Tunnelling to the Truth

The World Beneath (A Joe Tesla Novel) by Rebecca Cantrell (Self-published e-book, 5 December 2013).

Reviewed by Marlyn Beebe.

On his way to ring the bell on Wall Street the day his software company goes public, Joe Tesla is overcome by an attack of agoraphobia so strong that he is unable to leave his hotel at Grand Central Terminal.  He ends up living in a house built in the midst of the tunnels by the lead engineer on the construction of the original Grand Central Terminal, which is now owned by Tesla's college roommate Leandro Gallo and his twin sister Celeste.

Joe manages to keep himself occupied.  He has an office set up so that he can work in his underground home if necessary, and he's become incredibly well-read.  At night, when the trains aren't running, he and his psychiatric service dog Edison walk around the tunnels using night-vision goggles.  (Yes, Edison has his own goggles.)

On their travels, they occasionally run into homeless people or maintenance workers, but few people go as deep into the tunnels as Joe and his dog.  One night, he and Edison come across a strange set of footprints, which become more troubling as they appear more often.  He eventually follows them to find a man pounding on a brick wall with a sledgehammer.

What they discover behind the wall sounds completely implausible, but is based on historical events.

Rebecca Cantrell has created a gripping, thrilling story that is at once historical and contemporary.  Historical mystery and political thriller fans (and probably cozy readers, too) will be hooked after the first page.  This was an unputdownable book for me, and (from comments I've read) for many others, too.

Rebecca Cantrell’s Hannah Vogel mystery/thriller novels have won the Bruce Alexander and Macavity awards and been nominated for the Barry and RT Reviewers Choice awards; her critically-acclaimed cell phone novel, iDrakula was nominated for the APPY award and listed on Booklist’s Top 10 Horror Fiction for Youth. She and her family recently left Hawaii’s sunny shores for adventures in Berlin. Find Rebecca Cantrell on Facebook, Twitter, and at www.rebeccacantrell.com.




FTC Full Disclosure: Many thanks to the author for the advance copy of the e-book.

In the Bleak Midwinter

Cover of Snow by Jenny Milchman (Ballantine hardcover, 15 January 2013).

Reviewed by Marlyn Beebe.


Nora Hamilton wakes up one morning and almost instantly can feel that something is wrong.  Searching the house for her husband Brendan, she finally finds him in the attic.  He's committed suicide.  Her immediate reaction, of course, is that he would never have done such a thing, and despite the assurances of his colleagues on the police force in the tiny town of Wedeskyull, New York, that there could be no other possibility, she remains unconvinced.

After the funeral, she finds herself unable to continue her day-to-day life without confirming her suspicions, but she finds herself stymied at every turn by the police chief, the other officers, or the local townspeople.  Despite the fact that she's lived in the small Adirondack community since she married Brendan six years earlier, she's still perceived as an outsider.  She gets support from very few people, including a local journalist (also a "newcomer"), her family, and Brendan's aunt (who really only helps by not hindering her). 

Despite the fact that her search leads her into some remote parts of the mountains in the middle of winter, and at times she even fears for her life.  Milchman describes the frigid winter surroundings so well that  I found myself shivering often while I read this (which may make it the ideal book for a sweltering summer afternoon).

The story is suspenseful and creepy, but gripping and difficult to put down.  It's an exceptionally written first novel, and will likely be enjoyed by fans of Julia Spencer-Fleming and Louise Penny.


Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for the e-galley of the book.