Happy Birthday Jenna! by A.H. Schultz

Happy Birthday Jenna! by A.H. Schultz
Published by BookBaby
Sold by Amazon Digital Services
ISBN: 1617927880
ASIN: B005CK4G12
Genre: Mystery Thriller

About The Author (Author's Website): 


A.H. (Andrew Hollister) Schultz was born on July 30, 1964, in Barberton, Ohio, to a brilliant but tortured trial lawyer in a long line of distinguished jurists and politicians in the State of Ohio. As a child, his only escape from the terror that accompanied his family life were reading and basketball. He found that books could take him anywhere, allow him to be anybody and indulge his imagination.

Andrew's career as a novelist and writer was put on hold for 20 years as he became a trial lawyer and raised a family. He has three children in various development. Each one of them more beautiful, more precious, more wonderful than the other.

The written word forms on the author's paper more easily than the spoken words form on his tongue. His inspiration for writing comes from the beauty of the words: the way they look, the way they sound. His first novel, Happy Birthday, Jenna was more than 10 years in the making. His second novel, Manhattan Sunrise, Quieting the Voices of Darkness has made it from idea to formation in less than two years. He is working on a third manuscript (untitled), which has taken on a life of its own.

Andrew currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. He is lucky enough to have the love and respect of the most amazing, loving woman in the world.


Author Website: http://www.ahschultz.com/



Disclaimer: At the request of the author, a Kindle e-book edition of this book was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest review.


Amazon.com Book Description:


Twenty years is a long time to keep a secret. But an eternity is even longer to pay for it. Happy Birthday Jenna! is a legal thriller that follows Jenna Hayes on her personal journey from horrible loss and betrayal to redemption and freedom from the choices that had imprisoned her.

When Jared Hayes, a prominent Atlanta lawyer, is found dead in a pool of blood, the questions about whether his death was an accident, suicide or murder lead Jenna Hayes into vast criminal conspiracy that threatens Jenna's way of life, her family and her very existence. The mystery surrounding Jared's death widens as people associated with an embezzlement scheme die. A car bomb. A hiking accident. Someone is orchestrating a death sonata, and Jenna fears she will be the next note on the paper. The closer she gets to the truth of a plot to cover up a multi-million dollar insurance scam, the closer she comes to death.

Finally, in order to survive, Jenna learns that she has to conquer the enemy within. Forced to confront her husband's killer and the truth about herself, she sacrifices herself and is reborn in the knowledge that she must live listening to the voices calling her to be.


My Book Review:


Happy Birthday Jenna! is a story told in the first-person narrative by the main character in the story, Jenna Hayes. Jenna takes the reader on a recounting of her journey through major family dysfunction, betrayal, intrigue, murder and self-discovery. Jenna's story spans a timeline from her eighth to her forty-fourth birthday, with accounts of dysfunctional and intriguing events that highlight some of her birthdays. Throughout her life, Jenna has tried to keep her past a secret, to not think about it or dwell on it, but to live in the present, but the inner demons that she tries to keep inside keep coming back to haunt her. Jenna is forced to face her inner struggles when her husband Jared, is found dead in the parking lot of his law office. Jenna knows that Jared's death isn't a suicide or accident, and she embarks on a journey to discover who was behind her husband's murder, and to bring the person to justice. Jenna's story is a memoir about a woman's journey of self-discovery through loss, betrayal, bravery, redemption and freedom.

Happy Birthday Jenna! is the debut novel for A.H. Schultz, an Atlanta lawyer. I am a big fan of mystery thrillers, and I did like reading this legal thriller, it had a lot of intrigue that captivated me. While the first half of the book was a bit slow, from the murder of Jared forward, the story had an engrossing intrigue level of a true mystery thriller, it kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next. Jenna's journey was very engaging, there were a lot of events that went on in her life, it had me wondering if I could have endured all the dysfunction and upheavals that she had gone through. If you are a fan of mystery thrillers, the surprise ending is well worth reading this book. Note to readers: do not be put off from reading this book because of the cover art. The cover art was the creation of the author's fourteen-year-old daughter, Mischa Kathryn Schultz.



RATING: 3 STARS *** (My rating on my blog site, I liked the book).
                  4 STARS **** (Amazon.com rating, I liked the book).




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