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Book Review: Truth Be Told by Carol Cox

by Sandra Ardoin

Sometimes the truth can be dangerous …

 

 

Truth Be Told is the latest historical romance from Carol Cox and is set in an area she knows well—Arizona. I love the cover on this one. 

When Amelia Wagner makes her annual summer trip from Denver to stay with her father in Granite Springs, Arizona, she never dreams she’ll soon inherit ownership of the Granite Springs Gazette. Neither does she realize that following the newspaper’s motto—“Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”—will prove dangerous. 

Aided by Homer, her father’s poet-reciting employee and friend, Amelia takes on the job she feels she was born to do. Following in her father’s footsteps, Amelia seeks to uncover the truth behind Great Western Investment Company’s interest in the area around the town, and enlists the aid of Benjamin Stone, a new employee of the company. Ben is attracted to Amelia, but her quest to prove his employer is shady rubs him the wrong way, until …

I liked Ben and, most of the time, Amelia, though she could be a little single-minded at times. They each dealt with their own spiritual issues. Like Jonah, Ben had run away from the call he believed God had on his life. Amelia had to deal with that pesky truth issue—did she print the truth when it could be personally damaging, or did she hide it?

From a mystery standpoint, there’s little to surprise the reader. Overall, it’s very much like a sixties western. The bad guys are the bad guys, and the good guys fight for the truth. Frankly, while I enjoy old westerns, I would have liked to have seen one good twist at the end. 

With the above noted, if you’re looking for an entertaining story with a thread of mystery and a sweet romance, Truth Be Told is one to take to the hammock on a lazy summer day. 

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: This book came to me free from the publisher, Bethany House, and the author with the hope that I would mention it on this blog. There was no requirement for me to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

As an author of heartwarming historical and contemporary romance, Sandra Ardoin engages readers with page-turning stories of love and faith. Rarely out of reach of a book, she's also an armchair sports enthusiast, country music listener, and seldom says no to eating out.

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  • D.L. Kamstra

    I wasn’t overly thrilled with this book, especially compared to Carol Cox’s other novels. It certainly wasn’t terrible by any means, but it was a little bit wanting in some twists to the ending like you said and perhaps character depth.

    • Sandra Ardoin

      Yes, I agree. It’s why I compared it to an old western. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t as complex as I believe she could have made it. I usually do enjoy her books, though.

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