Where the Sun Will Rise Tomorrow by Rashi Rohatgi

Where the Sun Will Rise Tomorrow. Rashi Rohatgi. Galaxy Galloper Press, LLC. March 2020. pb, 270 pp.; ISBN #: 9781733233293.

In 1905 Nash returns home to India after having spent time studying engineering in Japan, which has just won a war against Russia.  India is now feeling they will unite and so have Great Britain leave their country.  So it’s a time for protests and petitions to local and national politicians to win battles against segregation. Nash asks his fiancé Leela to get signatures for the petition ending segregation in Chadrapur’s local schools, Leela needs to take time to process such an action.  She is definitely for the old ways and somewhat up for change into new ways.  For now she is obsessed with her love for Nash and how his occasional kisses spark her love and desire for more.  She wonders how such changes will affect families.

Things, however, are complicated.  Nash and Leela are expected to marry and live in Nash’s small village.  Nash however now wants to become a lawyer and not an engineer.  Leela’s sister, Maya, has fallen in love with a Muslim, a union that would be forbidden and ostracized by their present neighbors.  Maya believes that such a change must happen along with all of the other changes that are hopefully looming in the near future.  Love to Maya is stronger than prejudice and segregation of religions.

There are multiple scenes where Leela, Maya and their father meet with Nash’s family.  During these visits, much is mentioned that gives Leela and Maya food for thought and discussion.  However, discussions never seem to resolve in a shared agreement about the future.  Leela and Maya read many books as they prepare to teach in a local school.  However, no one fully expects them to teach once they are married for social norms put marriage and becoming a parent over and above being a working woman. 

This is a novel about the journey to change.  Leela will commit an act at the end that totally changes her world and mandates she must embrace change even if she acts like it is all accidental and not part of a revolutionary plot.  Reference is made to Buddhism and the beginning teachings of Gandhi. 

Interesting historical read that contemplates how change demands different thought, feelings and actions in the midst of a traditional society.  Fascinating reading!

No Truth Left to Tell by Michael McAuliffe

No Truth Left to Tell. Michael McAuliffe. Greenleaf Book Group Press. March 2020. pb, 320 pp.; ISBN: 9781626346970.

Adrien Rush is a federal civil rights prosecutor and is called to investigate and prosecute the criminals responsible for burning crosses on the lawns of private and public citizens in Lynwood, Louisiana.  The Ku Klux Klan is responsible and is proud of their actions.  However, one elderly lady, Nettie Wynn, suffers a heart attack on the night of the attack on the front lawn of her home.  She lives in an area of Lynwood that is home to a predominance of people of color.

Rush and an experienced FBI investigator, Mercer, continue their work and after a local police detective brings in one of the responsible persons, they manage to have the perpetrator judged guilty by a grand jury.  Nettie’s nice and Rush hit it off but their relationship is about to become complicated by the crime’s process. 

What happens if the means by which evidence is obtained turns out to be tainted?  Does that mean the rights of the accused become more important than the commission of a crime?  Such is the dilemma posed in this tense, controversial plot. 

It will leave readers with many confusing and complex questions about justice’s processes and the results obtained.  Who or what is the victim of such civil rights crimes and violations?  Who deserves a “fair” trial?  How are rights protected and guaranteed?  What will it take for prejudice and civil rights crimes to be abolished forever?  When does the behavior of police become excusable or inexcusable?  How many innocent people are sitting in jail because of a perversion of justice?

Rush is a cop with integrity. It’s because of that sense of fairness that the simple plot becomes so fraught with problems that challenge his relationship with both the people in town and the families of victims.  There also seems to be a well-known tension between federal and civil authorities.  Everyone wants to be top man on the totem pole and somehow justice and fair play are in danger of being obliterated.

No Truth to Tell is a fascinating read that is sure to please those who love crime novels and the stories therein.  Nice writing, Michael McAuliffe!  Look forward to more of same!

Who Slays The Wicked? by Sebastian St. Cyr C. H. Harris

Who Slays the Wicked? – Sebastian St. Cyr. C. S. Harris. Penguin Publishing Group. April 2019. pb, 352 pp.; ISBN #: 9780399585654.

A very evil nobleman who is married to Sebastian’s niece, Stephanie.  This quickly turns into a “was” married when he is found murdered in the most foul manner possible.  Years ago, he was responsible for a string of murders of young boys.  Lord Ashworth has some deviant sexual habits and is a very nasty individual with a habit of not paying his bills and sneering at those who demand payment.  When Sebastian asks who would want Lord Ashworth dead, the answer is obviously anyone and everyone who knew him. Although this is the 14^th St. Cyr novel, it’s a stand-alone that’s so very well worth reading.

So does one go after the poor vagabond prostitutes in the neighborhood or the other noble lords and ladies in London, especially quite a few from Russia here to encourage and celebrate a wedding of their own arrangement?  All have a reason to hate Lord Ashworth’s dead or alive guts.  The size of a blood stain even suggests that a small woman committed the gruesome deed, maybe even his wife Stephanie whom the Lord had married only to get an heir or he would have been cut off from the family money. 

What’s most interesting about this novel are the potentially guilty characters who carry an obvious hatred of the dead victim but also have a coldness about them that wouldn’t think twice about killing a person.  Motives boil down to they would just plain like to do it and no you wouldn’t get a smile with that verbal admission.

There’s a double whammy message here about how the aristocracy couldn’t care less about the suffering and cruel circumstances of the poor beggars, prostitutes, and local ragpickers, of whatever age.  St. Cyr has an obvious caring heart and this makes him sensitive to the suffering around him, a trait his beloved wife also shares.

One also gets a good picture of the politics of the time.  Politicians are out for money and not the good of their constituents.  Covering up evil deeds is par for the course.

This is a grand read with plenty of rumors, hints, scandals, etc. for those trying to figure out the mystery before the main character does.  Fine crime novel that will keep you enraptured for hours and hours – enjoy and then go for the other St. Cyr novels – all masterfully crafted!