Striking Blind: A Sorrel Janes Mystery

Here we go again. Sorrel Janes, the protagonist of Lonna Enox’s Striking Blind, is in trouble again. She has abandoned her high-profile job as a television crime reporter in Houston, changed her name, entered witness protection, and moved to the small town of Saddle Gap, New Mexico, all to escape trouble. But as her boyfriend in Saddle Gap, the handsome hunk Chris Reed says to her, “Trouble follows you.” Now a part-time newspaper photographer who runs a gift shop, Sorrel accepts an assignment to visit a wilderness area where her editor has gotten wind of what might make a good story. It turns out that the bound corpse of a man killed by rattlesnake bites has been found in a cave, and one of the items on his person is a barely recognizable publicity photo of Sorrel taken ten years earlier when she was a television personality named Staci Lee Jameson. The discovery of the photograph might seem very worrisome, but Sorrel refuses to take it too seriously. When a box with a rattlesnake inside turns up in a filing drawer at her gift shop, she dismisses it as a kid’s prank. Next, she and Will, a college student who’s doing an internship at the newspaper, make a night visit to the rugged hillside below the cave where the snake-bitten victim was found, and they have to duck and run from rifle shots that land all around them. She’s worried, but she tries to pass it off by suggesting that the rifleman was probably a poacher who wanted to chase them away. Further troublesome events follow—a phone call in which a man’s voice addresses her as “Staci,” her name in her former life, a threatening email sent to Will, and an old barn on her boyfriend’s ranch is burned to the ground. Throughout these untoward incidents Sorrel displays a somewhat puzzling failure to disclose key facts to people who might help her figure out what’s going on. Nevertheless, her many friends, only a few of whom know about her secret past, the rest being simply good folk she’s met in Saddle Gap, help to sustain her. Episodes evoking her warm relations with these friends fill in the corners of the novel when Sorrel’s not actively being threatened by an unknown enemy. The end result is a story that will hold the reader’s interest from start to finish.

I really enjoyed reading “Striking Blind” for several reasons: a great, imaginative plot line, real multi-dimensional characters who I came to care and root for, lively dialogue spiced with humor in all the right places and last but not least – vivid descriptions of the landscapes which I could see right in front of my eyes.Sorrel, a young landscape and wildlife photographer who has just started a new life under a witness protection program, has to come face to face with some old demons after she sets out on a trip to investigate a tip given to her by a local newspaper editor. A man died a horrible death in one of the caves, and the more Sorrel and her young partner in the investigation, Will, probe into the mysterious case, the more dangerous the situation becomes…Besides an engaging plot that pulls you in from page one, I loved how the thriller aspect was interlaced with a personal relationship between the main characters; and the mama dog part simply melted my heart. Without giving away any spoilers let me just finish by saying that if you like cozy mysteries, you’ll enjoy this one for sure. I’ll definitely read more by the author. Five stars.

This book really held my attention all the way through. Have read all three of the books about Sorrel and her adventures and am constantly waiting for the next book. Description gives me a clear mental image of Sorrel, her house and shop and all of her friends to make the story come alive.These books are well written and not cranked out just to get another one out there. Looking forward to the next one.

Great Read! I just love how Sorrel and Reed are just inching closer into a real relationship while still stepping right into mystery after mystery. Sorrel's past continues to creep into her new life. She falls right back into the crime investigating she keeps trying to leave behind.Can't wait for the next mystery.

What a read! Lonna has done it again. I couldn't put this book down. Her writing style and they way she delivers a story is wonderful! I was sucked back in to the world she created with Sorrel and Reed. I have recommended this series to a lot of friends. Thanks for a terrific story!

My only question is when does the next installment come out? I love Sorrel and Reed and the trouble they get into I would definitely recommend this book in fact all three of this series . If I could give it ten stars I would

Loved the story. Just about a perfect read!!! I can just see Sorrels shop and house and the cats of course. I've read all three and Looking forward to the next book!!!

Great mystery. Easy to read. Can't wait for the next book.Go Lonna.