Melody
Stacy-Deanne
ISBN: 9781593092030
Strebor Books
Reviewed By Delores Airey

Official Apex Reviews Rating: 


Experiences of the young half-Latina Melody Cruz are reverberating tunes of harsh times. At the tender age of three, the first of many chords striking belligerently in Melody's life begins with the death of her parents. The younger of two daughters, Melody is separated from her sister, Sarah, to live with a sick aunt who can barely afford to take care of her whilst Sarah is taken in by an uncle who openly prefers her. The unfavored life of Melody and the favored life of Sarah continue ostensibly through their adulthood.

In their youthful twenties, the sisters are back and living together. Sarah blindly appears to be conducting a charmed life, unscathed by the nature of events taking place around her. Observant, Melody detects strange obscurities surrounding Sarah's latest wealthy boyfriend, Keith Taylor. Discovering disturbing truths about Keith, Melody eventually takes the risk in warning Sarah. Blinded by love, Sarah disbelieves Melody, who fears another separation in the loss of Sarah to Keith and their already delicate sisterly trust and love. Keith, on the other-hand, is prepared to go to extremes to prove his innocence.

Meanwhile, in Melody's hometown, devastation is rearing its ugly head in the name of a serial rapist known as the Albany Predator. Black women are his targets, and Melody lives in fear for her best friend. Keeping in touch, Melody visits her in the knowledge that she cannot be a constant companion. Women are being viciously and brutally attacked by the Albany Predator, who is also giving the local police the run-around, causing a lethal rift among them. How many more women will he attack before he is caught?

Melody's love life is currently verging on the non-existent. A deep thinker, she is a stickler in having things done her way and at times is accustomed to spending time on her own. Her ways can prevent a romance from flourishing, and an unfruitful relationship is currently undergoing troubling tremors with the impressive Lucas Lawson of Caper Enterprises. With a multitude of controversies surrounding Melody's mind and life, will she be able to hold onto Sarah and spare any room to make a success of her current relationship with Lucas?

In Melody, gripping scenes lock the reader in suspense. Stacy-Deanne has a robust but emotional and feminine character in Melody. The story has you following her through her trials and tribulations, and the full cast of characters blends into the story well, from the thrillingly colorful to the cold, dark, and chillingly ugly. Melody is a highly recommended, thought-provoking, and suspenseful read.