The beautiful Maine setting provides a wonderful backdrop for a riveting mystery. Returning home in the years following the war, Aime finds that the past collides with the present as she seeks a new beginning. With several unfortunate events occurring during her first days back home, she realizes she is not the only one who needs to face past hurts. After stumbling across a dead body, she realizes this is becoming dangerous and needs to draw upon her observation skills she honed during the war to confront a murderer. Wonderful Agatha Christie vibes, a large cast of characters and a few unexpected plot twists will keep readers turning the pages until the very end. Joy Jordan-Lake parcels her clues slowly, with an expertly paced plot. A strong choice for fans of historical mysteries.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher through Netgalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

A Bend of Light by Joy Jordan-Lake is a novel that was newly released in September. The novel is set on the coast of Southern Maine and during the years after WWII. The main character, Amie Stilwell, returns to her hometown in Maine after being passed over for a job by a returning veteran (as he had a family). She wants to use her eye for photography and put together a place with art for the summer travelers who stay in town or at the local inns.

Amie is particularly close with an older woman who took in a lot of youngsters including Amie when they were young. Meanwhile, a mystery has occurred, a young socialite was found dead near her horse in the barn. Appearance seems to point to the fact that the horse killed her with a kicking hoof. Amie is suspicious and starts answering lots of questions, which opens up more questions and more non answers.

Small towns with lots of characters all with axes to burn and secrets to keep always make a great setting for mysteries. I enjoyed how Amie’s speciality in the military allowed her to help solve the mystery. I found the strength of the array of characters made it difficult to settle on who the killer was. A Bend of Light by Joy Jordan-Lake was a good read!

Amie has returned to her hometown in Maine after working as a photo interpreter in WWII to start a new life. She reconnects with Shibby who played a big part in her upbringing despite not being a relative. Suddenly things take a turn - an child is abandoned and left in Shibby's care and one of Amie's oldest friends returns after being believed to be dead. When someone is murdered in the town, Amie begins investigating the mysterious goings on in the hope of uncovering the truth.

This is a brilliant story that felt really unique. I have never read anything set in Maine before and I loved that the location was such a big part of the book. There was a very cosy feeling to the coastal, close-knit community that created a great contrast with the wintery scenes. The fact that it was set in a time with no phones or technology made it seem like I had been transported to a whole new place. The characters were so varied and well-written, and it was immediately clear that many of them had secrets that added to the mystery.

This was a really absorbing story from start to end.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This is an engaging descriptive novel that makes me long to be in Maine! The author weaves several mysteries into this tale that will keep the reader guessing until the end! Colorful characters and rich dialogue make this an intriguing read as told through the perspectives of Amie and Tom. Read this if you enjoy character-driven novels in beautiful settings.

1950
After being let go from her job Amie Stilwell returns to her hometown in Maine, where five years after WW2, the villagers are still rebuilding their lives. Amie is quickly caught up in several curious circumstances, including finding an abandoned child, rescuing a stranger from a near-miss train collision, meeting a mysterious newcomer, and finding a murder victim. As Amie works to find answers, she discovers a friend who was believed to be a war casualty. Amie is forced to confront her past as she works to help others.

My thanks to @getredprbooks and @netgalley for my digital copy. My thoughts are my own.

Book Review…A Bend of Light by Joy Jordan Lake

Five years after the war, Amie Stilwell returns home. Jobless and discouraged but stubbornly resourceful. Waiting for her is Shibby Travis, the friend Amie never lost touch with. But the unexpected also awaits. An abandoned boy, a Boston socialite found dead in Amie’s barn and an old friend, believed to be a casualty of war, suddenly reappears. Trained to see what others cannot, to scan for clues, and to expose enemies, Amie uses her skills to protect a child, solve a crime, and find the motive behind a veteran’s masquerade.

This was an interesting story. Amie is a photographic interpreter. She would take pictures behind enemy lines and would then analyze each photo to see where weapons could be hidden or where soldiers could be hidden.i never knew they did this so it was really interesting to read about. The story flows really well, the characters are wonderful and I liked the touch of romance added to the mystery! It's an engaging historical fiction story that captures you till the very end! Thank you Get Red PR and Joy Jordan Lake for sharing this book with me!

