Dream Killer
By
Mike Baldwin
Genre: Mystery
Book Description
To fulfill her friend’s dream, legendary sports agent
Veronica Townsend has constructed a kids’ summer camp where baseball hero John
Jensen was raised on a farm in Burlington, Kansas. Camp Dream Catcher, though,
is in danger of shutting down after a lifeguard is murdered. With cancellations
pouring in, Veronica must solve the mystery in a desperate attempt to keep the
camp open.
Veronica adores her loyal assistant, Missy Sykes, the camp’s bookkeeper,
a lonely, single woman born and raised in Queens. Missy is committed to
assisting her boss in an attempt to keep open a camp that awards “free
scholarships” to inner-city kids that normally couldn’t afford the fee.
Ashley Webb, the camp’s co-director, has taken a sabbatical from
her job in Omaha to oversee the camp’s day-to-day operations. Since evidence
reveals the killer most likely is on the camp’s staff, Ashley is concerned
Veronica is in denial the camp needs to shut down until law enforcement
officials uncover the person responsible for shooting the handsome lifeguard.
Reggie Gordon, the camp’s other co-director, is a former African
American Major League Baseball star, who vows to help Veronica. Because he grew
up in the projects in Chicago, Reggie sees the benefits of a camp that caters
to inner-city kids.
When additional problems surface, it appears Veronica has no
choice but to shut down the camp, in part because she made some risky financial
decisions to open ahead of schedule. Veronica, though, is resolute the camp
will not shut down so she can honor John Jensen, “the kindest man I’ve ever
met.”
My Review
This novel is set in a camp for children with mostly
teen/young adult counselors. I enjoyed the history behind the camp’s set-up and
inspiration. After the author sets up the vibe of the book for readers, he
includes a perplexing murder of one of the camp’s lifeguards.
There are a lot of characters, so this is a read to take
your time with to fully understand and enjoy. Each character comes with their
own in-depth background. I could definitely see Mr. Baldwin creating a number
of spin-off books from these characters.
I liked how descriptive the author was in describing both
the characters and setting. It was easy for me to visualize the story as I
followed along. The author also includes
some heavy topics in his book which I think are important for young adult/new
adult readers to have in their stories because they are true to the current
times we are living in. Looking forward to more from Mr. Baldwin!
Author
Bio
A
former sportswriter, Mike Baldwin has transitioned to becoming a full-time
novelist who specialists in mysteries that feature female lead characters;
classic whodunits that appeal to mystery fans of all ages and gender.
His
niche is fast-paced stories about dynamic female lead characters involved in
plots packed with twists and turns, capped by surprise endings. Sprinkling in
humor, Mike injects thought-provoking elements to introduce readers to new
experiences while they’re being entertained by a fun story.
Mike’s
favorite author is John Grisham because of his unique storytelling skills. He
enjoys a well-written mystery whether it’s a page-turning novel or TV shows
like Law & Order, Monk, Cold Case and Major Crimes.
His favorite current series is “Suits,” simply because of the crisp,
engaging dialogue. Mike’s only pet peeve is he believes many quality TV shows
and commercials feature outstanding writing that rarely get the attention it
deserves.
During
his newspaper career, Mike covered Super Bowls and Final Fours, interviewed
countless Hall of Fame athletes and coaches and was blessed his career allowed
him to see the country. He attended games in 80 of the 90 NFL stadiums, NBA
arenas and Major League Baseball stadiums, plus visited more than fifty college
campuses.
The
highlight of his career was when he wrote daily stories as a beat writer
for The Oklahoman, the Oklahoma City newspaper. For seven years, he
covered owner Jerry Jones’ team during the Barry Switzer era when the Cowboys
were led by future NFL Hall of Famers Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin
and Deion Sanders.
Mike
was humbled and honored last year when he was inducted into the Oklahoma
Christian University Sports Hall of Fame (class of 2015).
DREAM
KILLER eBook can be purchased at the following:
Amazon: http://ow.ly/WrBxQ
Barnes
and Noble (Nook): http://ow.ly/WrBzp
Apple
(iTunes, iBooks): http://ow.ly/WrBB9
Goodreads
link: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/49480134-mike-baldwin
Find the Author
Online:
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/BeatBaldwin
Website: http://mikebaldwinbooks.com/
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