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Necessary Evil
My name is Madeleine Warwick and I'm a woman under siege. Several years ago, a treasure hunting reality show resurrected the long-forgotten tale of Civil War treasure buried on my family's property. Ever since, amateur treasure hunters have been trespassing, invading our land. When their negligence cost my uncle his life, I forged a letter to disprove the treasure's existence. This stopped the hunters – but only for a time. Now they are coming back and, what’s worse, my secret has been discovered. Arrogant Professor Gregory Randall knows about the forged letter, and he can ruin me with one phone call. But he won’t – as long I let him stay on the property to search for the treasure himself. It isn't easy living in the same house as your blackmailer, and there's more to Randall than meets the eye. He’s convinced there’s something to find, and I’m starting to think he might be right. But even as we race to find the treasure first, the situation is becoming dangerous. Someone is determined to stop and they aren't afraid to use violence to do so. I’m running out of ideas, options, and time, and what’s worse, my blackmailer is the only one I can rely on. My first defense is the last man I can trust.
- GenresRomantic Suspense
355 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 10, 2015
48 people are currently reading
371 people want to read
About the author
Killarney Traynor
14 books216 followersKillarney Traynor is a New England-born novelist, writer, actor, bibliophile, martial artist, and history buff. A member of Authors Elite and American Christian Fiction Writers, she is the author of Summer Shadows and Necessary Evil.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 25, 2015
This is the best classic romance since Bogie met Bacall, wrapped around a sweeping, intense family saga that dates back to the Civil War. In NECESSARY EVIL, multitudes of trespassers create senseless tragedies as they invade a multi-generational family farm in search of its legendary buried treasure.
Caught in the middle is Madeleine Warwick, struggling heroically to hold family and farm together - and failing. Her life gets even more complicated when two competing historians arrive on the scene, vying for two prizes: the bragging rights of finding the treasure, and the chance to win Madeleine's heart - which is locked away inside the grief and mistrust she feels after too many losses and betrayals.
Yeah, there's a lot going on here, all of it beautifully connected, and that's part of the magic of this story.
But for this reader - constantly lamenting the absence of classic romance in cinema and literature - the real magic is in the chemistry between Madeleine and her competing historians. Joe Tremonti was Madeleine's first puppy-love crush, and she much prefers him to the arrogant, sometimes condescending, always overconfident Professor Greg Randall.
Heck, I preferred Joe, too. At first. But as Madeleine and Greg work together to decipher the clues that will finally resolve the mystery of the long-lost treasure, their relationship evolves from reciprocal dislike and disapproval (some of the verbal sparring is laugh-out-loud entertaining) to a deep mutual respect, to a friendship that could lead to something eternal. I was so hoping that Madeleine would choose Greg that I actually found myself silently cussing at Joe a few times.
But Killarney Traynor has a knack for throwing curveballs at her readers, and Necessary Evil is no exception to that talent.
This book is a five-star read on so many levels. For me, the pleasure of savoring a beautifully written classic romance - complete with mystery, intrigue, love, loss, and redemption - was an unexpected treat, and puts this novel at Number One on my "Best Reads of 2015" list. I can't recommend it highly enough.
Caught in the middle is Madeleine Warwick, struggling heroically to hold family and farm together - and failing. Her life gets even more complicated when two competing historians arrive on the scene, vying for two prizes: the bragging rights of finding the treasure, and the chance to win Madeleine's heart - which is locked away inside the grief and mistrust she feels after too many losses and betrayals.
Yeah, there's a lot going on here, all of it beautifully connected, and that's part of the magic of this story.
But for this reader - constantly lamenting the absence of classic romance in cinema and literature - the real magic is in the chemistry between Madeleine and her competing historians. Joe Tremonti was Madeleine's first puppy-love crush, and she much prefers him to the arrogant, sometimes condescending, always overconfident Professor Greg Randall.
Heck, I preferred Joe, too. At first. But as Madeleine and Greg work together to decipher the clues that will finally resolve the mystery of the long-lost treasure, their relationship evolves from reciprocal dislike and disapproval (some of the verbal sparring is laugh-out-loud entertaining) to a deep mutual respect, to a friendship that could lead to something eternal. I was so hoping that Madeleine would choose Greg that I actually found myself silently cussing at Joe a few times.
