“Eighth Witness” By Kathi Daley: Review/Giveaway

by Kathleen Costa

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an ebook copy of this book, and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

If it's Monday, it must be Mystery Mastermind night!

The residents of Gull Island Writer’s Retreat gather together every Monday to discuss, brainstorm, and work to solve cold cases. Their investigations usually begin with one of the group taking the lead and presenting facts and background of a cold case they find of professional or personal interest. It is hoped that the group will agree with the plea for assistance and join in on the project. Each of the writers, varying in genre and age, along with local law enforcement and insights and knowledge from the locals bring to the project a skill set that has given them a 7-0 success rate finding justice for murder victims, wrongly accused, and innocent convicted. Here’s number eight!

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Eighth Witness earns 5/5 Cold Case Conundrums…Clever X 2!

Alex Cord brought an interesting case to the Mastermind Mystery group, but not without some tough questioning and skepticism. Ryan Spaulding is serving a life sentence for murdering Gina Portland, the mother of his child, and of course, he has consistently professed his innocence. A late-in-the-investigation witness, cracks in his alibi, and damaging physical evidence precipitated an arrest and guilty verdict…all very hard to overlook. Still Ryan’s defense had realistic responses for all the inconsistencies, but it didn't seem enough to keep Ryan out of prison.

Is Alex being played by the emotional aspect? He had been approached by Ryan’s sister with a very emotional plea for help, and during his interview Ryan voiced serious concerns for his daughter’s safety. She has been placed in the custody of Gina’s parents, not his own sister, and he believes and shared Gina’s recollections about their parenting skills bordering on abuse. Is any of this enough to warrant further examination? The group agrees to explore the details knowing, whether Ryan is innocent or really guilty, their efforts will bring closure.

This is my favorite Kathi Daley series: clever plots, wonderful characters, intriguing solutions. I am also a fan of “cold case” movies and television, and in Kathi’s book she gives me a double dose. Two cases, decades apart, are eerily similar: murder, circumstantial evidence, conviction, innocence claims, a daughter left without a father. She lays out issues in both cases, but weaves in daily life of the characters. They revisit testimony, walk the dogs, ask questions, help with the island’s film festival, explore newspaper archives, manage the retreat, review church documents, and run the local newspaper. The characters are well-developed and act/react in a realistic fashion. She also presents a collaborative, not antagonistic, relationship with law enforcement; the cases have already come to a conclusion, however questionable, or are very “cold,” so their efforts do not interfere with an on-going investigation. The only thing missing? George’s paella recipe!

Be a Big Kathi Daley Fan!
The Writer’s Retreat Mystery series was first published in May, 2017, with First Case, and has become a fan favorite garnering an average of 4.5 stars for the series. It is also a top favorite of mine; I enjoy the “cold case” idea. Kathi Daley has ten other series offering something for every cozy taste including “fur” friends and close relationship between family and friends. She has a great social media community of fans and can be followed on Goodreads and BookBub.

Sign up for her newsletter.

Facebook - Kathi Daley Books
Join the Club Kathi Daley Book Club
On the Web Kathi Daley Website
Blog - Random Thoughts and Meaningless Musings

To enter to win an ebook copy of Eight Witness, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "witness,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen February 16, 2019. If entering via comment please include your email address. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast which features mystery short stories and first chapters read by local actors! A new episode went up this week.

You can use this link to purchase the book. If you have adblocker on you may not be able to see the Amazon link:

Kathleen Costa is a long-time resident of the Central Valley, and although born in Idaho, she considers herself a “California Girl.” Graduating from CSU-Sacramento, she is a 35+ year veteran teacher having taught in grades 1-8 in schools from Sacramento to Los Angeles to Stockton to Lodi. Currently Kathleen is enjoying her retirement revitalizing hobbies along with exploring writing, reading for pleasure, and spending 24/7 with her husband.

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Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.