Secrets of Sand Mountain - Philip C. Elrod (Book Review)

Secrets of Sand Mountain by Philip C. Elrod
Genres: Fiction, Mystery
Publication date: December 10, 2015
Format: ebook, 416 pages
How I got it: I was given a copy from the author for an honest review
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
My rating: 4/5
 
The summer of 1944 – a sleepy little town in Southern Appalachia: on the surface, life seems simple and uncomplicated - but, people are not what they seem. Secrets and a dark heritage lurk just beneath the surface and suddenly erupt in danger, death, and destruction. Some characters, when challenged with life altering situations, rise to the occasion heroically - others, sink into the dark abysses of depravity. Many lives will never be the same following this hot summer of 1944.

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My thoughts:

This book is split into four sections that follows the life of one family from the small town in Southern Appalachia mountains.  We first meet Philip who seems very intelligent, but feels distanced from his family.  He seems to want to gain knowledge about the world around him as well as his family.  He gets a set of pearls from the local store and gives them to his Aunt Vi.  I think this is where the story really takes off.  Once Aunt Vi is introduced you can see the story is going to take several turns.

The character development is amazing each character is developed fully so as the reader you can get a quick feel for each of them without being overly detailed.  The setting the author picks for the scenes is also easy to follow for the reader.  It allows you to feel like you are 1940's with the war going on. I love who Philip transforms during the book and you can see him growing as you read.  We learn more and more about how Philip's family is made up and can see why people are the way they are, but from the beginning Philip wants to break that tradition. 

The details of the war really keep the story moving for me.  I love the details regarding gas rations it is a small detail, but you can see how it affects life for the people in the town.  It was very interesting to learn about what the family did to protect themselves from bombing at night by keeping the shades shut and also listening to the radio every night for updates on the war. The war is a big portion of the book and showing how people lived and acted during this time is very interesting to me.

This is an excellent book and if you love books set in time of war this is the perfect book.  The story really moves along so you want to keep reading to figure out what is going to happen to all the characters.  The plot is pretty complex with the story really taking place all over the world not just one small town, but you can see that other towns must have been going through the same thing.  There are so many great topics in the book this would be an excellent book club book.

I would highly suggest this book for a nighttime read or even a weekend read.  I think this is a book that gives you a lot to think about as a reader so it will really take you mind off of everyday life.

I was received this from the author for the purpose of providing an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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About the Author

Philip C. Elrod was raised in Crossville, a small town on top of Sand Mountain in Northeast Alabama. He served two years in the US Army, stationed in Germany and returned to attend college at the University of Florida and Florida Southern College Majoring in Industrial Engineering and Economics.

Mylea is his first novel. However, over the years of his professional career he has written many articles and manuals on data collection, computer technology and technical trading of securities. His most recent articles have been published by FXTraderMagazine.com and other international magazines.

Mr. Elrod resides, along with his wife of many years, Linda, and two wonderful little canine friends: Kokko, a five and half pound male Japanese Chin, and Tinker, a seven and half pound male miniature Shih Tzu. Tinker served as the inspiration for the fictional character, Mitch the Bitch. His interests include astronomy, photography, outdoor cooking and travel, especially RV travel with his wife and pets.

The author can be reached by via his website www.pcelrod.com