Shadows in the Mind’s Eye by Janyre Tromp (Book Tour and GIVEAWAY

 

Annie and Sam were childhood sweethearts, but after Sam has returned from the Pacific Theatre of WWII, he is changed man.  As he tries to fit back in on the farm in the rural Arkansas mountains and get to know his young daughter, Rosie, he starts to see things on the farm that no one else does.  Who is visiting the farm or is it just the ghosts of his troubled mind?  As people begin to question his sanity, will Sam be able to save his family?  Annie came from a well to do family, but the wealth comes from her father’s illegal activities.  What happened to Annie’s mother?  Will Annie be able to reconnect with Sam?

I really liked the unique plot and setting of this novel.  I liked that it was set after WWII and covered PTSD in the returning soldiers.  In the author’s note at the end, Tromp states that she based it on talks with her grandparents.  I also haven’t read too many books set in Arkansas and I liked it.  I didn’t know that Hot Springs was a den of mob activity back in the day.  I thought it was all very fascinating.

The novel is told in alternating chapters between Annie and Sam’s viewpoints.  The story is a slow build as we get to know Sam, Annie, their family and friends, but the ending is very action packed.  I couldn’t put the book down once I reached a certain point!

Favorite Quote:

“One thing I know for certain is that memory’s a slippery thing.  It changes and morphs, solidifying only at the insistence of the most powerful things.”

Overall, Shadows in the Mind’s Eye is a fascinating historical suspense novel.

Book Source:  A Review Copy from Kregel Publishing as part of the I Read With Audra Book Tour.  Thank-you! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

About the book:

“Tromp weaves a complex historical tale incorporating love, suspense, hurt, and healing—all the elements that keep the pages turning.”

~ Julie Cantrell, New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of Perennials

Charlotte Anne Mattas longs to turn back the clock. Before her husband, Sam, went to serve his country in the war, he was the man everyone could rely on—responsible, intelligent, and loving. But the person who’s come back to their family farm is very different from the protector Annie remembers. Sam’s experience in the Pacific theater has left him broken in ways no one can understand—but that everyone is learning to fear.

Tongues start wagging after Sam nearly kills his own brother. Now when he claims to have seen men on the mountain when no one else has seen them, Annie isn’t the only one questioning his sanity and her safety. If there were criminals haunting the hills, there should be evidence beyond his claims. Is he really seeing what he says, or is his war-tortured mind conjuring ghosts?

Annie desperately wants to believe her husband. But between his irrational choices and his nightmares leaking into the daytime, she’s terrified he’s going mad. Can she trust God to heal Sam’s mental wounds—or will sticking by him mean keeping her marriage at the cost of her own life?

Debut novelist Janyre Tromp delivers a deliciously eerie, Hitchcockian story filled with love and suspense. Readers of psychological thrillers and historical fiction by Jaime Jo Wright and Sarah Sundin will add Tromp to their favorite authors list.

To read an excerpt of Shadows in the Mind’s Eye, click here.

About the author 

Janyre Tromp (pronounced Jan-ear) is a historical suspense novelist who loves spinning tales that, at their core, hunt for beauty, even when it isn’t pretty. She’s the author of Shadows in the Mind’s Eye and coauthor of It’s a Wonderful Christmas.

 A firm believer in the power of an entertaining story, Tromp is also a book editor and published children’s book author. She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with her husband, two kids, two crazy cats, and a slightly eccentric Shetland Sheepdog.

 You can find her on Facebook (@JanyreTromp), Instagram (@JaynreTromp), Twitter (@JanyreTromp), and her website, www.JanyreTromp.com where you can download a free copy of her novella, Wide Open.

 

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