But Killarney Traynor has a knack for throwing curveballs at her readers, and Necessary Evil is no exception to that talent.
This book is a five-star read on so many levels. For me, the pleasure of savoring a beautifully written classic romance - complete with mystery, intrigue, love, loss, and redemption - was an unexpected treat, and puts this novel at Number One on my "Best Reads of 2015" list. I can't recommend it highly enough.
July 8, 2019
Review to follow.
October 14, 2016
3.5/5. What kept me from a full four was that the story could crawl few a few moments and there seemed to be many instances where the lead character should have asked about or spoken about something that would have saved some headaches, but didn't.
However, it is still a good book and a worthy read. A unique mix of contemporary, historical, mystery, and thriller, there are a lot of good elements tied up in a good story. The opening is slow, but not boring as it does set the stage for the rest of the book, and it mostly picks up the pace as the book goes on. I liked most of the characters and kept coming back, wondering what was next. Definitely worth your time.
However, it is still a good book and a worthy read. A unique mix of contemporary, historical, mystery, and thriller, there are a lot of good elements tied up in a good story. The opening is slow, but not boring as it does set the stage for the rest of the book, and it mostly picks up the pace as the book goes on. I liked most of the characters and kept coming back, wondering what was next. Definitely worth your time.
March 5, 2019
DNF at about 12% - I'm not comfortable with the MC reconnecting with her long-time crush, who's now married but going through a divorce. From the way things are going, I'm expecting that she may learn a lesson, but it's too close to the line for me to be comfortable with it.
March 12, 2016
Ok book, but more a romance than a mystery.
July 11, 2019
This review was first published on Kurt's Frontier.
Synopsis:
Several years ago, Maddie Warwick’s uncle was killed in an accident resulting from the negligence of amateur treasure hunters. With holes endangering her family’s horse farm, she forges a letter to disprove the existence of a Civil War treasure on her farm. Until now the treasure hunters have left her in peace. A mysterious Professor Gregory Randall has arrived with proof she forged the letter. Maddie is a phone call away from ruin. Her only recourse is to let the arrogant history professor stay on the property to search for the treasure himself. With an uneasy truce in place, she hopes her life will take on some semblance of normalcy. Then the treasure hunters return, even more aggressive and dangerous. Her blackmailer may be the only one she can trust.
Review:
Necessary Evil is a mystery set in rural New Hampshire. Maddie Warwick runs a horse farm, though it has hit hard times since her uncle’s death. His horse stepped in a treasure hunter’s hole and threw him. In desperation to make the treasure hunters leave her farm alone, she forges a letter to disprove the existence of the civil war treasure. Professor Gregor Randall shows up, threatening to expose her, and the treasure hunters don’t seem to have given up.
The story was hard to put down. It gives that rural New Hampshire feel and has the elements of mystery that make it hard to resist.
Synopsis:
Several years ago, Maddie Warwick’s uncle was killed in an accident resulting from the negligence of amateur treasure hunters. With holes endangering her family’s horse farm, she forges a letter to disprove the existence of a Civil War treasure on her farm. Until now the treasure hunters have left her in peace. A mysterious Professor Gregory Randall has arrived with proof she forged the letter. Maddie is a phone call away from ruin. Her only recourse is to let the arrogant history professor stay on the property to search for the treasure himself. With an uneasy truce in place, she hopes her life will take on some semblance of normalcy. Then the treasure hunters return, even more aggressive and dangerous. Her blackmailer may be the only one she can trust.
Review:
Necessary Evil is a mystery set in rural New Hampshire. Maddie Warwick runs a horse farm, though it has hit hard times since her uncle’s death. His horse stepped in a treasure hunter’s hole and threw him. In desperation to make the treasure hunters leave her farm alone, she forges a letter to disprove the existence of the civil war treasure. Professor Gregor Randall shows up, threatening to expose her, and the treasure hunters don’t seem to have given up.
