The Pen Pal

A West Virginia Mystery

Fiction - Mystery - Sleuth
178 Pages
Reviewed on 11/02/2023
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Vernita Naylor for Readers' Favorite

Shiloh Ray is young and new to the Alaska area. From the West Virginia area, she feels so alone with a new baby, no family, and friends and her husband has been deployed for a few months now. In dealing with postpartum depression and feelings of isolation, she begins having suicidal tendencies. This is when she decided to consult a therapist for her mental illness and signed up to become a pen pal. Once she began seeing the therapist and received her first pen pal letter from Penelope Young, her life was renewed. The Pen Pal: A West Virginia Mystery by Storm Young will keep the reader fully engaged all the way to the end. One of the rules as a pen pal was that you could only write letters and no other form of contact was allowed. Every week for months, Shiloh and Penelope would write to each other until one day Penelope’s letters stopped coming. Shiloh continued to write to Penelope but the letters were returned unopened. Shiloh had a gut feeling that Penelope was in trouble. But to find out what had happened to her best friend she must break the pen pal rule.

Storm Young did an excellent job of taking the reader on this journey. The story was fluid and well-written, like watching a movie. Just like me, the reader will be eager to help Shiloh try to solve the mystery. I enjoyed reading this book seated by a window on a cold day, curled up in my recliner and my blanket. The Pen Pal had me on the edge of my seat with the plot twists and turns. It was wonderful to see the beautiful bond and friendship being created between two women with similar lives and interests who lived miles away from each other. As the story shifted to menacing scenes, this kept me guessing throughout. Shiloh must get out of her comfort zone and travel to West Virginia to discover what happened to Penelope. She also must use her wits, and be brave during this journey. The reader will definitely not be disappointed in reading this book and will be shocked to discover what really happened and why. Get your copy today.