TT85: Forewarned

Welcome to Mysteries to Die For and this Toe Tag.I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is normally a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you at the heart of mystery. Today is a bonus episode we call a Toe Tag. It is the first chapter from a fresh release in the mystery, crime, and thriller genre.Featured release is FOREWARNED by Tracy S. PhillipsFOREWARNED is a suspense. It’s the summer of 1976 in Carlson, Indiana and the lives of two teens intertwine in a way that will change both their lives forever. Still reeling from her parents’ divorce, 15-year old Daphne Post sees the family next door as having everything she doesn’t. But Lara Vaughn is tired of doing what her parents expect and is working to break out of the box she was born into. Daphne senses tragedy is about to fall but who will be the dead and who will be the guilty.Bottom line: FOREWARNED is for you if you like Americana suspense with a whisper of the paranormal and historical fiction.At its heart, this suspense is built around skewed ideals and what happens when the veils fall. The story opens on Daphne’s 15th birthday, the day her family arrives at her grandmother’s lake home. It’s the first summer without her father, the first summer after the divorce. Daphne blames her mother and has gone to calling her by her first name. She’s trapped in a house with her mother and aunt, brother and two cousins, all younger. What from the outside looks like teen angst and defiance masks heartbreak and anger. Daphne looks to the house next door and sees the “perfect” family – society leading mother, uber successful father, three popular kids.The Vaughn family does look perfect, but behind the screen is a father in a political role obsessed with appearances and control, a mother who lives for society life (and her tennis instructor), an older brother who has been all but cut off for not falling in line with his career, and a younger brother who figured out how to suck up to his father. That leaves Lara, queen of the popular girls, utterly miserable. She’s expected to go to college, get her Mrs. degree, and land a ladder climbing husband. Lara dreamed of a modeling career.As Daphne joins the partying Vaughn siblings, its clear everything is not merry and well. Daphne has been able to see images of the future when she touches others. Her senses are working overtime with the Vaughns and her mother’s too slick new boyfriend. Daphne sees enough to know dark days are coming and someone won’t survive but she doesn’t know who, and she has no one to talk to about it.The central characters are between 15 and 25 years old, and is classified as a Young Adult novel, but this is really a story for suspense readers of any age. The struggles the kids face are universal – the grass is always greener … until you climb the fence and realize its been spray painted.In all genres, there is a spectrum from light to heavy, for suspense, we’re going to use nail biters. FOREWARNED is at the lighter end and I give it two nail biters. The tension is high enough to keep the pages rapidly turning.The setting back in 1976 does give a flashback of Americana and the prospective of an upper class. For children of the 50s, 60s, and 70s, its filled with little “I remember that” treats. I loved Philips “product placement” naming brands and foods that were part of my childhood including Bottle Caps, wax candy bottles, Necco Wafers, and Bubble Yum. For children of the 80s and on, it paints a picture of American society and the gains women have made in divorce, education, and careers.The logic in this one stands up well. It is a straightforward story with Daphne and Lara being true to their characters. I personally would have like to see the paranormal be more of a story element. Daphne’s “sensing” popped up regularly and acted to build the suspense, but she didn’t use it as a tool to direct or control the story line prior to the inevitable unfolding.FOREWARNED was an enjoyable read. Readers who enjoy light suspect, stories set in historic Americana, and dramatic tension between being who you are and what is expected of you will find a lot to savor.FOREWARNED was released from 3 Elements Publishing and is promoted by Partners In Crime Tours and is available from AMAZON LINK and other book retailers.About Tracy S. PhillipsAward winning author, Tracey S. Phillips has played the piano since age three. She considers herself a serial artist who is an avid gardener, musician, piano teacher, artist, and author. She writes psychological thrillers and romantic suspense. BEST KEPT SECRETS won a Hugh Holton Award and she is a two-time finalist for the Claymore Award. In 2020 she created Blackbird Writers, a community of like-minded mystery authors. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and like some of her characters, she occasionally speaks with spirits on the other side.www.TraceySPhillips.com