Truth Be Told

Thanks to NetGalley and Tyndale House Publishers for a digital advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own. This is the third in the Annalee Spain Mystery series, and I have read the other two. You could easily start with this one. But you’ll also want to go back and read the first two because they’re all great, as “Raybon writes at the daring intersection of faith and race.” The murder mysteries feature Annalee Spain, a young Black woman in the racially hostile environment of 1920s Denver, CO. She tries to fight crime and solve murders “because victims deserve it.” She feels responsible to expose “misadventures so wronged people wouldn’t be simply dead and gone, and then forgotten.” In addition to a variety of expressive characters that help to create the circumstances with realistic emotions, award-winning author Raybon delivers a well-researched historical setting that made me feel I was right in the middle of 1920s Denver. The racial tension reminded me of “The Invention of Wings” and “The Help,” even though all three novels take place in different time periods. In this novel each chapter begins with a quote from Sherlock Holmes, Annalee’s role model. And the themes of flowers and missing mothers are woven into the story along with secrets, romance, and lies. One aspect that takes this mystery a notch above is the theme of faith. Many of the characters have an authentic spiritual belief that brings a satisfying depth to the story. This was a real page-turner for me, and I was sorry when the story came to an end. I’m looking forward to Annalee’s next adventure.