Cape Cod Times Feature - Fairy tale life and historical thrillers...

                                                   Fairy tale life with a side of suspense

HOLLYWOOD TIMES THREE!

      #1    In late July, I was happy to open an email that contained this exciting news.

HONORABLE MENTION 2017 in Genre Based Fiction
"THE OLD CAPE HOLLYWOOD SECRET" 

My third suspenseful historical fiction begins in 1947. Maggie Foster and her cousin, Gertie, leave Cape Cod for Hollywoodland in search of glamour and fame. One girl returns home and the other disappears. Present-day Nancy Caldwell travels to Hollywood, where she discovers the paths of Maggie and Gertie.

In "The Old Cape Hollywood Secret," Nancy's curiosity gets her into trouble again. Along the way, a missing ring and a pearl-studded pouch are mixed in with the search. Using alternating chapters, across seventy years, the tragic stories of two young girls unfold and a murderous secret is uncovered.

      #2    In late September, I was interviewed for Books and the World at Cape Cod Media Center. Here's a link for you to enjoy.

Books and the World

     #3    On the last day of September I received a fantastic 5 star review from Readers Favorite.

Reviewed by Dr. Oliva Dsouza for Readers' Favorite

The Old Cape Hollywood Secret by Barbara Eppich Struna is an edge of your seat thrilling murder mystery. Maggie Foster and her cousin, Gertie, leave their small town of Cape Cod to seek their fortune in Hollywoodland in 1947. One of the girls disappears, never to be heard from again until Jim, in the present day, happens to dig up a body that seems to have been buried for a long time. What happened to the young girls? How did they get mixed up in a rich man's story of a precious ring and a pearl-studded pouch? Are old photographs and a few leads enough to unravel the ugly truth? Will Nancy, who is an amateur when it comes to dealing with criminals, be able to put the pieces of the puzzle together?

What an enthralling read! The Old Cape Hollywood Secret by Barbara Eppich Struna had me hanging onto every single word and page from start to finish. The shift between the past and the present day scenarios is swift, smooth, and helps the reader in connecting the dots without actually guessing the entire plot. The connections and loose ends are beautifully tied up towards the end. The story gives an insight into what greed, power, and control are all about. The story covers a period of over fifty plus years, and sends a message that no criminal can commit the perfect crime and the dead can rise again to tell their stories. All the characters are perfectly fleshed out and, hopefully, we get to read more about Nancy and Stephen's new adventures. Awesome work!     

Three wonderful surprises and I am truly grateful.