A
Dream Within A Dream
was written by Mike Nappa (about the first ¼ of the
book) and Melissa Kosci (the last ¾ of the book). Anyone
who loves mysteries, anything Poe related, or historical fiction
will enjoy this book. The story bounces back and forth between
Atlanta and Boston, with some fun historical treasure hunt
elements found along the famous Freedom Trail, including a
visit to Old North Church, Paul Revere’s house, and
Boston Common.
Kosci explained, "After Mike had a personal tragedy,
I was asked to finish this last book of the series. The female
protagonist, Trudi, fits perfectly into the type of female
characters I write. They are very tough, kick-butt, and courageous.
If the publisher and Mike give the OK, I would be very interested
in writing a couple of books about Trudi's assistant Eula."
Because Eula is young, she contrasts perfectly with Trudi.
Kosci stated, "I thought of Trudi as emotionally and
mentally tough. Eula is sweet with a tough side. She knows
how to fight and shoot and would make a great protagonist."
Bestselling author Mike Nappa first introduced readers to
private investigators Trudi Coffey and Samuel Hill in Annabel
Lee, where they had to race against time, and a killer, to
rescue a fourteen-year-old girl. In The Raven, the duo found
themselves mired in another life-threatening plot when a pickpocket
gets in over his head with the Ukrainian mafia. Now coauthors
Mike Nappa and Melissa Kosci have teamed up to deliver one
last epic thrill in the final installment of the Coffey &
Hill series, A Dream within a Dream.
The references to Edgar Allen Poe in each of the three books
of the series makes for an interesting read. Annabel Lee is
the last tragic work of Poe about the loss suffered by a widowed
husband. The Raven is his most famous poem, and the references
in this book make for a very fascinating story.
The
book opens with Trudi Coffey in Boston watching a Celtics/Hawks
basketball game. While watching the game, Trudi is confronted
by two FBI agents who are asking probing questions about her
ex-husband, Samuel Hill. With her curiosity aroused, Trudi
is determined to find him and get to the bottom of his disappearance.
To make matters worse as she leaves the game, she has an encounter
with an armed man demanding her help.
“Samuel is one of the most fun characters I have ever
written. He is basically a pain in the butt. No one ever knows
where he is coming from, if he is serious, or is he pulling
someone’s leg. But he is really smart and cocky. Trudi
likes to harass him, which he fully deserves, as evidenced
by his nickname.”
After Trudi returns to Atlanta, Samuel turns up and explains
how he is protecting that armed man, named Dream, from the
Boston mob. It appears that they are after Dream because he
knows where priceless art has been stowed away. He has a map
showing the location of artwork stolen from the Gardener Museum
during the infamous 1990 heist. Now Trudi, Samuel, her assistant
Eula, and Dream must keep each other safe and win the race
to find the artwork.
"I wanted to write Dream as eccentric, who has been through
a lot. He has PTSD from being kidnapped, abused, and put through
horrific events. I think he is very caring with a certain
amount of innocence. His coping mechanism is to recite random
facts."
This story is a fast read that will keep readers interest
throughout the book. It is full of suspense, action, intrigue,
and Edgar Allen Poe references.
|