Post WWII set in a small town in Maine, this historical mystery starts out slow but takes off about 50% in. Amie returns home after losing her job to start fresh. Amie was a photo analyst during the war and now has hopes of opening an art gallery for local artists and her own photography. She is a wonderful character full of quick wit and observations that lead her on one heck of a mystery.

The story was intriguing and heartwarming with themes of found family. I loved the small town setting and colorful supporting characters. If you enjoy Historical Fiction or cozy mysteries I would recommend this cross-genre new release.

My first book by this author, I really enjoyed the story and characters.
It’s 1950, and after losing her job to a GI with a family to support, Amie Stilwell has returned to the small coastal Maine town she grew up in. Her arrival coincides with that of an abandoned young boy and an attempted suicide by train that Amie stops by driving the other car off the tracks. As she works on establishing a new life, Amie tries to find out more about the boy and the person she saved. Soon, other bad things start to happen around town, including a suspicious death, and Amie’s keen observation skills make her an asset to the chief of police, who she starts wo work with, informally, to figure out who is responsible and stop worse things from happening.
I warmed to the main characters right away and thought the plot was well-paced, even when it alternated between Amie and one of the other characters. The writing was descriptive and brought the setting to life. The resolution to the main mystery was unexpected but believable.

Travel on a Bend of Light to post-WW II coastal Maine where Amie Stilwell, smart, wounded, creative, and fearless has returned to find a new way oto be in her old hometown. Joy Jordan-Lake is a wonderful storyteller who artfully populates a fascinating plot with complex characters with complex relationships that elicit complex reactions.. The mystery unfolds amongst the sights, smells and flavors of Pelican Cove. For those who like a good, smart mystery; and compelling characters, you will love this book.

Five years after World War II ends, Amie returns to the small coastal Maine village where she grew up. During the war, she was a photo interpreter for the Allies and lived in England. Now that the war is over and her skills are no longer needed, she's fired from her job because of the belief that jobs should be given to men.

She arrives in her home town not sure of what she wants to do with her life and quickly gets involved in a mystery when she finds a young boy with a note pinned to his coat requesting that he be taken to Shibby to be taken care of. Shibby took in lots of children who had no home over the years and raised them. In fact, Amie spent most of her growing years in her house because she had a father who didn't care for her emotionally. Amie and Shibby both try to talk to Chester but he refuses to communicate with them so they are left with the mystery of where he came from and who left him in town. Along with the mystery about Chester, there are several other occurrences that have her trying to solve -- what's the story behind the veterinarian with PTSD and what's his connection to the body found in his barn. Can the key to all of the mysteries be solved by finding out more about the hotel in town that is owned by a rich but cruel man. Amie wants the answers and is willing to stand up to the chief of police if it will help her

This book takes place in the 1950s and the author's research made it possible for her to create a real 50s feeling. The town, the characters all fit perfectly into this time period. This is a fantastic historical fiction that is also filled with mysteries that need to be solved. It's a book about love and trust, acceptance and forgiveness and is a story that I won't soon forget.

Amie has come home to Maine and her foster mom Shibby after working as a photo interpreter during WWII but things aren't as calm there as she thought they would be. First there's Chester. the small boy abandoned with only a note on his coat, then there's the Bentley but most of all, there's the dead woman in the barn. This is a historical mystery with unusual components, starting with Amie's service, but at the root. it's a cozy. The Maine setting sets this apart as well. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: September 6, 2022
After serving in the war as a photographic interpreter, Amie Stillwell returns to her home town in Maine, in hopes of finding her feet again. Once there, she reconnects with Shibby, her foster mother, and begins to find a passion in photography once more. However, mysterious things have started to happen and Amie feels obliged to put her interpreting skills to use; first, an abandoned boy is left on Shibby’s doorstep with a simple note pinned to his jacket, and then a visiting horse owner is found dead in a barn and everyone Amie knows is an instant suspect. When a man from Amie’s past returns to Maine, it complicates things even more as he is no longer the person Amie knew, and she can’t forgive him for what he did.
Joy Jordan-Lake’s new novel, “A Bend of Light” provides some interesting insight on yet another important role, mostly played by women, in World War Two. A photographic interpreter would take pictures of landscapes around enemy lines, and would then analyze each photo carefully to determine where hidden weapons would be, or where soldiers could collect unnoticed. This is a job I have never heard of before, and I am thrilled Jordan-Lake decided to introduce me to yet another form of female war hero.
The story is told by Amie, as she tries to establish herself once again in her hometown, and also from an individual who is identified as “Tom”. Now it is very obvious who Tom is right from the beginning, mostly because in a few situations, he identifies himself by his previous name. I do not know if this was a typo (as it seemed like it could’ve been and I did have an unedited ARC) or if this was simply something Jordan-Lake intended, but it took out any suspicion or potential plot twist.
The story is told well, and one chapter easily flows into another. It is clear Jordan-Lake did her research, and I loved the characters she brought to the pages. “Light” provided a hint of romance, but was not the focus, and it was so refreshing to provide Amie with suitable potential relationship partners, yet have her be too focused on re-establishing her life to care.
“Light” is a wonderfully engaging World War II historical fiction novel that is informational and entertaining. Abandoned children, war trauma, murder and a police investigation all in one plot will make it impossible to stop reading until the very last page. An absolute gem and I can’t wait to see what Jordan-Lake delivers next.

