I recently had the pleasure of reading an advance review copy of the mystery Mâtowak: Woman Who Cries (scheduled release date November 1st) by Joylene Nowell Butler, and will have the additional good fortune of hosting Butler this week as my guest author.
One of the interesting things about this novel is the team behind the publication and promotion. L. Diane Wolfe and Mason Canyon are two amazing women I met (virtually) through blogging. Both have created their own companies and are the forces behind Joylene Butler’s new release. Diane is the publisher, dba Dancing Lemur Press, LLC, and Mason is the literary publicist, dba MC Book Tours.
If that’s not enough recommendation for you to check out Butler’s blog tour posts (but start with mine here this week, of course) and sign up for her book giveaway, then let me tell you a little bit about Mâtowak: Woman Who Cries and see if it motivates you to hop right over to your favorite online book seller and order the book for yourself or for a gift. After all, we’ll be holiday shopping soon, right?
Mâtowak: Woman Who Cries is set in Canada. The novel is told from two points of view, a technique that worked well for building suspense. One POV character is RCMP Corporal Danny Killian who’s suffering from the as-yet unsolved murder of his wife, a case on which he’s not allowed to work. The second POV character is Sally Warner, the wife of murder victim Leland Warner who was a retired Minister of National Defense. Sally is the chief suspect, but there’s not a speck of evidence for Danny to use for an arrest. Sally is also suffering emotionally because her two adult sons died more than a year ago but the pain is fresh, as it would be for most mothers who outlive their children.
Joylene Nowell Butler builds suspense throughout the novel as she follows each of the characters through their routines and their emotional upheavals. Contemporary cultural issues such as suicide and ethnic prejudice are woven into the story without overwhelming the murder investigation. I was very close to the end of the novel before I felt I knew who the killer was, and I read the final chapters pretty fast to find out how the crime was committed. I’ll be giving this novel a solid 5 stars on Goodreads and Amazon.com.
Judi says
Love it! Sally is so someone you really want to know…
Gina says
This sounds like a great book!
L. Diane Wolfe says
Thank you again for reviewing it.
Mason and I are really working in partnership, both with this book and our next big release in February. We’re covering a lot of ground!
Alex J. Cavanaugh says
I know both of those ladies! (Obviously.) That’s awesome you enjoyed Joylene’s book so much.
Margot Kinberg says
This sounds like a great book, Pat! And I had no idea that Mason and Diane were behind it. I respect both of them,, so knowing they were involved is a real endorsement.
Maryann Miller says
This sounds like a terrific story and one that I would enjoy. So pleased to see that L.Diane and Mason have started those businesses. A lot of experience and expertise there.
Mason Canyon says
Pat, thank you for the lovely post and great shout out. I’m glad you enjoyed Joylene’s book. It does hold your attention from beginning to end.
Thoughts in Progress
and MC Book Tours