Second Wind


Fiction - Mystery - General
318 Pages
Reviewed on 12/18/2019
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Sherri Fulmer Moorer for Readers' Favorite

Laurel McDowell is ready to start over. After a violent altercation with her fiance, she loads up her car with her cat and a few meager belongings, sells her engagement ring, and heads home from Seattle to her family home in Big Sur. It doesn't take long for her to meet Jake Carlson, a forensic accountant with the FBI, and find a job with an art gallery in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Things are on track for her to return to her dream of being an artist, except her ex-fiance comes back, demanding that she return a flash drive that he hid in her belongings. Soon after that, he washes up dead on Carmel Beach, leaving Jake, her best friend, and her employers confused and fearful that the life she left behind is catching up with her. Second Wind by Alison Henderson is a thrilling adventure that will keep you turning pages well past your bedtime.

One thing I particularly enjoyed about Second Wind is that it's a well-balanced novel. It has just the right mixture of intriguing characters, mystery, suspense, and romance to keep most readers engaged with the thrilling plot, without leaning too heavily in one area. I really admire how Laurel shows such strength and gumption to step out and recreate her life, despite repeated efforts by her ex-fiance and his associates to reel her back in. I also like the strong thread of family in this book, and how Laurel's mother and sisters take an active role in her life without being overbearing or intrusive. Alison Henderson does a great job of creating a compelling, intriguing mystery with enough real-life elements to make you believe these could be your own friends and neighbors. An excellent novel that I highly recommend!