Joy Jordan-Lake returns following Under a Gilded Moon with A BEND OF LIGHT —set in a quaint coastal Maine fishing village in the 1950s, post–World War II America, a blending of historical fiction and tantalizing mystery as the dark secrets of the past and present are unraveled.

Amie is a photo interpreter, having served as a WAC in England during WWII, and is returning to her hometown in Maine five years after the war.

Shibby Travis, the surrogate mother (who raised her) with whom Amie never lost touch, is there, and she looks forward to reconnecting. On her way to meet her, she spots a car (Bentley) parked on railroad tracks in the path of an approaching train. She manages to push him off the tracks, but he disappears without a word which haunts her.

As she begins her life in <>Pelican Cove, several disturbing events will lead to an ongoing mystery to be solved.

A six-year-old boy named Chester
abandoned with a note outside of a cafe
A dead body in a barn
A Vet with PTSD suddenly reappears
A maroon Bentley and mysterious driver
Attempted murder of a beautiful young stranger.

Aime uses her trained skills to see what others cannot as she unravels the mystery, searching for clues to expose the dark secrets. She wants to protect this child while helping to solve a crime and the motives behind the crime. While doing so, she must confront her painful secret past.

From loss, war, and despair to joy, love, and redemption.

Joy is a pro with her meticulous research, historical facts, and lyrical prose. Her characters are well developed and highly relatable, and her settings are vivid and descriptive, drawing you into the world of the 1950s, which is one I grew up in and find fascinating.

I enjoyed learning more about the intriguing photo interpreters, and the author includes further reading. It is interesting to see how those skills relate to her investigative ones.

If you enjoy mysteries and historical fiction, this is for you!

"What we remember, she thought, looking out to where the lights of the shops played over the harbor, is so much like that, bouncing and refracting, leaving some things bright and glittering, some things shadowed and blurred. Even that, though, could be healing and good."

A special thank you to Lake Union and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Sept 6, 2022
My Rating: 4 Stars
Sep 2022 Must-Read Books

For me this book started out like a jumbled up mess.
I was about 40% into the book when it finally started to make sense. It really took off there and becomes quite the page turner.
I liked Ami, she was smart and observant. She should have been the police chief. It’s a good mystery and keeps you guessing
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

Amie, a photo interpreter for the Allied unit, has returned to her hometown in Maine after World War II has ended. Soon after, Amie finds a silent, abandoned boy with a note, begging for someone to care for him. Amie takes him in but then the strange events continue. Next, a Boston socialite is found dead in Amie’s barn. And then an old friend, believed to have died in the war, reappears out of nowhere. Are these events somehow connected?

I am a fan of historical fiction and the 1950’s are one of my favorite time periods. So I was very excited to read A BEND OF LIGHT, and I was not disappointed. It was a great story that puts you in a beautiful costal town in Maine. I really enjoyed this twisty story that kept me guessing. The big reveal was great and I would definitely recommend this one to historical fiction fans!

Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and getreadprbooks for including me on this book tour.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

Another well- written book by Joy! It is a historical fiction with lots of mystery. It takes place in Maine at the end of WWII. There are a lot of interesting characters throughout the book leaving you guessing how it will end. This book is hard to put down once you start reading. I highly recommend!

