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Notes from Hell: A Pacific Northwest Mystery
When Seattle Times reporter Ann Dexter scores an interview with Franco Albanese, rock star of the modern opera world, she is thrilled. Don Giovanni in art, Don Juan in life, this charismatic man easily charms all women he meets, including Ann. But when Franco is kidnapped and Ann is contacted by the kidnapper who wants her to publish the truth about Franco, she launches her own investigation into his past exploits. Ann interviews a cast of characters from Franco's life including former lovers, a jealous husband and a young opera singer whose star is on the rise.
Armed with new information and determined to rescue Franco, Ann puts herself in danger and must use her wits to deal with an adversary whose grasp on reality evaporates almost as quickly as Ann's strategies to escape. In a thrilling climax, Ann gets one chance to free the opera singer from his hellish imprisonment. Will she take it?
Notes from Hell is a carefully crafted mystery of intrigue and suspense, packed with operatic drama and passion.
Armed with new information and determined to rescue Franco, Ann puts herself in danger and must use her wits to deal with an adversary whose grasp on reality evaporates almost as quickly as Ann's strategies to escape. In a thrilling climax, Ann gets one chance to free the opera singer from his hellish imprisonment. Will she take it?
Notes from Hell is a carefully crafted mystery of intrigue and suspense, packed with operatic drama and passion.
- GenresFiction
264 pages, Paperback
Published October 12, 2016
1 person is currently reading
286 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Bukey
6 books52 followersRachel Bukey writes the Ann Dexter Mystery Series. The third novel in this series, Fatal Happiness was released on April 12, 2022.
When Rachel is not writing or reading, she enjoys running and exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
Rachel lives in Seattle with her husband Dave and their dog Daisy.
When Rachel is not writing or reading, she enjoys running and exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
Rachel lives in Seattle with her husband Dave and their dog Daisy.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 21, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. The story kept you guessing on who had taking Franco and if he was alive. Ann was getting a little in over her head at times. There was a great twist at the end. Very enjoyable and if there are anymore stories with these characters I look forward to reading them. Rachel did a great job and I look forward to reading more from her.
I received this book from the author for an honest review.
I received this book from the author for an honest review.
February 7, 2017
Nice job Rachel! (my former neighbor - proud to know you!) Couldn't put it down last night.
January 31, 2019
I’m not a mystery reader and I don’t read heavily in this genre, but I have to say this was a really well written read. Ann is a reporter that is normally stuck on the education circuit, and when she gets the chance to interview the opera star, Franco, she jumps at it. When Franco is kidnapped, and Ann starts getting cryptic messages, she cooperates with the police, but also does her own investigation on the sly.
The nice thing about the book, is that Ann is not written as a superhero, she’s written as a strong, smart female lead that is believable and likeable and the author does a good job with the whole cast of characters, and there are quite a few to keep track of. It slows down a bit in spots, but it gets right back into storyline without dragging down the story.
Nothing was overly surprising to me, but it had an ending I didn’t really expect, and a nice epilogue-ish final chapter. This is the second book in the series, but it reads well as a standalone
Reviewed by Cyrene
The nice thing about the book, is that Ann is not written as a superhero, she’s written as a strong, smart female lead that is believable and likeable and the author does a good job with the whole cast of characters, and there are quite a few to keep track of. It slows down a bit in spots, but it gets right back into storyline without dragging down the story.
Nothing was overly surprising to me, but it had an ending I didn’t really expect, and a nice epilogue-ish final chapter. This is the second book in the series, but it reads well as a standalone
Reviewed by Cyrene
April 11, 2018
A great mystery
When I first read this book, I didn't even realize there was a book one, so with that said, this book can be read without reading the first one, and I don't feel like I missed anything. I will probably read the first book in the Ann Dexter Mystery series, though. So, for this book, I liked Ann. There was something about her that drew me in. Bukey can write a mystery, and it's not one that is obviously predictable. There were parts of the story that didn't seem to fit, but could be plausible, but other than that, I liked the story. It did follow an amateur sleuth type of layout for the story, but Bukey added her own to it. All in all, I liked the story, and the author's writing style.
When I first read this book, I didn't even realize there was a book one, so with that said, this book can be read without reading the first one, and I don't feel like I missed anything. I will probably read the first book in the Ann Dexter Mystery series, though. So, for this book, I liked Ann. There was something about her that drew me in. Bukey can write a mystery, and it's not one that is obviously predictable. There were parts of the story that didn't seem to fit, but could be plausible, but other than that, I liked the story. It did follow an amateur sleuth type of layout for the story, but Bukey added her own to it. All in all, I liked the story, and the author's writing style.
March 25, 2018
Newspaper reporter/ amateur sleuth, Ann Dexter is assigned to interview Franco Albanese opera star and international playboy. She finds him charming, somewhat irresistible and soon missing. The story was almost a page turner, an easy read and interesting plot. Would be a five star, but I have gotten weary of the heroine making poor decisions, doing something stupid and ending up in the clutches of the "bad guy". Would so love endings more like the Christies, Sayers and Reinhardt of days gone by.
December 10, 2016
Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author.
First of all, don’t be dismayed by the “Volume 2” included with the book’s description. While there are allusions to events in the first book, you do not have to read it to understand “Notes from Hell.” I hadn’t read the first book and didn’t feel lost at all. Ms. Bukey does a good job educating the reader on the pertinent facts we need to know, allowing this second in a series to stand on its own.
