Red Tape


Fiction - Mystery - Sleuth
270 Pages
Reviewed on 04/22/2013
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Michele Lynn Seigfried is an award-winning novelist, children’s author/illustrator and public speaker who was born and raised in New Jersey. In her debut novel, Red Tape, she draws from her personal expertise in the area of municipal government, in which she has served for over 15 years in two different municipalities. She holds a B.A. in communication from the College of New Jersey with a minor in art. She obtained the Master Municipal Clerk certification from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks in 2010. She also holds the Registered Municipal Clerk certification and Certified Municipal Registrar Certifications from the State of New Jersey. Her upcoming mystery novel, Tax Cut (book 2 in the Jersey Shore Mysteries Series), will be available in early 2014.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Shweta Shankar for Readers' Favorite

"Red Tape" is a tale of love, loss, human tragedy and above all, the human spirit enduring in the face of catastrophe! Chelsey Alton is a single mom who has to balance a baby girl, family and work as a municipal clerk in the cozy, relaxed town of Sunshine. Soon Chelsey finds herself broiled in one controversy after another. Maybe Sunshine is not that cozy after all! Chelsey and her assistant Bonnie are soon caught between an irate, unbalanced resident and a sinister, deadly mayor! Everything turns upside down when Sunshine is hit by a powerful cyclone that leaves massive destruction in its wake! Is there anyone Chelsey Alton can still turn to for help anymore?

Michele Lynn Seigfried has woven a tale that evokes a range of emotions in the reader: admiration for protagonist Chelsey Alton's personality, fear for her life, suspense about the evil Mayor's scheming and sadness at the ravaged town of Sunshine in the aftermath of a killer cyclone. The author's style is fast and riveting and holds the reader's interest throughout the book. The plot develops well, building up the suspense until the reader is hooked! It is a gripping, gritty novel that leads the reader through a maze of events and emotions, electrifying drama in one page to love and compassion in the next! This book is a compelling page turner that revolves around a single mom's difficult journey through a natural calamity and, worse still, an unreasonable, insane resident with murder on his mind - Chelsey's murder!