The story was hard to put down. It gives that rural New Hampshire feel and has the elements of mystery that make it hard to resist.
June 10, 2019
The story was definitely intriguing and Traynor mostly pulls it off. The author has a habit of doing flashbacks without any warning so there were a couple of times I was confused. Also, Still, there was enough to keep me reading and Traynor does a good job of weaving all of the plotlines together.
September 29, 2019
Intruiging
A civil war mystery of missing treasure, a family name darkened because of the missing info and treasure... A murdered girl, accidents, code breaking of documents, and of course love... I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, the characters and insight to researching historical documents and treasure hunting! A nice read 😊
A civil war mystery of missing treasure, a family name darkened because of the missing info and treasure... A murdered girl, accidents, code breaking of documents, and of course love... I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, the characters and insight to researching historical documents and treasure hunting! A nice read 😊
March 1, 2023
Clean ,exciting ,mysterious. Well written. Good characters
. Will be glad to read more of your books with others. As Jeh
ovah's Witness we are always looking for clean reading material. Jw.org
. Will be glad to read more of your books with others. As Jeh
ovah's Witness we are always looking for clean reading material. Jw.org
June 5, 2019
Enjoyed this one immensely!
Great story, interesting characters and loved the story line. Couldn't put it down! Like her books a lot. Try one!
Great story, interesting characters and loved the story line. Couldn't put it down! Like her books a lot. Try one!
February 23, 2016
The Chase farm is not doing so well. The bills are mounting and the recurring accidents on the riding trails are not good for business. After all, who would want their child learning to ride at a stable where the riding trails were riddled with potholes?
Maddie is beside herself with worry. Her Uncle Michael was killed when his horse stepped into one of the holes at a full run. Now her best and only riding instructor has almost met a similar fate. Will the holes never stop appearing? The forged letter was supposed to insure a lack of interest in the possibility of treasure buried on Chase property, treasure from the Civil War era.
When Professor Randall appears, determined to find the treasure once and for all, Maddie is put in a difficult position: allow him to stay and conduct his research, or risk his revealing the truth about the forged letter. That's when complication intensifies and the man who years ago Maddie had a childhood crush on, drops back into her life and starts romancing her.
Killarney Traynor's "Necessary Evil" is a treasure hunt story with an interesting twist. She uses letters and diaries written from the Civil War era to help lead the sleuths on their search. These old writings help build a second story within the novel, bringing the characters of the past to life just as much as the characters in the present try to read between the lines to decode the underlying mystery.
This is a very compelling read. It's a real page-turner mystery with a little bit of everything, past and present, including a treasure hunt. Well done!
Reviewed for Reader's Favorite: https://readersfavorite.com
Maddie is beside herself with worry. Her Uncle Michael was killed when his horse stepped into one of the holes at a full run. Now her best and only riding instructor has almost met a similar fate. Will the holes never stop appearing? The forged letter was supposed to insure a lack of interest in the possibility of treasure buried on Chase property, treasure from the Civil War era.
When Professor Randall appears, determined to find the treasure once and for all, Maddie is put in a difficult position: allow him to stay and conduct his research, or risk his revealing the truth about the forged letter. That's when complication intensifies and the man who years ago Maddie had a childhood crush on, drops back into her life and starts romancing her.
Killarney Traynor's "Necessary Evil" is a treasure hunt story with an interesting twist. She uses letters and diaries written from the Civil War era to help lead the sleuths on their search. These old writings help build a second story within the novel, bringing the characters of the past to life just as much as the characters in the present try to read between the lines to decode the underlying mystery.
This is a very compelling read. It's a real page-turner mystery with a little bit of everything, past and present, including a treasure hunt. Well done!
Reviewed for Reader's Favorite: https://readersfavorite.com
January 17, 2016
I read this book in a weekend sitting. It was great to have the mix of horses and mystery and romance. The characters are GREAT. They really felt like their own different people, and that's hard to do. The middle was a little slow, but the beginning and ending kept me turning the pages. (SPOILER) I did enjoy that unexpected hate to love romance. I really wanted to hate Randall, and I couldn't figure out until the end if he was good or bad.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews