Nothing much ever happened in Haven Park, Wyoming. Closely knit, deeply religious and with a population of just over 500, it appeared to be a small town just like any other. Then, on the night of July 4, 1966, everything changed forever. Gripped with the horrifying realization there was a killer in their midst, Haven Park reels from one murder after another, at the diabolical hands of one of their own.
As I’m sure you’ve noticed by now I’m usually a reader of speculative fiction – especially fantasy, so Independence Day by Rebecca Spencer is not my usual choice in reading matter. I do like a good murder mystery occassionally, however, and this is shaping up to be a decent – if somewhat soapy – addition to the genre.
So far we have one murder and a lot of people with dark secrets and possible motives . Oh, and a detective who’s way too close to the case which is occluding his judgement.
The characters are interesting, the setting – 1960s small town America is beautifully realised, and the tension is rising with each passing chapter. Something is going to give soon.
The blurb promises more than one murder, but so far there’s only been one. The end of chapter eleven seems to be setting things up for another.
The layout of the site leaves me cold however. I detest frames and if you break out of the frames navigation becomes difficult. And the text is red on black with bright white links to character profiles littered through the text. Thematically appropriate but not all that easy to read. I ended up clicking on the “printable version” links a lot, as they were easier on the eyes, and this is what I’d recomend other potential readers who find the design offputting try.
To sum up Independence Day is a nice little murder mystery, so far, and will hopefully fulfill its potential.
I’m giving it 3.5 stars
I remember I had a quick peek at the sight and was a little overwhelmed by the layout — it felt a bit 1990s if I remember correctly? I liked the character bios frame pop-up idea but it could get annoying quickly.
I don’t mind a murder mystery now and then though so perhaps I’ll give it a look-see at some point!
A bit 1990s is a good description. š
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First off, thank you so very much for taking the time to review my site. I largely agree with the points you raised, as far as the design, but 1990s? Thats just mean. š
I kinda see where you would get the 90s impression (I’m a 90s kid, and we were all about funky colors – I write this with bright purple nails, anyway), but I was really going for more of a retro 60s tone with the colors.
As I’ve said, I’m thinking of giving it a redesign for its first anniversary in July, sans frames. That’s still in the “maybe” stage, though. Redesigning is a huge pain in the ass, but maybe if enough people tell me it’s time for it, I’ll get on the stick about it.
Note, this was not to argue or be defensive or anything…just my way of explanation. I do, again, appreciate your taking the time to review it. š
Happy Easter, Becky & Anna!
-Bex