Travel to Halifax with Joan Mauch. September 1, 2013

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
With Joan Mauch as your travel guide, you'll see a different side of Nova Scotia: the dark side. Following heroine Ellie Hurley's sightseeing itinerary,I raced through this fast paced read.The author pauses here and there, to describe some of the locations worth visiting and set the mood for Ellie's adventure. Otherwise, the plot speeds along like a race car heading down a narrow, winding road on the side of a steep mountain.
Emotionally abused by her family, stuck in a job where no one respects her, Ellie's transformation begins when she shoots a mass murderer and becomes a hero. As a result of this traumatic event, she struggles with a growing temptation to use violence as an effective way to solve problems. Because she's afraid she'll strangle her annoying mother or self absorbed sister, Ellie eventually packs up her car and leaves town, heading North. Like Cinderella, she finds romance and adventure. Unlike Cinderella, she also finds sex and violence. Load this ebook into your Kindle and you'll be staying up past midnight just to find out what happens next.

Kept me up past midnight--and worth it! April 13, 2013

I am very picky when it comes to fiction. If it doesn't grab me, I stop reading. "Halifax" kept me up till the wee hours, and I finished it in two nights.

Eleanor is thrown into a tough situation where she shines, and after many years of degradation and fear starts to realize she can be more than she has been. I loved this story of a woman coming into her own power. I'm very much looking forward to Ms. Mauch's next novel.

Mauch Mystery Keeps Reader Guessing April 22, 2013

Halifax, a novel by Iowan author Joan Mauch, presents a mystery with a unique premise. In the wake of the Newtown tragedy, Halifax examines how one's heroic action prevents a similar loss of life, and also, how that individual's own life changes by an instinctual act of courage.

Halifax, published by Whiskey Creek Press, is the story of Ellie Hurley, a meek, 40-year-old woman far more comfortable in the background of life, rather than as a featured player. Yet when Ellie witnesses a senseless loss of life it is her subsequent unexpected violent response that saves the lives of several children. But that necessity to embrace violence to save others also opens Ellie to the power, and danger, that her own capacity for violence may present.

One of the treasures of Halifax is its plotting. Mauch, who has balanced a career in marketing and public relations with mystery writing, has created in Halifax a novel in
which expected outcomes do not arrive, and no red herrings are offered to divert the reader.

Like Ellie, the other primary characters of Halifax are individuals who have been affected by violence in ways that have guided their lives, bringing each to Nova Scotia
for the unexpected resolution of Mauch's novel.

As novelist and short story writer Flannery O'Connor once shared "a good man is hard is find." A good mystery is equally as elusive. And as readers turn the pages of Halifax it is encouraging to know more mysteries by Joan Mauch are yet to come

Twist :), July 19, 2013

I read the book on my kindle and I loved it. I spoke with the author (my great-aunt)in the middle of my reading about how fun it is. It is a bit twisted but I enjoy the ending. Great and easy read!!

Page Turner, May 29, 2013

A friend sent me this book and said, please just read the first chapter. I did. Then I read the second, and before I knew it the book was over--I couldn't put it down! If you're in the mood for a page turner, this is absolutely the book you want. It's short (300+ pages), has a good story and is, for the most part, very well written.

The main character, Ellie, is a meek and downtrodden 40-hr-old woman whose life is dull, circumscribed and pretty miserable. She lives with a harridan of a mother who never misses a chance to put her down or to compare her with her very attractive older sister. Virtually everyone treats her like S*** . Then one day she saves a group of children from a gunman--by shooting him with his own gun (yes, it's written to be believable) and this opens up a whole new world of self-understanding and discovery. One discovery is that she might be fully capable of killing the people who are making her life miserable. This leads her to leave home and journey to...well, where do you think? The title of the book is "Halifax"! There she finds friendship, love, betrayal, has sex for the first time and almost kills again.

The descriptions of Halifax are wonderful and make me want to go there. The writing style is simple but not simplistic, and best of all it flows very well. I highly recommend this book.

Great read! March 18, 2013

I really enjoyed this novel by Joan Mauch! It kept my interest from the beginning to the surprise ending. I highly recommend it.

"Halifax" February 16, 2013

Halifax is a worthwhile read. It kept my interest throughout the entire book. The twists and turns led to a very surprising ending. Loved it and would recommend it to anyone who likes mystery with a touch of romance.

Great read! February 14, 2013

Halifax is a great read. You immediately start rooting for the main character Ellie, which propels you through the book, wanting to know if she ever overcomes her inner demons. This suspenseful thriller entertains you through the twists and turns of Ellie's inner search for what makes her tick.

Miss Mauch's prose is lyrical and lays bear the human condition. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who wants to sit down to an intellectual read.

HALIFAX is a hell of a book. January 8, 2013

HALIFAX by Joan Mauch is a sojourn of discovery spanning two countries from sunny Florida to eastern Canada. This is Joan Mauch's debut novel and she begins her novel writing with such an impressive piece of work. Highly, Highly recommended.

What a great mystery! April 22, 2013

I could not put this book down. It keeps you guessing until the very end. I recommend it for anyone who likes great mysteries.