“No Safe Harbor” by Elizabeth Ludwig

It was a cold and snowy day when I began to read this latest book sent to me to review. I had never read anything by author Elizabeth Ludwig before so I was anxious to get started.
They always say the sign of a talented writer is the ability to capture the readers’ interest quickly. It took only a couple sentences before Ludwig had me hook, line and sinker.

“No Safe Harbor” is a fictional romance set in the late 1800’s which begins as Cara Hamilton arrives at Ellis Island. Cara is a young, Irish woman who has set sail from Liverpool in order to come to America in search of her brother. It takes very little time before she starts encountering several helpful people.

Douglas Healy recommends her to the boarding house of Amelia Matheson and she meets the attentive and attractive Rourke Walsh who takes the time to escort her there. Cara Hamilton is cultured, well brought up and moral and finds the surroundings of New York both rough and crude. But with her personal determination and the help of several interesting characters she sets out on her quest to find her brother.

But things (and people) are not all that they appear. There are other people also looking for her brother and the meeting with Mr. Walsh was no accident. Yet Rourke’s owns purpose becomes cloudy when he develops feelings for Cara and is torn between spying on her in the hope she will lead him to her brother and his desire to protect her from his malevolent employers.

Elizabeth Ludwig unwinds the knots of Cara’s life with an easy flow of prose and sense of intrigue. Her characters are drawn from life as well as her knowledge of human nature and the unexpected turns life takes when God is involved.
 
Ludwig seems a little light in the details and knowledge of this era in New York history but her perfect balance between romance and mystery and the steady and pleasant rhythm of her writing makes it an enjoyable read.

Elizabeth Ludwig

 
I not only recommend you read “No Safe Harbor” but suggest you pick a time when you will be undisturbed and wish to relax as you allow Elizabeth Ludwig lead you into a suspenseful yet encouraging retreat.

This is Book One in the “Edge of Freedom” series so, if you enjoy it, keep watch for Book Two.

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It rates 8 out of 10 “Secret Christian Fishies”.

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Coming out of RED JOHN (PREDICTIONS) cont

Several weeks ago I figured out the true identity of the serial killer "Red John" on the TV Show "The Mentalist". Since I have no desire to ruin the surprise for anyone, I simply decided to be pompous and brag about my superior sleuthing, but not actually give away his identity. My attitude naturally brought forth several people who claimed I was "full of it". So I decided to make several predictions about upcoming episodes of  "The Mentalist" in my post, "The Coming Out of RED JOHN Part 3 (PREDICTIONS)". Naturally, if I know who the killer is, I should be able to make pretty accurate predictions as they relate to that topic. Right?

That brings us to the Sunday, November 18 (2012) episode of  "The Mentalist" in which Jane "springs" Lorelei from a Federal prison. (You may want to review my Predictions on my blog post "The Coming Out of RED JOHN Part 3 (PREDICTIONS)" )

As I stated previously, since the Mentalist is a hit show, the writers know that they have many, many episodes to fill and writing a mystery story is very much like being a magician. It consists of making a person look at one thing, in order to divert their attention from where the 'trick' is really happening.
With the Mentalist, they give many clues. Most are decoys and just a way of blowing a lot of smoke around so the few, real clues stay mostly hidden.

Several weeks ago I told you that they would bring the Hunt for RED JOHN right into the CBI. Of course with last week's episode Lorelei said to Patrick Jane in a moment of anger, "I don't know why you [and Red John] weren't life long friends from the moment you shook hands." And in case we were too stupid to notice this clue, they made sure to have Jane repeat it right at the end of the episode. He told Lisbon that Lorelei had confessed that he had "shook hands with Red John. He's somebody I've met".
And, of course, that was EXACTLY what I said would happen.  Now we start to get dizzy as they spin us  'round and 'round and 'round in order to point the finger at everyone and no one who has ever met Jane.

But I do want to bring your attention to a couple important things. The writers DID give you a very big clue, but it is NOT the one about Jane shaking hands with Red John. That one was the decoy, so that you wouldn't notice the REAL clue which was stated quickly, briefly and right around the same time.

Also, consider this: Red John has many pawns and we have witnessed him use many people. Lorelei is described as "Red John's mistress" and the writers will have us chase her around for awhile, but ask yourself,  does Red John strike you as a monogamous type of man? Would he have just one mistress? And if so, would he be "generous" enough to let Patrick Jane use her sexually? And most of all, how do we know that Lorelei actually knows the REAL Red John? How many times have we been tricked into thinking someone is Red John only to find out that he isn't. If Jane doesn't know who Red John is, how can Lorelei be certain she does?Always keep in mind that the writers have years to make us chase our tails and they will. It's what they're payed to do.

Let me end with a couple of predictions about the future of Lorelei (although these are just 'guess-tamations'). In a future episode (when the show needs a ratings boost) Lorelei will come back to Patrick because she has discovered he is right about Red John and ... she loves him. Then, BOOM! She will be yet another Red John victim.
(Don't forget, FBI Agent Susan Darcy is also on my Red John future victim list too)

Don't get me wrong, even though I know what's going to happen ahead of time, I still immensely enjoy watching the show. That particular episode was worth it just to see Simon Baker in a cowboy hat. Yee Haw!   

P.S. I wonder if the makers of "The Mentalist" will ever be annoyed with me for telling their stories before they are completed?
~~ Laura-Lee (aka. "The Red Menace" or at least "The Red Annoyance")