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Reviewed by Liz Konkel for Readers' Favorite
Dreams of Truth by Allison Maruska is a Sonia James Paranormal Mystery. Sonia never expected her story to have a huge impact. Then she is contacted by a woman named Victoria who is in the middle of a similar experience: recurring nightmares where she’s thrown into water and drowning. These always have the same outcome. As Victoria becomes desperate to understand why such an excruciating death haunts her, she reaches out to Sonia for help. Sonia uses personal experience and investigative skills to uncover the truth behind the nightmares, which leads the two women to a cold case about two siblings who disappeared. They soon discover the horrific truth, putting them in the crosshairs of a killer who has gotten away with murder for decades.
The mystery weaves between two time periods, following two women as they investigate a cold case which is slowly revealed through flashbacks. This is a basis for a genuine friendship as the two work together to find the truth behind a cold case. The concept of women helping and supporting each other gives the mystery a heartfelt undertone that is always nice to see. Sonia’s experience helps Victoria deal with the trauma of these nightmares and together they pay it forward to help the family that has spent decades without answers. Allison Maruska formats the flashbacks as ordinary events. Nothing about these seems out of place or unusual until the eventual reveal of what happened. This is a heartbreaking way of showing how a normal day can quickly become horrific which almost feels like a cautionary tale. The mystery also shows how knowing what happens haunts a family and the relief that just getting answers - even horrible ones - can provide. The haunting of the nightmares is an interesting manifestation of how cold cases never go away for those involved. Incorporating heartbreaking themes about loss, cold cases, and the search for answers creates a genuine mystery at the heart of Dreams of Truth.
