Tag: Women Sleuths

Undeveloped Memories
Women Sleuths/Women’s Fiction
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wild Rose Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 10, 2025
Print length ‏ : ‎ 246 pages
Paperback
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1509262903
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1509262908
Kindle
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1509262915
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0FF5FRS3N

We assume we know everything there is to know about those who raised us…until we discover that we don’t!

Lorelei Carmichael returns home to check up on her aging uncle, but another investigation awaits her. An undeveloped roll of film, abandoned by her photographer uncle, beckons her attention. Also a photographer, she develops the images and discovers an Alaskan journey he never disclosed, alongside a woman and child.

When an opportunity provides her the chance to peek into the past, she retraces his footsteps through the Alaskan countryside. Will she figure out the whole picture of this unfinished love story? And might the trail of breadcrumbs lead her to capture a love of her own?

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Back in 1964,  photojournalist Reed Carmichael’s life took a drastic change. He lost his brother and sister-in-law in a fire at their restaurant and left the love of his life behind to move to Sedona, Arizona, to raise his niece, Lorelei, and his nephew, Harley.

Fast forward to 2014, Lorelei is a renowned freelance photojournalist traveling the world, and Harley is a cattle rancher, married with a growing family.

This time, it is Lorelei’s life that is changing. Harley was worried about their Uncle Reed’s health and had moved him into a nursing home. After all their Uncle had done for them, she didn’t want to leave him in the nursing home. She has come home to Sedona in hopes of bringing her uncle home, where she will take care of him. While getting the family home ready, so finds an undeveloped roll of film and an envelope of photographs. She decides to develop the film, and the pictures pique her curiosity about Uncle Reed’s adventure before her parents’ death.

When she receives a lucrative offer for a job that will take her to Alaska to do a major piece marking the fiftieth anniversary of the 1963 earthquake. An event that her Uncle Reed was covering when he was called home to take care of them. Now she may be able to get answers to her questions, taking the same path he did when covering the immediate aftermath.

What she finds could change her uncle’s life and maybe her own.

I easily escaped into this book.

Uncle Reed made a huge sacrifice, but he never regretted his decision. He put Harley and Lorelei first, never even telling them about such an important and meaningful part of his life. Lorelei is a strong, intelligent woman with mad photography skills. Her career was her life, and she was happy with it. Harley is more social and busy with the menagerie of children and animals on his ranch. He and Lorelei don’t see each other often, but the brother/sister interactions felt true to life. Reed’s longtime friend Gabe is such a kind man. The men have always had each other’s backs.

Treking around the Alaska countryside with Lorelei was so entertaining. With a lot of ground to cover, I wasn’t sure how she could fulfill the assignment in just a few days. Almost every person she met was willing to be interviewed, gave names of others she should talk to, or sent her to places where she could gain knowledge about the horrendous earthquake. The Alaskan people were so welcoming, with stories to tell, and Lorelei was always willing to listen. Little did she know that a person she met on the airplane would be so instrumental in her quest to learn more about her uncle.

Undeveloped Memories is a heartwarming story with characters you will immediately care for and root for. It was very easy to get invested in their lives. I loved the ending and its message. I also enjoy learning about new things from the books I read. I was so young when the “Great Alaskan” earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2 hit more than half a country away; I knew nothing about this deadly event until I read this book. I highly recommend taking a little journey to Alaska with Lorelei as she solves the mystery of Reed’s time there many years before. For me, it was A Perfect Escape!

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC.

Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent

About the Author

Karina Bartow grew up and still lives in Northern Ohio. Though born with Cerebral Palsy, she’s never allowed her disability to define her. Rather, she’s used her experiences to breathe life into characters who have physical limitations, but like her, are determined not to let them stand in the way of the life they want. Her debut novel, “Husband in Hiding,” came out in 2015, followed by “Forgetting My Way Back to You,” in 2018 and “Brother of Interest” in 2022. She may only be able to type with one hand, but she writes with her whole heart!

To learn more, visit www.KarinaBartow.com

Also written by Karina Bartow

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