Find out the latest indie author news. For FREE.

ADVERTISEMENT

Formats
Paperback Book Details
  • B0CJD8924S
  • pages
  • $
Jacqueline McDonald
Author
Humming Bridge: Sequel to The Paper Route
“Odd is unique’s ugly cousin,” protagonist Jackie explains to her mentor, Detective Dennis Dahm. Humming Bridge is the story of the extraordinary role sight and sound play in the lives of protagonist Jackie and her “unique” Uncle Vic. Exploiting the special insights their combined extraordinary sensory abilities provide, Detective Dahm solves crimes from New York City to their hometown, Lowell, MA. Now a high-schooler, Jackie works part-time as a Nurse’s Aide. Suspecting a serial killer is responsible for a string of sudden deaths plaguing area hospitals, Jackie recruits her mentor, Detective Dahm to help her stop the so-called Angel of Death. First framed, and then kidnapped, Jackie races against time to protect patient lives. ***BONUS*** HUMMING BRIDGE includes an appendix of vintage Franco-American recipes submitted by former and current residents of Lowell, Massachusetts.
Plot/Idea: 8 out of 10
Originality: 9 out of 10
Prose: 8 out of 10
Character/Execution: 9 out of 10
Overall: 8.50 out of 10

Assessment:

Plot/Idea: Humming Bridge, a sequel to The Paper Route, is a solidly constructed mystery-thriller with confidently written characters and an immersive storyline. McDonald cleverly builds tension and drama throughout with the central relationship between Jackie and Detective Dennis Dahm being a sparkling highlight. Readers new to the series may initially wish for additional context, as the storytelling hits the ground running.

Prose: McDonald's text is instantly likable with an absorbing plot, convincing characters, and an endearingly old-fashioned sensibility. Humming Bridge is written with assurance and well-structured, although the appendix of vintage Franco-American recipes tagged on at the end is a little incongruous.

Originality: Humming Bridge is a warmhearted, mature, and captivating novel that calls to mind works of classic mystery. The Lowell, Massachusetts setting further uplifts the storytelling.

Character/Execution: The central relationship between young Jackie and her mentor, Detective Dennis Dahm, is among the most memorable features of this accomplished and captivating thriller. The dialogue is sharp and believable and there is undoubted promise here for further entries in the series.

Date Submitted: May 04, 2024

Reviews
Amazon

5.0 out of 5 stars I could not put it down!

Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2024

The book moved right along with a bit of an unexpected twist at the end. I hope to hear more about Jackie's adventures.

News
11/06/2023
Lowell Native Releases Sequel to Her First Novel, The Paper Route

r Currier pcurrier@lowellsun.com LOWELL >> After finding success in publishing her first-ever novel, “The Paper Route,” Lowell native Jacqueline Cayer Nelson McDonald is r e l e a s i n g her second novel, “The Hu m m i n g Bridge,” a sequel to her first. Like Jacqueline McDonald’s first book, “The Humming Bridge” follows the story of Jackie, a nowhigh-schooler in mid-century Lowell who begins to suspect the work of a serial killer in a string of deaths plaguing area hospitals, and who must again work with Detective Dahm to put an end to the murders. “Humming Bridge answers The Paper Route’s clif f-ha nger ending, ‘Where’s Jackie?’ The Paper Route’s eclectic cast of characters returns in Humming Bridge with startling revelations and fulfilled, readerexpressed hopes,” McDonald said in a Nov. 14 email. She said the story picks up in Greenwich Village in New York City, but returns to Lowell and presents readers with many familiar landmarks of the city. While the serial killer and murder mysteries are fictional, both novels are heavily inspired by McDonald’s experience growing up in Lowell, including having Jackie work as a nurse’s aide, which McDonald herself did during the summer as a teenager. “The title itself evokes memories of walking over the Merrimack River on the formerly named Aiken bridge to get to and from the former St. Joseph’s Hospital,” said McDonald. “The many landmarks in the story are places I visited as a child including some of the downtown restaurants including The Owl, The Cameo, Toni’s, and stores of yesteryear like Woolworth, Kresge, Bon Marche, Record Lane, etc.” McDonald began working on “The Humming Bridge” on Feb. 1 of this year from Casa Grande, Arizona, where she has lived for the past three years. She had intended to release it last year, but in August 2021 she had a near-fatal medical event and could not work on her writing. To refresh the memories of those who read “The Paper Route,” the sequel includes a summary of the first book in its prologue, McDonald said. McDonald was born in Lowell to a French-Canadian family, who regularly spoke both English and French. With a similar background, McDonald said she drew inspiration from the late Jack Kerouac. “Although he was a bit before my time, I’ve always felt a kinship with fellow Franco-American Lowellian, Jack Kerouac. He lived on ‘sad Beaulieu,’ a couple of streets down from where I was raised in the Centralville section of the city,” said McDonald. “Like Mr. Kerouac, I was and remain enamored of the written word. Unlike him, I’ve been an ordinary writer, high-school editor for the Lowell Sun newspaper, TV reporter for the Lowell Sun, freelance magazine article writer, commercial newsletter writer in the electronics and telecommunications industries, professional technical writer, children’s book author, and most recently, novelist.” After writing two books, McDonald said she hadn’t found success in following the more conventional rules of writing fiction, and instead found it easier to, in a way, work backwards. BOOKS L

Formats
Paperback Book Details
  • B0CJD8924S
  • pages
  • $
ADVERTISEMENT

Loading...