Every Why

by Shirley Ford

Six Women. A mysterious invitation. Their lives will be changed forever if they accept. Why have these women been chosen to stay in a Scottish Castle? Will it become a holiday of a lifetime, or four weeks fraught with problems for which the women struggle to find answers?The book deals with relationships. Put together Angus McPhail, the Laird of Dunnbray; six women, of all ages and different backgrounds; an estate manager and a housekeeper, and you have an explosive mix.There are so many questions. Why are the gates kept locked? Why is there no access to one half of the castle? Susan, the main character struggles to find the answers.A twist at the end forces a revelation, but there is still one intriguing question waiting to be answered.Every Why has a Wherefore

Genres: Mystery, Contemporary, Fiction

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 21, 2012

Reviews

[bex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did really enjoy the story and liked the characters. Unfortunately, accepting the risk that I begin sounding like a broken record, it desperately needs proper editing.

A good start would be a basic proofread to clean up the lacking quotation marks, the wrong halves of "smart" quotes, and other similar issues that frequently require the reader to break out of the story and decipher the author's intention.

I find that the author has a lyrical writing style, but at least some semblance of proper grammar and the elimination of the worst of the overabundent run-ons would significantly improve my reading pleasure. It doesn't matter how nice the wording sounds if I have to reread it several times to figure out what it actually means or if I have lost track before the sentence ends.

Beyond that, there were several small bugs that could be cleaned up by a half decent editor.

Something about this book enabled me to forgive, at least to some extent, these flaws. However the ending did not feel like and ending at all. I have no problem with the book having a sequel. I actually want one to see how things work out. But a book ought to be able to stand on its own and feel complete. This book did not achieve that. The non-ending left me frustrated.

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. A really intriguing tale. Six women are sent letters offering them a free holiday of a lifetime in a Scottish castle. None know the other apart from Susan and her mother Phyllis who both get a letter. Will all of them accept or not and what is the mystery alluded to in the letters ? Not sure I'd go as I'd not believe it, to be honest !! It was a terrific story and there promises a sequel at the end which is still to be written but I hope to read too. It was nice to "meet" the women and know all their back stories along with the staff at the castle as well. It was very well told and related.
There were quite a few apostrophe errors and some odd spellings to contend with here and there but thankfully none too offputting.

[Lucy McCoskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm frustrated that the sequel's not out yet. this is a sign of a captivating book.

[Maria Wilkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story.....but left hanging at the end

I loved the book it ended up a feel good story....but was racing to the end of the book and was then disappointed to find out I had to read the next book. It mention nothing about being one of two.....and I struggle with follow ons due to my cognitive defrost

[Sandi Whipple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though there were a few grammatical errors, I judge a book by the story and how it piques my interest. I have never read a book that didn’t have at least one or two grammatical errors, including my own. Unlike some, enough said on that subject.

Re: the book, well who would turn down a four week long holiday at a castle in Scotland? Well, the six women in this book didn’t. I find it difficult to believe that six women would accept it though, without knowing why, by whom, and what was involved. Once they arrive at the castle, they’re locked in with no way to contact the outside world. The plan, experience, and outcome for each of them is different.

The story held my interest, and I thought it was very creative. It isn’t easy to describe six different personalities and six different backgrounds of six different women without becoming repetitive, but the author not only managed it, but she managed it quite nicely.

It was way too obvious at the end (there really wasn’t an end that I could see), that the author is either considering a sequel or has left many readers deceived in that area.

[Alison Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Six women all receive mysterious invitations to attend a four week long holiday at a castle in Scotland. They are cut off from the rest of the world. Property gates are locked, there is not any cellphone signal nor is there a house phone. A story about why these women were choosen and what they were choosen for. They all have huge decisions to make. I did enjoy it.

[Maureen Vincent-Northam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Six woman from a variety of backgrounds are sent a mystifying invitation to a large house in Scotland. Thinking they’re getting a holiday, the benefactor has other plans, and a few surprises for them. An unusual story with a good twist or two.