Tag: Edita A. Petrick

The Byzantine Connection (Stella Hunter Mystery Series: Peacetaker: Book 3) by Edita A. Petrick

Publisher: Edita A. Petrick

Date of Publication: January 27th, 2016

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Series: Stella Hunter Mystery Series: Peacetaker

Ribbons of Death—Book 1 (review here)

The Harmony Scroll—Book 2 (review here)

The Byzantine Connection—Book 3

Arachne’s Challenge—Book 4

Doomsday Hand—Book 5

Seals of Eternity—Book 6

Purchase Links: Amazon | Alibris | Powells

Goodreads Synopsis:

In St. Hedwig’s Cathedral, Detroit, Carter witnesses the miracle of youth returned, and stigmata where none should be. The bleeding statue is no miracle: it is the embodiment of an ancient curse that draws people in by granting their deepest wishes—but at the price of serving an evil force, ultimately paid for with their lives.
In a race against time to get to the bottom of the mystery, Carter and Stella have only the words of old friend and priest Father Malvan to guide them—yet he is long gone, turned monster then to dust.

This book takes place a year or so after The Harmony Scroll ends. I was delighted to find out that Carter and Stella are a couple. Stella has trouble coming to terms with their relationship during the book. Their interactions during this book cracked me up.

They are sent on a mystery after Stella’s friend contacts them about a mysterious statue. The events become a race against time to stop a powerful lawyer from fulfilling a prophecy.

The action was insane. Throw in the mythological element, which got my heart pounding at some points.

The ending was unexpected, and its twist threw me for a loop. I should have seen it coming; I should have but didn’t.

Would recommend The Byzantine Connection to anyone over 16. There is violence and language but no sex.

The Harmony Scroll (Stella Hunter Mystery Series: Peacetaker: Book 2) by Edita A. Petrick

The Harmony Scroll (Peacetaker Series Book 2) by [Petrick, Edita A.]

Publisher:

Date of publication: May 27th, 2017

Genre: Thriller, Suspense, Mystery

Series: The Stella Hunter Mystery Series: Peacetaker

Ribbons of Death—Book 1 (review here)

The Harmony Scroll—Book 2

The Byzantine Connection—Book 3 (review here)

Arachne’s Challenge—Book 4

Doomsday Hand—Book 5

Seals of Eternity—Book 6

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | AbeBooks | Indigo | Kobo | BetterWorldBooks

Goodreads Synopsis:

Book 2 – Stella Hunter Mysteries
Stella Hunter’s adopted son was born with a curse. The curse lies dormant within him and the amulets that awaken it have been destroyed, but the curse is still a death sentence shadowing Gabriel’s life. Stella discovers Gabriel can be free of the curse forever. But the golden scroll holding the incantation that can free him was lost twelve hundred years ago. Now, knowing she can get her hands on the scroll, Stella will go to hell and back to save her son… and heaven help anyone who gets in her way!

This book starts about a year after Ribbons of Death ended. Carter undergoes plastic surgery to fix his face. While Carter is in rehab, he notices something off with a psychologist he is mandated to see. Then he hears that Gabriel and Stella were killed when their house exploded due to faulty wiring. He discovers more to these “deaths” than meets the eye. Stella and Gabe aren’t dead but are held hostage by sinister forces. After Carter frees them, they start on a multi-country jaunt to find the Harmony Scroll. A scroll that can get rid of Gabe’s Peacekeeper curse.

I did like this book. I loved that I got to see a softer side of Carter. I saw some of the romance hinted at in Ribbons of Death.

Stella and Gabe’s dynamic was great too. It evolved into a true mother/son dynamic. He even went from calling her Zee to Mom during the book.

I liked that instead of going all over the US, the characters were taken on a jaunt all over Europe this time. The violence seemed muted, almost. People still got killed, but it was through the police telling Stella and Carter.

The ending was anticlimactic. I thought I had missed something and had to reread the last chapters a few times before the “aha” moment.

I would recommend The Harmony Scrolls to anyone over 16. There is violence and language.

If you enjoyed reading The Harmony Scrolls, then you will enjoy reading these books:

Ribbons of Death (Stella Hunter Mystery Series: Peacetaker: Book 1) by Edita A. Petrick

Ribbons of Death (Peacetaker Series Book 1) by [Petrick, Edita A.]

Publisher: Edita A. Petrick

Date of Publication: May 23rd, 2017

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Action, Suspense, Fiction

Series: Stella Hunter Mystery Series: Peacetaker

Ribbons of Death—Book 1

The Harmony Scroll—Book 2 (review here)

The Byzantine Connection—Book 3 (review here)

Arachne’s Challenge—Book 4

Doomsday Hand—Book 5

Seals of Eternity—Book 6

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | AbeBooks | Indigo | Kobo

Goodreads Synopsis:

A career soldier who survived a deadly riot in Cairo, and a reclusive mythology expert from Montana, race against time to find the product of legends that’s cutting a bloody path across the continent.
***
One snowy evening, a stranger with a horribly scarred face stomps on the porch of Stella Hunter’s house, holding her latest book of myths and legends. He points to the bloody fingerprints of the book’s now deceased owner, marking a passage of the Peacetaker myth. When she asks how he came by the book, he tells her he took the controversial book from the lifeless hand of a traffic fatality in Cairo. And suddenly, Stella could swear that somewhere a clock started ticking down to doomsday. After all, the fate of humanity depends on whether she was right or wrong when she wrote her infamous book.

This book had a slow start. For the first few chapters, I didn’t know where the author would go with it. After the carnage of the demonstration and meeting Agent Carter, it more than delivered.

Carter was a mysterious person, and I learned about his background throughout the book.

Stella Hunter wasn’t mysterious. What you see is what you get with her. I love that she is ditzy, super smart, and not afraid to punch someone if needed.

The author also made no qualms about naming the bad guys in this book. She comes right out in the first two chapters and names them. The rest of the book is dedicated to finding The Peacemaker and his handler. And, of course, having Stella and Carter outwit the bad guy’s minions. Loved it!!

There was a slight romantic connection between Carter and Stella. No sex or anything but something deeper. I can’t wait to see if the author decides if they will be linked in the upcoming books!!

The ending was great, but it wasn’t what I expected. It did pave the way for the next book.

I would recommend Ribbons of Death to anyone over 16. There is language and violence, but no sex.

If you enjoyed reading Ribbons of Death, you will enjoy reading these books: