Exposing A Lethal Past: A Cozy Mystery Book

by Cynthia Raye

In the small town of New Hope, everything is expected to be in order, with the colossal mansions and the humble houses seemingly coexisting in harmony. When you take a closer look though, and try to see through the lines, you will only feel the secrets that keep the town divided. Alyssa Mancini, a renowned artist who has spent the past years perfecting her craft, just like her hometown, looks like she leads a charming life on the surface. When she has to return to New Hope to help take care of her ailing father, she is excited to be secretly working on a business deal that will improve the lives of the town's residents and starting her life from scratch. Unbeknown to everyone however, on the inside, Alyssa is haunted by a past that she has been running away from for over a decade.Alyssa might be determined to make amends for what happened, but before she manages to, her ambitions are suddenly blocked by a tragic revelation. Her new beginning is irreversibly stained by the gruesome discovery of a dead body in the basement of the mansion she bought and the news hit the town like thunder. Her taciturn behaviour makes her look suspicious right away, and to make matters more complicated, old wounds immediately resurface when it is revealed that she has a special connection to the victim. With all eyes on her, she finds herself trapped at the heart of a biased police investigation, and has no choice but to take matters into her own hands. How will she ever be able to defend herself when every finger points at her? Will she manage to disprove every piece of evidence against her?Joined by old friends who are determined to help prove her innocence, she enters a vicious circle where the harder she fights for the truth, the more apparent it becomes that she's got plenty of enemies too. Enemies that will not stop until they see her fail or take the blame. Things look even worse when Alyssa realizes that someone is actively planting evidence to get her arrested. Will she lose all hope before she reveals the truth in time? Or will her own memories of what happened all those years ago prove to be her downfall?"Exposing A Lethal Past" is an intriguing cozy mystery novel of approximately 60,000 words. No cliffhangers, just pure captivating mystery.

380 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 25, 2021

Reviews

[Vicki Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a gripping story. This book will pull you in and keep you reading through the extended epilogue. This story of Alyssa, her family Ricky & Mario, and her first love Colton will touch your heart. The storyline is very well written and staged perfectly. The overall story and whodoneit was a surprise when I did figure it out, but then it seemed so obvious. Great characters to fill each and every role. I do recommend this cozy mystery with a sweet romance.

I received an ARC copy of this book. This is my voluntary, honest and completely personal review.
VICKI FROM WYOMING

[Patricia H. Phelps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alyssa Solves the Murder of Her Teenage Boyfriend

Alyssa and Colton were together for two years. They loved each other deeply and had made plans to go to the same college. Then she received a scholarship from an institute in Italy and she broke up with him, thinking he would study architecture as he had planned. She became a great artist. After 15 years, she returns home to find that Colton had disappeared the night she left for Italy. She sets out to find out what happened. This story draws in the reader and makes one feel her pain.

[Gwen Hight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exposing A Lethal Past A Cozy Mystery Book

Cynthia has written another very good mystery story about a young woman that returned home after being gone for fifteen years buys a house and the body of the man is found and she is the prime suspect The characters are strong and the extended epilogue completes the story with the characters finding love and happiness and achieving goals I enjoyed reading very much

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful mystery.
A great storyline in this mystery and I found it to be a splendid piece. I was touched by Colton and Alyssa's story. I loved how it twisted so right up to the end and then the punch line and you wonder why you did not see it right in the beginning. Awesome job of writing and high praise for this critter I really hope you check it out.

[Tam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast-paced, suspenseful read, that I found I did not want to put down! The story was original and exciting with characters that were realistic and likable. It is everything you could want in a delightful whodunit that keeps you guessing.

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good storyline

It was a good read, but found it a little draggy in some areas of the story where she kept going over in her mind about the last night with Colton. There were a lot of typos in the storyline that I thought could have been discovered by a good proof reader. That being said, it was a good read and would recommend it.

[Margie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m sure Alyssa wondered why she had ever returned home, such hatred, mistrust, and then a skeleton. Cynthia Raye always manages to give us so many viable suspects. I enjoyed considering each character and whether they were the guilty party. A good story to cozy up with.

[Vi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The chance to study art in France. It should have been the happiest of times for Alyssa; it was and wasn't. Returning home a success, years later, wasn't a happy affair, either. Not enough serious suspects. A good cozy mystery. 3 1/2 stars.

[Ferne Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure in the beginning if I would like this book, but it eventually got better. The story is really good and makes you want to get to the end. I like the way the author throws suspicions on a character qnd you think you have it figured out. The end is a shocker. Good character development.

[Marilynn Marvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clean suspense

I have enjoyed getting involved in this and other stories by this author. I look forward to reading more. Any reader looking for a good, clean read will like this.

[Sharmani Jayaram · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book. It is hard to guess the murderer till the end.

[Jettiep Parrish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reading

I guessed wrong when i thought that i knew who the guilty person was in this book. Ive become a fan of Cynthia Raye.