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Book Review: Sedona

Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆ 4/5

Title: Sedona

Author: Kerry Fryar Freeman

Publication Date: November 15, 2023

Genre: Mystery, Modern Fiction

Cover:

The cover has a fun feel, with its animated character peeking over the rim of her sunglasses. Using the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona, in the reflection adds an interesting focal point.

Premise

When Cal Novak’s grandmother, Ruth, is diagnosed with cancer, there is only one place she wants to go: Sedona, Arizona, which is an area known for its magical healing ability. But Cal’s work soon dries up as a freelance editor, leaving her to take a job as a tour guide for Belle Butte Touring Company, a new business opened by the mysterious out-of-towner Mark Courier. What starts as a way for Cal to make ends meet turns into a case of investigative journalism as she begins to untangle the secrets of Sedona and its unusual town of characters.

Why I chose this book:

Author Keery Freeman requested this review. I’ve always loved Sedona and wondered how she would incorporate the location into the story.

First Impression:

Having just been through two cancer diagnoses with my own family, I identified with the feeling of uprooting one’s life to care for a family member. While the initial part of the story dealt with Ruth’s cancer diagnosis and the move to Sedona, Freeman also introduced her main cast of quirky characters. Chapter eight is when I found myself more interested in the story and the mystery surrounding Cal’s new boss and his tourism company.

What I loved:

Perhaps my favorite aspect of Sedona is Freeman’s portrayal of Cal. She is the only family member left to care for her grandmother, but she is young and full of dreams. Cal sacrifices everything to provide for Ruth’s care, which comes at a cost to her dreams and personal life. Freeman summed it up perfectly when she wrote, “It was a constant internal battle between guilt and claustrophobia, like living on a ledge debating whether she should jump into the vast openness.” I suspect this is a feeling many caregivers can identify with.

Additional Thoughts:

The story had a bit of a slow start, and I would have preferred to have spent more time reading about Cal’s sleuth work. However, Freeman delivered a realistic story without any outlandish events, which was enjoyable as I could imagine this storyline happening in real life.

Quotable Quotes:

• The house was on a flat, weed-ridden lot with the red rocks of Sedona rising behind it like a sunset that never went away. She felt the glow of red against everything in the house: the walls, furniture, floor, and clothes. Cal was in a constant state of light red as if someone had washed her world with a red sock.
• The tear fell hot down her cheek, and the image of the waterfall in the cave came to her mind, a gush of water so strong yet disappearing into an unseen void. She wondered where her tears came from, how all that confusion and pain fit into one droplet, and how releasing it could feel so free, yet it was all an illusion. It was helplessness—and guilt for feeling helpless.
• “Trust me, I’m not losing sleep over Mark, just treading lightly until I figure out the game. There’s always a game with people like him. It’s like chess, but you don’t know who’s a pawn or king.”
• You don’t know everything Cal. You think you do, just like everyone your age. You hear what you want to hear. That’s what makes you dangerous.”

Who might enjoy this book:

Sedona is ideal for readers of modern fiction who enjoy a good mystery.

Overall Impression:

Four stars. Sedona is a well-written novel that highlights the beauty and magic of Sedona, Arizona, as seen through the young eyes of Cal Novak. Freeman offers readers a believable modern mystery with an ambitious main character who comes to understand that while life can take you places you never meant to go, it can also offer you opportunities that you didn’t even know you wanted.

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