This murder-mystery-romance was super captivating. It takes place in post-WWII upper-state New York and has an intriguing premise. The characters are Evelyn Hampton and Gary Redhawk, a bi-racial couple (white girl, American Indian boy) in a time when that was not acceptable. Gary has an uphill battle to climb in society. Indians were looked down upon as lazy, no-good drunkards. But Evie sees Gary’s strengths--his love for her, his intellect, hard work, and his respect. He’s a war veteran and a POW who’s endured a lot and has many demons she knows nothing about..…until the mystery and horror unravels. Evelyn’s father is found murdered in his house. Doubt and circumstantial evidence stacks up against Gary. He’s thrown in jail, which freaks him out because he has PTSD and can’t stand to be behind bars and bullied by the biased police. Evelyn determines to prove his innocence, but as she works to establish his alibi, weird, scary things keep happening. It seems as if someone wants Evelyn dead. Or Gary. Or both. Why?

This book kept me guessing clear to the end. The mystery was fantastic. I loved it. Each side character introduced seemed like a reasonable suspect. As the plot thickened, I didn’t know who-dun-it! But the mystery wasn’t the only thing I loved. The characterization was phenomenal. The author delved deep into Evelyn’s and Gary’s lives to flesh them out into believable and heart-tugging characters that stuck in my heart long after the story ended. Gary’s Indian background was explored, and I loved the theme of how biased Americans were to Indians in the first half of the century. I learned a lot from the background history details. Gary’s demons and pain became mine; I agonized with him as he strove to rise above them. The prose was beautiful as well. So many powerful quotes and passages that I wanted to outline. I also loved the romance. It had great tension and heart-wrenching drama. I also loved how the story was organized. There are letters between Evelyn and her brother Clive from 5 years in the past at the beginning of each chapter. They tangle into the present day drama. There was nothing I disliked. Nothing! I highly recommend this superb book! One of the best who-dun-it mystery/romances I've ever read, filled with enriching little-known historical details, fantastic characters, powerful passages, heart-wrenching drama, and plot twists that kept me turning pages long into the night.

I understand the need to catch a readers attention from the very beginning but starting with an innocuous letter and then jumping into driving a car with no brakes isn’t the way to catch someone’s attention. I was irritated right off the bat. Why do I care that Evie’s brakes weren’t working? I know nothing about the character so why should I feel invested in her well being? To top that off, there was virtually no character development for Evie but plenty of background storytelling from the author to explain the rest of the characters. This was like a bad who-dunnit written in the 40s instead of just set there. There were so many little bits and pieces of stories that were just for moving the overall plot forward but had no real point to the story and were never resolved or quickly overcome. I’ve never read this author before and I’m not tempted to do so again. The only reason I’ll rate this higher than 1 star is because of the inclusion of a Native American character.

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A story set in the early 1950s America and with all of the prejudices of the times. Evie loses her father, an eccentric history Professor, having lost her mother to cancer and her brother to WW2. She has a loving boyfriend who served gallantly in the war, survived but has grim repercussions about both the war and his upbringing - he being a Native American. They, too, have problems with being a so-called mixed couple and many of the locals not accepting him for who he is. Her father is murdered, her aunt is murdered, her cousin is murdered leaving few potential suspects. Some, but not all, of the police are convinced that Gary, the boyfriend, has to be guilty, Evie sets out to determine alibis for him at the time of her father's murder and we gradually are brought round to money being the motive. There's an unpleasant ex-boyfriend, a drunken cousin and jealous academic colleagues to muddy the waters further. In all a good mystery story and evocative of the times. It did feel as if absolutely everything that could conspire against Evie and Gary did so, a bit too much so, but they came through in the end. Thanks to NetGalley and Covenant Communications for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

A.L. Sowards isn't afraid to make you afraid. The Redgrave Murders is a book that will keep you jumping at shadows, looking around dark corners, and -- most importantly -- turning pages to find out what comes next. Gary (from her earlier book Defiance) and Evie are lovably imperfect. The plot line keeps you guessing what's coming next and the romance is well spun throughout the story. Sowards kept me guessing till the end with this fun romance mystery. Definitely a good read!

**I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my review. That being said, the opinions expressed are my own.**

This book has intrigue, clean romance and is well written. I enjoy the history in this author's books. It brings that time period alive. Evie and Gary are wonderful characters. I love the depth of Gary's character. His past is one of incredible hardship and things that would break most people. But he finds a way to overcome/manage the trials in a productive way. I also love that he is a Seneca. Evie has also had hardship. Two very strong characters that are better together. I really liked this book.

When her father is murdered, Evie must prove her boyfriend innocent and find the real criminal before he kills again. Loss is inevitable, as Evie Hampton knows all too well. But despite losing her mother to cancer and her older brother to a war, she knows she's one of the lucky ones. After all, she still has her father, a distinguished professor of medieval history. And she has Gary Redhawk, the man she loves despite the emotional scars he carries from the Second World War--and despite her father's opposition to their relationship. When Evie's car suddenly careens off the road, she chalks it up to poor maintenance or sheer bad luck making another appearance in her life. Little does she know a host of hardships is just beginning--the car was her father's, and the brake lines were deliberately cut. Someone wants them dead--but why?

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book

I really liked this one. Excellent writing, amazing characters, and the setting is very engaging, both the small town and the historical part.

The historical setting sets the mood for the mystery, what with the economic, social, and political climates of the time. This was very well done, as I truly had a sense that wouldn't feel the same with a contemporary setting.

When I started reading, the feeling I immediately had was one of the same kind of quality that old black & white mystery movies had. I'm thinking the early Perry Mason series, only in this case the lead character is a woman. There's a sense of quiet urgency in Evie and what happens around her, which only intensifies as the story goes on.

Gary is the antithesis of the Alpha male hero, and that only makes him more endearing. He's humble, hardworking, and kind, despite the problems he suffers from PTSD. I like how loyal to him Evie is. She's the one who doesn't give on him, even when evidence points to him.

As the plot evolves and reveals a villain who is truly dark, the pressure to solve the mystery and stop him before he commits more crimes kept me reading without stopping.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

This was a suspenseful book, that I thoroughly enjoyed. It seemed like everything was going wrong in Evie's life and throughout the book things go from bad to worse. Somehow they need to figure out who is behind these grievous murders. This was an intriguing read. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review this great read.