of the story things seemed to settle down. Either that or I adapted to the authors writing style.
I really enjoyed the community feel to the story, and the fact most of the cast were mature people. So many books focus around younger people, it made for a pleasant change of pace.
Speaking of pace, at times there were huge info dumps which advanced the story, and at other times there was an abundance of unnecessary detail that bogged it down. For example, she crunched on a chip, she wiped her mouth, she handed over the bag of chips. With that said I realize other readers soak up those tidbits of information.
Our leading ladies are in their forties yet very cautious, almost shy, around one another so the romance is slow in building. The fact they have a misunderstanding which puts distance between them, something which seems to be a requirement in romance, doesn’t help advance their relationship. However, the wait was worth it. There are a couple of adult scenes which spiced up the pages, but didn’t overwhelm the story.
In summary, the story revolves around Olivia trying to uncover fraudulent acts. Along the way, we encounter some despicable characters and talk of drugs, meth, and alcoholism. And, a love affair blooms. Everything is tidied up in the end and will leave most readers sated.
RATING: 
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