In Tangled Web 2010:
Wilkes-Barre’s cohesive Welshcommunity was a haven of Protestant values and mutual support. It was also a hornet’s nest of gossip. Neither a canary’s death nor a girl’s fall from grace escaped the locals chatter
Good girls avoided the attention of the grandmothers’ grapevine by behaving—in public—as ladies were expected to behave with good manners and self-control. In private, emotions roiled, passions were explored, appetites satiated, and the end results "talked about."
Or hidden.
In Mortal Coil, 2009:
Someone is killing little old ladies in Ellen Lange’s nursing home. When investigator, Bill Watts, arrives, he realizes that the deaths are connected to two others in the community.
Bill is a Southerner; Ellen was raised in the Midwest. Bill takes to Ellen’s daughter, Patti, who has a passion for math and baseball. Ellen falls in love with more than the South as the investigation progresses.
At war with the unscrupulous long-term care facility owners who value profits over people, Ellen sets up a plan to take them down.
Excerpt:
When two residents in Ellen Lange’s nursing home are murdered, Special Investigator Bill Watts is called to the scene. The murders appear to be linked to others, known as the Ponytail crimes. The perp cuts off the victims’ braided ponytails.During the investigation, Bill falls in love with Ellen. She resists, claiming that she and her daughter are a team with no room for the once divorced Bill. One wonders what she's not telling him. They both have private pasts not easily shared.
Behind Tangled Web: Tangled Web, a mainstream romantic suspense, is a true book of the heart. As an adoptee, I had researched my background. My heroine, Catherine, is a projection of my mother’s life as I hoped she lived it after she was forced to give me up. It covers the period between the thirties and 1951 Behind Mortal Coil: My 105-year old grandmother was in a nursing home where a murder took place. Although she was not involved, thank goodness, I was interested enough to develope this story while on a vacation in St. Lucia. My experience as a Community Ombudsman for long-term care facilities led to the more technical aspect of the subplot
"Julie Eberhart Painter is a true wordsmith who knows how to tell a compelling story. In Tangled Web, she displays her many talents as an accomplished author, not the least of which is her skill at creating authentic, credible historic settings—in this case, a Pennsylvania coal-mining community in the 1930s. I highly recommend reading Julie's novels."
Marcia Ford, author of We the Purple and 25 additional books
Julie Painter’s new novel, Tangled Web, describes the undercurrents of family relationships in eastern Pennsylvania in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Out of wedlock pregnancy, corrupt adoption practices, and alcohol rehabilitation act as backdrops to this engaging fast paced saga centered around a young woman, Catherine, and her quest for love and self expression. Julie follows several families as they struggle to maintain equilibrium and cohesiveness in a time of social and political unrest and change
An important thread of the book is the negative effect of dishonest adoption policies on biological parents, adoptive parents, and adoptees.
Julie’s characters come alive because their strengths and vulnerabilities are described so vividly. Many are given opportunities to rectify past mistakes and are able to take advantage of "second chances."
Tangled Web
is a must read for the discriminating reader interested in serious romantic fiction.Lois Gerber, RN, MPH
Praise for Tangled Web"Julie Eberhart Painter is a true wordsmith who knows how to tell a compelling story. In Tangled Web, she displays her many talents as an accomplished author, not the least of which is her skill at creating authentic, credible historic settings—in this case, a Pennsylvania coal-mining community in the 1930s. I highly recommend reading Julie's novels."
Marcia Ford, author of We the Purple and 25 additional books
Julie Painter’s new novel, Tangled Web, describes the undercurrents of family relationships in eastern Pennsylvania in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Out of wedlock pregnancy, corrupt adoption practices, and alcohol rehabilitation act as backdrops to this engaging fast paced saga centered around a young woman, Catherine, and her quest for love and self expression. Julie follows several families as they struggle to maintain equilibrium and cohesiveness in a time of social and political unrest and change
An important thread of the book is the negative effect of dishonest adoption policies on biological parents, adoptive parents, and adoptees.
Julie’s characters come alive because their strengths and vulnerabilities are described so vividly. Many are given opportunities to rectify past mistakes and are able to take advantage of "second chances."
Tangled Web
is a must read for the discriminating reader interested in serious romantic fiction.Lois Gerber, RN, MPH
Julie Eberhart Painter is a talented writer whose voice needs to be heard. She is an accomplished storyteller, but her novels are always more than mere stories. Mortal Coil is no exception; here Julie weaves an intricate tale of vengeful murder, corporate greed, and family troubles. I highly recommend Mortal Coil---and all of Julie's books.
---Marcia Ford, author of 22 books, including We the Purple: Faith, Politics and the Independent Voter.
Julie Painter is a fine writer who always delivers a whopping good tale, and Mortal Coil is no exception, rife with intrigue, get-down-and-happy relationship stuff,and important issues at the bottom. You can't go wrong spending a weekend with Mortal Coil.
Shelley Fraser Mickle, author of The Assigned Visit and Barbaro, America's Horse. "
"Julie Eberhart Painter uses a nursing home setting as the backdrop for Mortal Coil, a suspense novel involving murder, romance, and child custody issues. The every day concerns of patients and staff, especially the nursing home administrator, are explored. The author weaves practical, philosophical, and spiritual ideas into the book, a must-read for anyone interested in relationships, family life challenges, or aging."
Lois Gerber, RN, MPH, community health nurse and recent contributor to Advance for Nurses, Nursing2008 and Nursing2009.
"A compelling murder mystery set in what should be the most secure of environments, but author Julie Eberhart Painter lets the reader know that while there may be no absolutely safe haven, there’s always a place, hope and chance for romance. But just when you think the adventure is all over, Julie introduces a new twist to rock her characters and their town even more. You’ve got to read this one!"
Jim Woods
Author of Gunshot Echoes and The Lion Killer
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