Man, I was hooked from the beginning. This is an intense mystery/suspense that will have you on the edge-of-your-seat, holding your breathe wanting to know what’s going on. There are some twists and turns, but it all tends to come back together nicely in the plot. The characters are fantastic. I found them all so intricately well-written. The detail of their personalities is wonderful and fits into the story. I thought I had figured out what was going to happen and BAM, plot twist. Fantastic start to a series. I was shocked by the cliffhanger but I will be eagerly awaiting the next book to see where the story continues for Ruby and Rose. This is a new favorite mystery author for me.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Shelly Kittellhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngShelly Kittell2022-11-13 11:12:162022-11-18 11:04:41Road to the Mansfield (Express Investigations Book 1) by CB Laurence – Review by Shelly Kittell
Three stories of three different people, time and places that all converge in one tragic night.
Francie Roubideaux is from the Louisiana bayou and is handed a tough go. When she finds herself at the mercy of Ms. Claire and her house of pleasure in New Orleans, her singing saves her from a worse fate. When tragedy strikes, she gets out of New Orleans and eventually finds herself in California singing at the Mansfield.
Rose Donovan is swept off her feet in her small, hometown in Illinois one day by a handsome stranger. Seeing him as her way out, she leaves with him despite her father and friend’s advice to stay. When they move to California, he sells her singing talent to the owner of the Mansfield. It’s not all that she expected it to be though, and she finds herself in an abusive marriage with no way out.
Beau Hartwell is an up-and-coming lawyer in Georgia with a perfect record, job and wife. When his hometown best friend is framed for murder and he witnesses the demise of his hometown, it leaves him questioning all that he has held dear for the last ten years. After being fired, divorced, and homeless, he makes his way to California to friends that give him help, a job and a purpose again. He becomes a part of their Express Investigation team.
This was a great first book to a series. It gives background on all the characters in such a way that is concise but in depth. I felt like I had all the information on each one to picture them and their struggles. I am looking forward to the next book and finding out how the tragic night transpired and how they all play into it. I think I can see the way that it is going, but there were some surprises with the back stories. Definitely going to be on the lookout for book 2!
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Desiree Ottingerhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngDesiree Ottinger2022-11-13 11:03:452022-11-18 11:03:45Road to the Mansfield (Express Investigations Book 1) by CB Laurence – Review by Desiree Ottinger
A swamp rat-turned lady, a hotshot southern attorney, and a small-town dreamer endure life’s cruel twists on the way to Hollywood’s swanky Mansfield Supper Club.
Louisiana, 1927. A brutal fate sweeps seventeen-year-old Francie Roubideaux from the Louisiana bayou to the iron rule of Miss Claire in New Orleans. She survives using her daddy’s wits and mama’s grace, but fickle fortune isn’t done with her yet….
Illinois, 1937. Rose Donovan’s dreary small-town life takes a turn when a New York City music man whisks her away to Hollywood. But soon she’s torn between addictive passion and another man’s arms…and more than Rose’s heart is on the line.
Georgia, 1936. A rising star on the Atlanta legal circuit, Beau Hartwell is the envy of every lawyer in the city…until his past desperately comes to call. Can big-city Beau handle backwoods justice, or will the case break more than his career?
In one fateful night, their worlds collide in ways no one saw coming…
After being inspired by the Reba McEntire video for ‘Because of You’, CB intended to write The Road to the Mansfield…for twelve years. In 2020, she finally birthed the books (Thank you, COVID). The stories launched The Express Investigations Series.
CB connects to wi-fi in Texas and lives with her seven-pound Yorkie, Benji, who rules her life with an iron paw.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/roadtothemansfield.jpg1200750itsybitsybookbitshttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngitsybitsybookbits2022-11-13 00:01:542022-12-07 21:36:46Road to the Mansfield (Express Investigations Book 1) by CB Laurence
A swamp rat-turned lady, a hotshot southern attorney, and a small-town dreamer endure life’s cruel twists on the way to Hollywood’s swanky Mansfield Supper Club.
Louisiana, 1927. A brutal fate sweeps seventeen-year-old Francie Roubideaux from the Louisiana bayou to the iron rule of Miss Claire in New Orleans. She survives using her daddy’s wits and mama’s grace, but fickle fortune isn’t done with her yet….
Illinois, 1937. Rose Donovan’s dreary small-town life takes a turn when a New York City music man whisks her away to Hollywood. But soon she’s torn between addictive passion and another man’s arms…and more than Rose’s heart is on the line.
Georgia, 1936. A rising star on the Atlanta legal circuit, Beau Hartwell is the envy of every lawyer in the city…until his past desperately comes to call. Can big-city Beau handle backwoods justice, or will the case break more than his career?
In one fateful night, their worlds collide in ways no one saw coming…
A swamp rat-turned lady, a hotshot southern attorney, and a small-town dreamer endure life’s cruel twists on the way to Hollywood’s swanky Mansfield Supper Club.
Louisiana, 1927. A brutal fate sweeps seventeen-year-old Francie Roubideaux from the Louisiana bayou to the iron rule of Miss Claire in New Orleans. She survives using her daddy’s wits and mama’s grace, but fickle fortune isn’t done with her yet….
Illinois, 1937. Rose Donovan’s dreary small-town life takes a turn when a New York City music man whisks her away to Hollywood. But soon she’s torn between addictive passion and another man’s arms…and more than Rose’s heart is on the line.
Georgia, 1936. A rising star on the Atlanta legal circuit, Beau Hartwell is the envy of every lawyer in the city…until his past desperately comes to call. Can big-city Beau handle backwoods justice, or will the case break more than his career?
In one fateful night, their worlds collide in ways no one saw coming…
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