The story itself is a mystery. It skirts around the fringes of being called a thriller, ironically being held back from that designation by some of the book’s strengths. For me, a thriller keeps readers on the edge of their seats, always afraid of peeking around the corner but not daring to walk away from the inevitable. The author tells this story in first person, and her heroine, Ann Dexter, fills us in on all the action, in detail. This includes all the side stories as well as all the important and not-so-important facts, which can at times slow up the story. This creates a yin-yang effect. At times the tale slowed down to a crawl, then would vault forward as the pace sped up.
Like many readers, I have read numerous first person stories. In most cases, the heroine is a smart, sassy, intelligent, angst-filled, and at times downright snarky storyteller. Ms. Bukey dodges that bullet. Ann Dexter has her angst but doesn’t carry it into every situation, and the snarky attitude never comes out of the bag. Instead, we are presented with a dedicated reporter who doesn’t always get her way, yet isn’t afraid to dodge around the rules if her orders aren’t specific.
What bothered me about the story, though, was the heroine herself. While I willingly walked in her footsteps throughout the entire book, Ann Dexter is a complicated character, and one that I disliked more and more as the story evolved. She is not always a good person, exhibited by both her thoughts and her actions/words. Ms. Bukey takes some daring chances, exposing Ann’s opinions on subjects that most people generally avoid (religion and politics). Most disturbing were the two instances where Ann is reporting on situations where she has an opinion, and she mentally describes how she will write her article, slanting the news to match her beliefs. Yes, I know this happens in real life, but misrepresenting the facts could also be termed lying. I understand people have a mixture of qualities, but it was hard to reconcile this swing from one end of the spectrum to the other. If it was the author’s intention to create a controversial character, she succeeded.
The book is tightly edited. Ann Dexter is a reporter who interviews a famous opera singer who is kidnapped, igniting Ann’s normal inquisitive nature as she struggles with her desire to find the singer while at the same time not disobeying the police or her editor. The story naturally weaves from one event to the next, fully covering all the angles and never leaving frayed elements sticking out for the reader to question. While this may have slowed the pace at times, the story always progressed forward. The author laces the book with detailed information about the setting (Seattle) and opera, providing a realism that enhances the story. Clever readers may guess the twist at the end, though I have to admit, it only made sense to me after the author unveiled the truth.
All things considered, “Notes From Hell” is a well-written tale, one that is strong enough to overcome the negative elements I mentioned in this review. Four stars.
First of all, don’t be dismayed by the “Volume 2” included with the book’s description. While there are allusions to events in the first book, you do not have to read it to understand “Notes from Hell.” I hadn’t read the first book and didn’t feel lost at all. Ms. Bukey does a good job educating the reader on the pertinent facts we need to know, allowing this second in a series to stand on its own.
The story itself is a mystery. It skirts around the fringes of being called a thriller, ironically being held back from that designation by some of the book’s strengths. For me, a thriller keeps readers on the edge of their seats, always afraid of peeking around the corner but not daring to walk away from the inevitable. The author tells this story in first person, and her heroine, Ann Dexter, fills us in on all the action, in detail. This includes all the side stories as well as all the important and not-so-important facts, which can at times slow up the story. This creates a yin-yang effect. At times the tale slowed down to a crawl, then would vault forward as the pace sped up.
Like many readers, I have read numerous first person stories. In most cases, the heroine is a smart, sassy, intelligent, angst-filled, and at times downright snarky storyteller. Ms. Bukey dodges that bullet. Ann Dexter has her angst but doesn’t carry it into every situation, and the snarky attitude never comes out of the bag. Instead, we are presented with a dedicated reporter who doesn’t always get her way, yet isn’t afraid to dodge around the rules if her orders aren’t specific.
What bothered me about the story, though, was the heroine herself. While I willingly walked in her footsteps throughout the entire book, Ann Dexter is a complicated character, and one that I disliked more and more as the story evolved. She is not always a good person, exhibited by both her thoughts and her actions/words. Ms. Bukey takes some daring chances, exposing Ann’s opinions on subjects that most people generally avoid (religion and politics). Most disturbing were the two instances where Ann is reporting on situations where she has an opinion, and she mentally describes how she will write her article, slanting the news to match her beliefs. Yes, I know this happens in real life, but misrepresenting the facts could also be termed lying. I understand people have a mixture of qualities, but it was hard to reconcile this swing from one end of the spectrum to the other. If it was the author’s intention to create a controversial character, she succeeded.
The book is tightly edited. Ann Dexter is a reporter who interviews a famous opera singer who is kidnapped, igniting Ann’s normal inquisitive nature as she struggles with her desire to find the singer while at the same time not disobeying the police or her editor. The story naturally weaves from one event to the next, fully covering all the angles and never leaving frayed elements sticking out for the reader to question. While this may have slowed the pace at times, the story always progressed forward. The author laces the book with detailed information about the setting (Seattle) and opera, providing a realism that enhances the story. Clever readers may guess the twist at the end, though I have to admit, it only made sense to me after the author unveiled the truth.
All things considered, “Notes From Hell” is a well-written tale, one that is strong enough to overcome the negative elements I mentioned in this review. Four stars.
December 11, 2016
This a well written and sensible story. The Seattle area descriptions are accurate. The content of newsroom sounds okay to me. I know almost nothing of opera. The first part of the book was devoted to opera and I found unstimulating as I have little interest in the opera. I thought the mystery plot original and creative. Amy Dexter, a Seattle Times reporter has an interview with an opera rock star. She is charmed. The star, Franco Albanese is kidnap and she began to receive emails from the kidnapper. The Seattle Police take over and she is told to go back to her reporting. The twist and turns that occur will keep you turning the pages. Amy is motivated to try and save Franco' s life. The ending is a surprise. My thanks to the author for a free copy for this review.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews