Book Review: Don’t Let the Wind Catch You by Aaron Paul Lazar

Don’t Let the Wind Catch You

When young Gus LeGarde befriends a cranky old hermit in the woods who speaks to an Indian spirit, he wonders if the man is nuts. But when the ghostly Penni rattles tin cups, draws on dusty mirrors, and flips book pages, pestering him to find evidence to avenge her past, things change.

 

What Gus doesn’t understand is why his mother hates Tully, until his relentless investigation uncovers a hint of scandal about Tully and Gus’s grandfather, Marlowe Wright.

 

On horseback, Gus and his friends ride through woods overlooking Conesus Lake to Tully’s abandoned house, reportedly still infected with the Genesee Valley Fever from the 1700s. Unafraid, they enter and find shocking evidence that could rewrite history.

 

Can Gus convince his mother to forgive Tully? And will the proof he found free Penni’s spirit?

 

Gus summons courage beyond his years in this poignant and powerful telling of the summer of 1965.

I’ve told the story before, but it’s worth telling again. I first came across Aaron Paul Lazar on Twitter. His bio, as I recal,l said he lives in Upstate NY and writes. I said something like hey, I’m from there, and I set my stories Upstate, too. He said he lives in the county where he based Don’t Let the Wind Catch You. I not only know that county, I interned at the local paper for that county. He explained where his house was, and I can clearly picture it. I drove by it for two years.

He said his work in progress at the time was based in the Adirondacks. Funny, so was mine. He told me it’s such a small village I probably didn’t know of it. Speculator. That’s the village I based my contemporary romance on. It was so funny we’ve stayed in touch, even though he writes mysteries and my genre is contemporary romance.

It was my pleasure to read Don’t Let the Wind Catch You. This is my first read into the Gus LeGarde series, and I really enjoyed it. For those that are used to my own writing and other book reviews, they tend to be faith based. Don’t Let the Wind Catch You is a well-crafted mystery that could also be marketed in the paranormal genre. For those that read straight Christian reading, I wanted to be upfront that this isn’t marketed or in the Christian genre.

That said, this was an engaging story with Upstate New York as a beautiful backdrop. The story has history as far back as the 1700’s, a haunting secondary story regarding WWII, a tight-knit childhood friendship with a hint of romance set in 1965, a friendship with an older man they were warned to stay away from with a history of his own. All of this weaves beautifully into a mystery that in time Gus figures out.

I didn’t see the revelation coming, and for some audiences, the discovery may be a sensitive and/or a controversial issue. But Aaron crafted a high-calibur story that I truly enjoyed. The characters were multi-dimensional and a joy to get to know, the Penni aspect was curious and kept me turning the page, and the landscape was breathtaking. Even if I wasn’t familiar with the area, Aaron painted a backdrop everyone should want to visit after reading.

Summer might be winding down, but I don’t think reading is. If you’re looking for a good read to wrap up your summer, consider Don’t Let the Wind Catch You by Aaron Paul Lazar, and be sure to check out the Facebook party, too.

August 15th Release Day Facebook Event

To purchase Don’t Let the Wind Catch You, click here.

BIO

Aaron Paul Lazar writes to soothe his soul. The author of three award-winning mystery series and more, Lazar enjoys the Genesee Valley countryside in upstate New York, where his characters embrace life, play with their dogs and grandkids, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase bad guys. Visit his website at lazarbooks.com and watch for his upcoming release from Twilight Times Books, SANCTUARY (2013). 

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