Belated Freshed Face Friday Featuring Time of Death by Ellis Vidler

Sorry for the belated post, but I figure better late than never.  Today, I am featuring Ellis Vidler and her book Time of Death.  This is a suspenseful intrigue with romance splashed between events.  Be sure to read my full review below.  Let’s welcome Ellis and her book Time of Death.

Book Blurb: (provided by www.ellisvidler.com)

While visiting near Charleston, South Carolina, an artist draws
scenes of murder she can’t explain.

Alex. The artist. After a tree falls on her house, she joins her aunt on an
unspoiled island, but something wakens her family psychic streak. She draws
eerily accurate scenes of violence, but she knows nothing about them.

Connor. The prosecutor. He’s building a case against a drug lord one piece of evidence at a time. For him it’s personal, and he can’t risk a relationship with a witness, especially a psychic who’ll blow his case out of the water.

Rollins. The killer. He’s a cog in a much bigger wheel, and the witness to his acts of
violence threatens his operation and his life. He’ll do anything to see that doesn’t happen.

Review:

Time of Death was a different type of book than I am used to reading.  There was a lot of intrigue and suspense that you might find with a James Patterson or David Balducci novel.  I would say a major difference was that Ellis added a romantic aspect that those other suspense/thriller writers don’t always include.  It added a nice dynamic.  I was even surprised there was a touch of paranormal to the story also.  Alex’s psychic ability adds a twist to the story.  Which in turn affects all aspects from the suspenseful car chase to the romantic relationship between her and Connor.  The story felt almost like a hodge podge of sorts.  Many different kinds of genres in just one story.  Not many authors can pull that off.  Ellis does.  Her dynamic story telling skills and skillful manipulation of the characters was excellent.  I enjoyed the Alex, Connor and Isobel.  Those three characters were very well-rounded and you could feel a real connections with them.  I would say that my only real criticism about this book would be the switching back and forth of the narrator.  It would see-saw between Alex, Connor and Rollins.  I truly believe the book would have been a bit smoother without that jumping around.  With the jumping around as a reader you’re not quite sure what to focus on.  I am personally not a big fan of more than two voices in a book so it was difficult for me sometimes.  But, overall this was an excellently written novel and i would recommend it for anyone who enjoys reading authors like James Patterson.

Author Bio: (provided by www.ellisvidler.com)

As a child in the South, Ellis spent long, hot days imagining herself an Indian or pioneer or musketeer. At night she (and her whole family) read. From Tarzan and D’Artagnan to Anne Shirley and Nancy Drew, she lived them all. No angst in her childhood. So what did she do as an adult? Write fiction, what else? She loves creating characters and making them do what she wants, but mostly they take off on their own and leave her hurrying to catch up.

All her stories have some degree of romance and a lot of suspense. Time of Death, a suspense novel about a psychic artist who sees too much, was released in November. And before that, Cold Comfort, her new romantic suspense. Her first book, published by Silver Dagger Mysteries, was Haunting Refrain. The second was The Peeper, a suspense novel co-authored with retired LEO Jim Christopher. (He’s a terrific storyteller!)

Ellis is an author, editor, and speaker. She grew up in North Alabama, studied English and art at All Saints College for Women, and thoroughly enjoyed studying creative writing under the great Scott Regan. She taught elements of fiction at a community college. Her home is now the South Carolina Piedmont with her husband and dogs.
Click here to contact Ellis.