I thought I would share a new Mystery Book David and I read together with you this morning. The book is called The Executed Executive and it’s written by Gena Webb and I received a PDF copy from Voracious Readers in exchange for this review. Inside this post are my affiliate links if you click on the links and make a purchase I will make a small percentage from the items you purchase.
Before I share my thoughts on the book with you this is part of a series and there are 4 books in the series and this is the 4th book which can be read as a standalone. Although, I would like to read each of the books in the series and you should as well. I would consider this a mystery book as I said earlier but in the story you will also find a bit of Christian-faith.
The Executed Executive is about a amateur sleuth novel aa girl detective which made me want to dive into the book as soon as possible because I love Girl Detectives. The characters were likable, the story was clean and a good read. This was a fast book for me to read because once I started I didn’t want to put it down.
The story is set in the 1900s and it begins in on a Friday in September 1957 in San Antonio, Texas, which is a hop skip and jump form where I live. Stenographer Mary Wright and oil executive Arlo Fischer are the main characters. Mary would rather be a detective than a secretary, but she is genuinely fond of Arlo, her boss. Because he naps so much.
Mary and a fellow secretary imagine the eighty-four-year-old Arlo dying at his desk. Are they foreshadowing a murder? When Mary leaves the office at the end of the week, Arlo is asleep at his desk. But is he really asleep? Back at work Monday morning, Mary is shocked to learn that Arlo is indeed dead. Leading them to wonder if Arlo might have passed away on Friday.
The story continues with additional characters, dangers, clues, and red herrings. The author invites the reader into the story by describing sounds, smells and tastes making the book more sensory, but not sensual. The Author includes five detectives in the story: the amateur Mary, the two TV detectives, the police detective, and a private detective and they play a pivotal part in the novel.
You would think 5 detectives would be enough but then the Author uses the plot to bring us at least four mysteries. Who murdered Arlo? How will the Fischer family dynamics be resolved? Will the company survive? And who will be Mary’s love interest? Before you ask if that is the end of the story no, it isn’t.
The Author brings us two more questions. Will anyone else be hurt? Will Mary be safe when she is at work or at home alone? T find out what happens you will need to purchase a copy of the book and join the gathering of all the surviving characters at the very end for a explanation which will have you saying man I didn’t see that or can you believe that happened or how did I miss that.
About the book:
Mary Wright is living a predictable life as a secretary in San Antonio, Texas. But when her boss is murdered, Mary goes into full-blown Girl Detective mode. A chance encounter with a charming private investigator gives her hope that she can solve the case even if the police can’t. If not, she’s in trouble, because the killer seems to have set his sights on her.
Inspired by the famous Girl Detective, the members of the Olentangy Heights Girls’ Detective Society, affectionately known as the Nosy Parkers, spent their formative years studying criminology, codes, and capers. Opportunities to practice their unique skills were thin in their little corner of post-WWII suburbia, so they eventually grew up to pursue more sensible careers. Yet mysteries seem to follow them wherever they go.
Meet the Author: Gena Webb
Gena Webb’s passion has always been writing, but through the years it took second place to her other endeavor—serving her country. Born in California, she enlisted in the Air Force a few years after high school graduation. Her first assignment was as a computer operator in Omaha, Nebraska. Eventually, she ended up in San Antonio, Texas, where she retired after serving more than 23 years. Eight months later, she got bored being a bum and went back to the Air Force where she served in a civilian capacity for another 19-plus years.
If Gena’s learned anything in her life, it’s this: God is in control, He has a plan, and that plan includes only what is best for us. Although her books aren’t “preachy” by any stretch of the imagination, she does tend to put that concept into her novels. Everyone could occasionally use a gentle reminder to live by faith, don’t you think?
She currently lives in San Antonio with her wonderful, supportive husband of many years. Her children/stepchildren are scattered throughout the country, although their one daughter lives two houses away. This comes in handy when they want to travel, since she doesn’t have to walk too far to feed their indoor kitty babies and the 4,000 stray cats that have taken up residence in the yard. That might be a slight exaggeration, but there are quite a few.
Gena Webb also writes under the pen name of Kay Wyont. Both of her series (The Misadventures of Miss Write and Alamo City Mystery) are set in San Antonio. They are liberally sprinkled with humor and the flavor of her adopted hometown. A percentage of all proceeds from her novels are donated to various charitable organizations.
Visit her website at www.genawebb.com.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