Amie is returning to her Maine hometown after serving as a WII photo intepreter in Britain. As she is driving into town, she saves a car ahead of her that stops on railroad tracks as a train is bearing down by pushing it out of the way with her own car. She reunites with her surrogate mom, Shibby, and misses her childhood friend Jake who has gone missing during the war. Amie and Shibby take in a young boy named Chester who has been abandoned. Then a woman is found dead in the barn. Amie uses her investigative skills to look into the mystery.

This booked sucked me right in. I love the 1950 coastal Maine setting, and having the investigator be a WWII photo interpreter, that was a new type of amateur sleuth for me. In fact, I haven’t ever read anything about photo interpreters and was intrigued reading about her wartime experiences, and how her skills translated to a real world investigation of mysterious events. The main mystery of the murder was satisfying revealed but most of all I enjoyed the journey of how Amie got there, and immersing myself in this small town setting and its colorful inhabitants.

It's 1950, World War 2 has been over for five years, and Amie Sitwell—a former photographic interpreter for the military—is driving back to her seaside town in Maine after being passed over for her earned promotion (because she's a woman). The lost of her best friend Jake is on her mind when a maroon Bentley stops on the train tracks in front of her. She punches the gas pedal and manages to push the car, and get her own car, out of harm's way, but the mysterious driver drives off without speaking to her.

The mystery of the Bentley and its driver haunts Amie as she begins to set up her new life in Pelican Cove, Maine. Further complications include a boy abandoned outside a cafe and a dead body in a barn. As Amie tries to unravel what is going on in her home town, Tom Darney, a veteran with PTSD, is trying to make a new life working for Pelican Grove's richest businessman. Eventually the different threads wind their way together to reach a satisfying conclusion.

The writing in this novel is utterly charming—think Nick and Nora without the booze—and it is full of period details, including a walk-on part by Eunice Kennedy Shriver. The story is fast-paced and the characters are interesting and varied. This was a fun, well-researched read. I highly recommend it.

I really like where this story is going. The premise is so interesting and there are so many nice parts that make me keep turning pages. But I haven’t even read 100 pages and I’m frustrated by all the obvious alluding to where this story is going.

When Amie comes up with the idea that maybe Jake is pretending to be someone else? Pfffftt. It’s too far fetched and too right on the money. Then, in the next chapter there is a pretty big mistake on page 90. The author refers to Jake when we are in Tom’s perspective. That can’t be on purpose. I understand that these books are not final versions, so I hope this gets fixed.

I really want to love this. I’ll probably keep reading (assuming I still have access once I give this feedback). I just don’t know if reading more is going to change my opinion. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

A Bend of Light is engaging historical fiction with a murder mystery twist. The story is set in post-World War II Maine. It captures the mood of a country still in shock from the trauma of a major war but moving on with life. The heroine returns to her hometown to start over and is genuinely likeable. The beautiful descriptions really convey the feeling and atmosphere of the little fishing village and its inhabitants. The main characters and their motivations are well developed and relatable. The murder mystery is intriguing in an Agatha Christie sort of fashion. I really wanted to find out who did it from the many suspects and it was still a surprise at the end. The author uses a two person viewpoint which switches back and forth to define the two main characters. This makes for a choppy beginning, but once you realize how the characters are connected, the flow is much better. I would say that there were a few too many characters to do enough character development on all of them. Everyone’s story was explained at the end, but just to close out the loose ends. The conclusion was satisfying if you accept the extraordinarily convenient coincidences experienced by our heroine throughout the story leading to the unmasking of the killer. Altogether this was an enjoyable read and I would recommend this book.

To a summertime resident of Maine, A Bend of Light was a tonic. Maine prides itself on life "the way it should be", which means when you're in Maine you feel as though you're in America of the past. So even though it was set around 1950, it felt current (for Maine). Although this reviewer has never seen a Maine blueberry the size of a shooter marble, and Maine blueberries do not grow in bogs, there was authenticity in the Maine landscapes, accents, and sensibilities. The characters were well-drawn and memorable; the suspense led to speedy page-turning. The plot was well-woven. The main character's wartime job was fascinating--more details and flashbacks would have been interesting. Her talents made her a great partner for the police chief--maybe they should team up on another mystery. It calls for a sequel!