Review for Crossings by Ashley Capes

   When I see a book with a kangaroo on the front cover, unless it looks like a zombie kangaroo, it doesn't normally strike me as threatening.  But this book is quite the opposite.  And it is all about kangaroos, so in a way, the cover is quite fitting.  The main character, Lisa, seems to continually have a run of bad luck in the story.  Her dad's mind is starting to go in and out, her ex shows up, and dead things start showing up on her doorstep and in her yard.  Strange things are happening in the area Lisa lives in and one of them is the sudden appearance of a solid white kangaroo.  But she only brings more bad news.  Before long, murder is added to the equation and Lisa is one of the main suspects due to circumstances.
   I can't really go further without giving away too much.  However, this book does leave you with some questions.  So you have to ask yourself whether it's better to leave a book with a bit of mystery or to completely tie up the ending nice and tidy without loose ends.  In a series, you might want to leave things a little open like that.  But some people prefer no loose ends in a stand-alone.  I think that leaving a little mystery gives you something to ponder on afterwards.  It certainly has for me.  And the angry kangaroo in the book left me questioning just how sweet and cuddly those animals are.

Blurb:

Something red lay in a heap on her doorstep. She crept closer, wrinkling her nose as the buzz of flies led her to a pile of animal entrails. Slick with blood, like mangled tubes from bike tyres, they stained the concrete.

Deep in the Australian bush, wildlife ranger Lisa Thomas must uncover the truth behind a giant white kangaroo and the strange deaths connected to it, while dealing with the return of her abusive ex, Ben, whose rage is quickly growing out of control.

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Crossings-Ashley-Capes-ebook/dp/B015LEPXME/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444249771&sr=8-1&keywords=ashley+capes

The Fairy Wren by Ashley Capes

   Regular ole Paul Fischer is about to have a very difficult time of things.  His life had went from optimistic to severely pessimistic in a very quick downward spiral.  His bookstore, Stony Bay Books, is not doing well and he is getting a divorce on top of that.  To make matters worse, he finds out his ex, Rachel, is going to be trying to get the house and half of the book store.  Not that there was much to have if she got either.  Paul doesn't really fight things and it just seems to get worse and worse when he starts getting in trouble with the law as well.  Assault charges and more start mounting up.  He starts seeing someone, but regrets pulling her into the mess he's in.  Especially when it seems that his ex could be in some real trouble.  No one can seem to get in touch with her and surprise!  She's also pregnant with what could very well be Paul's baby.  The only one who seems to know anything about what's going on is a tiny little blue bird that keeps showing up at Paul's house, pecking on his tree outside and acting like it wants Paul to follow him.  A series of strange events unfold with the little blue Fairy Wren.  The wren seems to have some magic to it and takes Paul on a somewhat frightening journey to find Rachel.


   This book wasn't exactly what I expected.  From the title I was kind of expecting something more along the lines of fantasy or paranormal but it was more along the lines of strange and weird events.  Not to mention, I just downright feel bad for Paul in some ways because everything possible seems to be going wrong.  He is giving his lawyer lots of business.  All in all, he feels that he must find Rachel and get her out of whatever trouble she's involved in.  The book is filled with suspense and a slight tinge of the paranormal world through the Fairy Wren that keeps hanging out.  When I found out towards the end of the story what that bird had been doing pecking around in Paul's tree, it was a serious OMG moment!  All in all it was a good read!

A solid 4 out of 5 stars!!