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Susan Tornga was raised in Tucson, an upbringing that fueled her love for the Arizona desert. Her new novel, Seashells in the Desert, is set in Winslow, Arizona in 1895. She dedicates this historical mystery to the women who endured countless hardships and risked so much to open the West for others.
Susan is a frequent contributor to the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series and the Patchwork Path anthologies. Her stories and articles have won awards from Women on Writing and Writers’ Weekly. Her short story, The Pink Pack, won second place in the international Wild Violet Writing Contest in 2009.
An ardent traveler, Susan has shared many of her adventures through the on-line travel magazine, InTheKnowTraveler.com.
She received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Arizona and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. She is an active member of Women Writing the West and Arizona Mystery Writers.
She currently resides in Oro Valley, Arizona with her husband, Mark. You can visit her website at www.susantornga.com.
Reviewed by Paul Johnson for Readers' Favorite
In the 1890s, Fred Harvey’s waitresses, the Harvey Girls, are an integral part of intercontinental train travel. Tessa Crane is attractive, hard working, independent and personifies the best of the Harvey Girls. Like so many others, her job is to welcome the passengers of the Santa Fe Railway several times each day as they travel to and from booming California. It is a simple and rewarding life until trouble disembarks one October day in 1895.
When a beautiful woman is found murdered, Tessa wonders why her close friend, Lupe Castillo, is so distraught. Her question is answered when Sheriff Jed Bowman leads a posse to find Lupe’s brother, Joaquin. Tessa firmly believes in Lupe and her brother and is determined to unravel the mystery. What they find is a story of secrets long buried, like the Seashells in the Desert. When the secrets are disclosed, innocent people may be hurt, but that may be the only way to bring a murderer to justice.
I have always been fond of historical fiction. This story is very well-written showing America right before the turn of the century. I would classify the plot to be a blend of cozy mystery along with the historical fiction, interesting but not overly complicated. There is enough detail to provide the reader with a look at what the “new” west was all about. The characterization is well done with several colorful characters from the cook and the sheriff to the widowed ranch owner. By blending them in with the main characters, the author was able to bring out an enjoyable story. Very good.
