Meant For Good

Savannah Secrets #15

by DeAnna Julie Dodson

In 1918, James Brandon was sentenced to twenty years in prison for stealing valuable jewels from his employer, the wealthy industrialist Thomas Van Orden. Over a century later, James’s great-granddaughter, Lydia Cooper, comes to Magnolia Investigations to see if Meredith and Julia can help clear James’s name and give her mother some closure before Alzheimer’s takes what is left of her memories. As Meredith and Julia investigate the theft, they realize that certain things don’t add up—like the fact that the jewels vanished without a trace and the Brandon family never seemed to benefit from the supposed theft. So, did James actually take them? Could he have been framed?

And when their investigation leads them to the history of Van Orden Industries, it soon becomes clear that someone else besides them is digging through the history of the company and the Van Orden family. But is this mystery person a whistleblower or a blackmailer?

Hardcover

About the author

DeAnna Julie Dodson has always been an avid reader and a lover of storytelling, whether on the page, the screen or the stage. This, along with her keen interest in history and her Christian faith, shows in her tales of love, forgiveness and triumph over adversity. A fifth-generation Texan, she makes her home north of Dallas with four spoiled cats and, when not writing, spends her free time quilting, cross stitching and watching NHL hockey. Her first books, In Honor Bound, By Love Redeemed and To Grace Surrendered, are a trilogy of medieval romances and have just been redesigned and freshly edited for Kindle. She is also the author of the contemporary mystery, Letters in the Attic, and has recently signed on to write another Annie's Attic Mystery: The Key in the Attic, due out in 2012. Her newest books, yet to be released, are A Dinner of Herbs, a Civil War drama, and a 1930s English mystery, Rules of Murder. Civil as an Orange, her current work in progress, is the sequel to Rules of Murder. You can find out more about DeAnna and her books, including sample chapters, at her website: http://www.deannajuliedodson.com/

Reviews

[Victoria Marie Lees · Rating 4 out of 5]

DeAnna Julie Dodson took an historical event and made it into a mystery. Meant for Good is full of red herrings and clues. A very good cozy.

Part of the Savannah Secrets mystery series, Meant for Good is told through Meredith Bellefontaine’s perspective. She is one part of Magnolia Investigations in Savannah, Georgia. Julia Foley is the other. In this story, the team is called upon to prove someone’s innocence in a hundred-year-old theft and to investigate a century’s old ammunitions company that has been investigated time and again and found worthy.

Dodson combines history with an intriguing plot and danger—I didn’t know how they’d get out of this one. But have no worries. These more mature investigators use their resources and know where to find help. The mystery is more than just a whodunit. Everything is tied up neatly at the end. This is why I enjoy cozies.

If you’re looking for an interesting cozy, filled with danger, then Meant for Good by DeAnna Julie Dodson is the mystery for you.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one. No loose ends left in it.