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Whispering Pines #1
The Beginning
Matt Veal, the owner of a small timber mill in Georgia, has vanished from family and friends without a trace. When his brother, Chuck, asks for help from local law enforcement, he instead gets a royal run around and cold reaction to his concerns. Unable to trust everything the local Sheriff is telling him, Chuck asks his love interest and co-worker, Gail, to daringly go with him to Georgia and start a search. When she surprisingly agrees to go and help, the two walk right into a hornet's nest of trouble. Everything from crooked land deals to the unsolved murder of his Grandfather almost a century earlier comes into play with each new clue dropping them deeper into unseen dangers.
With the help of Gail's psychic abilities, Chuck starts tracking clue one at his family's old Veal Cemetery, the last known place his brother had gone. From there the dominoes fall, tripping circuit breakers on all the wealthy in West Creek County. The crooked forces send out their army of "Cops in their pocket" fighters to meet the threat of exposure from Chuck's search, head on, and the rest of the story is breathless action to the conclusion.
Whispering Pines "The Beginning" is a rework and retitlled editon of Wells' first book, "Sand Hill Estates the Murders" originally published in 2009 by Aspen Mountain Press. If you've read Sand Hill then you'll want to skip this one and move on to book two of the Whispering Pines Series, "The Revenge." Otherwise, start here if you're looking for fast pasced and thrilling suspense with a southern flavor. Don't miss this 270 page anchor for the rest of the unpublished series. Available in both ebook and trade paperback print. (5.5 x 8.5)
With the help of Gail's psychic abilities, Chuck starts tracking clue one at his family's old Veal Cemetery, the last known place his brother had gone. From there the dominoes fall, tripping circuit breakers on all the wealthy in West Creek County. The crooked forces send out their army of "Cops in their pocket" fighters to meet the threat of exposure from Chuck's search, head on, and the rest of the story is breathless action to the conclusion.
Whispering Pines "The Beginning" is a rework and retitlled editon of Wells' first book, "Sand Hill Estates the Murders" originally published in 2009 by Aspen Mountain Press. If you've read Sand Hill then you'll want to skip this one and move on to book two of the Whispering Pines Series, "The Revenge." Otherwise, start here if you're looking for fast pasced and thrilling suspense with a southern flavor. Don't miss this 270 page anchor for the rest of the unpublished series. Available in both ebook and trade paperback print. (5.5 x 8.5)
275 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 3, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 6, 2012
Psychic Powers, Rattling Skeletons and Thrilling Action!
“The Beginning” opens with one of the best first chapters I have read in a long while. I found myself thinking: first five minutes of James Bond movie.
The story itself is very visual and evocative, and the characters deftly drawn. There is a dizzy mix of action, mystery, murder and psychic voodoo playing out against the background noise of family skeletons rattling loudly in the closet. You root for the good guys and hiss loudly at the bad guys. The action comes thick and fast and I found myself staying up until 1.30am to finish the book. Impossible to leave it alone for long once you’ve reached the mid-point - wife, kids or work notwithstanding.
I did find some formatting/typing issues in the text which a little more time in editing could have smoothed out, and (being a cynical Brit) would have liked to cut out some of the more homespun American dialogue. I found myself just wanting to get back to the action – of which there is a lot!
“The Beginning” is the first in Charles Wells’ mystery/thriller series “Whispering Pines”. Will I be reading the next in the series? As you US-types might say, “You betcha!”
“The Beginning” opens with one of the best first chapters I have read in a long while. I found myself thinking: first five minutes of James Bond movie.
The story itself is very visual and evocative, and the characters deftly drawn. There is a dizzy mix of action, mystery, murder and psychic voodoo playing out against the background noise of family skeletons rattling loudly in the closet. You root for the good guys and hiss loudly at the bad guys. The action comes thick and fast and I found myself staying up until 1.30am to finish the book. Impossible to leave it alone for long once you’ve reached the mid-point - wife, kids or work notwithstanding.
I did find some formatting/typing issues in the text which a little more time in editing could have smoothed out, and (being a cynical Brit) would have liked to cut out some of the more homespun American dialogue. I found myself just wanting to get back to the action – of which there is a lot!
“The Beginning” is the first in Charles Wells’ mystery/thriller series “Whispering Pines”. Will I be reading the next in the series? As you US-types might say, “You betcha!”
September 18, 2012
Kim Stapfs review, September 16, 2012
This review is from: The Beginning (Whispering Pines Book One) (Kindle Edition)
I gave four stars because there were editing problems and chapters were long. Mind you this is the authors first book. He has 8 more published. The story itself is riveting. Chuck whose from the south and owns half of a lumber mill with his brother Matt tries getting a hold of his brother only to find no answer. When he doesn't hear back from Matt who always lets him know where and how he is he gets suspicious. Chuck who's a journalist asked his coworker Gail to go with him to Goergia and see what has happened with his brother. Gail has special powers when she touches things she can see and feel things. She had a pizza delivered and got change back, in that change was this nickel that she gets visions from. Gail has no idea what these mean until Chuck tells her about Matt. Off to the south they go where they run into all kinds of trouble. There's drug trafficking and land stealing and grave robbing and revenge from way back. I totally recommend this book to anyone who loves a southern tale. It won't disappoint .
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February 6, 2013
I downloaded "The Beginning" (Whispering Pines Book One) as a freebie from Smashwords, and I'm so glad I did. Charles E. Wells' story is a fast moving suspenseful tale, steeped in the paranormal--my favorite kind.
Chuck Veal's brother is missing, and he and coworker/psychic Gail Synerson go looking for him. Skillfully written, the characters are realistic and diverse. Amid the intrigue of powerful small town families, the reader is taken through Georgia's backwoods, swamps, and even an overgrown cemetery.
I can't wait to read the other books in the series. I recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries.
Chuck Veal's brother is missing, and he and coworker/psychic Gail Synerson go looking for him. Skillfully written, the characters are realistic and diverse. Amid the intrigue of powerful small town families, the reader is taken through Georgia's backwoods, swamps, and even an overgrown cemetery.
I can't wait to read the other books in the series. I recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries.
May 13, 2013
Fun mystery, lovable characters. I grew up in south Georgia and north Florida and these folks in this books could be some of my kinfolk. The plot was so good that I found myself holding my breath toward the end. When even the sheriff is a criminal, where do you turn? You don't know what to expect next in this book. It has lots of good twists and turns and surprises. I love that. I look forward to reading more about these wonderful people.
May 23, 2013
I really enjoyed this well written story. The plot kept me intrigued from the get go and I relished the mystery and suspense.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews