Deadly Declarations by Landis Wade

Release: April 1, 2022
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Lystra Books & Literary Services, LLC
Source: Suzyapproved Book Tours
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N

It’s modern day in the New South City of Charlotte, North Carolina. Here three retirees at the Independence Retirement Community, a/k/a The Indie, team up to investigate two mysteries related to the death of a 96-year-old resident. Why was his manuscript about the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence missing when they found his body? And why did his handwritten will dated the day he died disinherit his beloved granddaughter (his only heir)? And why leave his $50 million fortune to Sue Ellen Parker, the most despised resident at the Indie?

At the urging of Chuck Yeager Alexander, an optimistic soul who loves historical conspiracies, and Harriet Keaton, a former businesswoman with an extreme dislike of Sue Ellen Parker, Craig Travail, a trial lawyer recently ousted from his law firm after 40 years, reluctantly goes to court to challenge the dead man’s will for the granddaughter. This decision sets in motion a series of dangerous events that could lead the threesome to discover the answer to a colonial mystery that has evaded historians for more than two centuries.

About the Author:

Author and host of Charlotte Readers Podcast, Landis Wade, is a recovering trial lawyer . Also he encourages authors to read and talk about their award- winning, published and emerging works. As an active participant in the NC writing community, his goal is to use the medium of podcasting to build a community of readers and writers . And here the authors give voice to their written words. The first episode of Charlotte Readers Podcast became available in fall, 2018, and Landis has been sharing literary gems with readers on a global scale ever since.

Landis is the author of an award-winning Christmas trilogy that includes the following titles: The Christmas Heist, The Legally Binding Christmas, and The Christmas Redemption, which won the 2018 Holiday category of the 12th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards and was the 2018 Holiday category Honorable Mention in the 10th Annual Readers’ Favorite Awards. To learn more about Landis, his books, and the podcast: https://landiswade.com/Direct sign-up to Landis Wade Author newsletter http://eepurl.com/hNr8Cj

Deadly Declarations Review:

“Deadly Declarations” is a beautiful historical, legal mystery thriller that hooked me to the plot, and I couldn’t put it down.

What stood out for me about this story is how my feelings towards the characters changed while reading it. For instance, in the beginning, I was not too fond of Sue Ellen Parker for how she annoyed Harriet. But, Sue Ellen became one of my favorites moving on. Similarly, Yeager was my favorite character because of his flaky, eccentric ways, but he also showed depth in so many scenes. The author did a great job of surprising me with my emotions toward the cast.

Secondly, I loved the mystery of Matthew’s death and the historical references to the Meck Dec. The author blends facts with fiction so well that, even though I had never heard of the Meck Dec, I was curious to research it after reading. I am glad the author also summarized the same in the Afterward to save me time. It was fascinating just imagining the political repercussions that would have happened with the Declaration at the time.

Thirdly, I loved the legal aspect of the story. The trial scenes had me on the edge of my seat, and I was rooting for Craig. Craig has to fight a case where it feels he doesn’t stand a chance, and in every part, he faces an emotional challenge that he has to fight. I loved the scenes where, even though Craig doesn’t have the energy to fight, he has firm friends who will lift him when he is down. The author beautifully brings a sense of community to the story.

Overall, I loved everything about this Indie Mystery and cannot wait to see how the author continues the series.