Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Janyre Tromp’s debut historical novel, Shadows in the Mind’s Eye. I am especially excited because it is set in my state, Arkansas! Read on for more about the book, my review, and be sure to enter the tour giveaway linked at the end of the post.
“Tromp weaves a complex historical tale incorporating love, suspense, hurt, and healing—all the elements that keep the pages turning.”
~ Julie Cantrell, New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of Perennials
Charlotte Anne Mattas longs to turn back the clock. Before her husband, Sam, went to serve his country in the war, he was the man everyone could rely on—responsible, intelligent, and loving. But the person who’s come back to their family farm is very different from the protector Annie remembers. Sam’s experience in the Pacific theater has left him broken in ways no one can understand—but that everyone is learning to fear.
Tongues start wagging after Sam nearly kills his own brother. Now when he claims to have seen men on the mountain when no one else has seen them, Annie isn’t the only one questioning his sanity and her safety. If there were criminals haunting the hills, there should be evidence beyond his claims. Is he really seeing what he says, or is his war-tortured mind conjuring ghosts?
Annie desperately wants to believe her husband. But between his irrational choices and his nightmares leaking into the daytime, she’s terrified he’s going mad. Can she trust God to heal Sam’s mental wounds—or will sticking by him mean keeping her marriage at the cost of her own life?
Debut novelist Janyre Tromp delivers a deliciously eerie, Hitchcockian story filled with love and suspense. Readers of psychological thrillers and historical fiction by Jaime Jo Wright and Sarah Sundin will add Tromp to their favorite authors list.
To read an excerpt of Shadows in the Mind’s Eye, click here.
Shadows in the Mind’s Eye is a riveting historical mystery with plenty of twists and psychological suspense. Set just after WWII, it follows Sam’s homecoming and early days adjusting to civilian life on his Arkansas mountain farm, where events and his imagination collide causing Sam and his family to question reality and his sanity.
Annie is a strong, relatable character, whose heartbreaking past colors her perception and reactions to the new reality of Sam’s return, bringing her own set of doubts concerning who to trust and believe. Sam, very much the hero of the story, exhibits a relatable vulnerability and the strains a trauma such as war can cause. A great cast of additional characters, from friends to villains to beloved family members, round out the story. Dovie May, in particular, sheds light and wisdom on a few different situations, bringing a strong theme of HOPE in the shadows and chaos to the forefront.
I think it is clever that both Annie and Sam’s points of view alternate to ground the reader in their perspectives. As events unfold, Annie and Sam question the stability of their dynamic and the confidence they have in adjusting to a new normal postwar. Their points of view also serve to show the reader the sacrifice and strength of character required on both sides of war — active service and the homefront.
It is always fascinating to learn real-life history through novels, and Tromp accomplishes this with an atmospheric flair as real historical figures and the subterfuge of illegal activities provide a backdrop to the story. As an Arkansan myself, I have visited the Hot Springs area and the Ouachita Mountains where Sam and Annie make their home, and I can confidently say Janyre Tromp has perfectly captured the setting of this novel!
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. This is my honest review.
Janyre Tromp (pronounced Jan-ear) is a historical suspense novelist who loves spinning tales that, at their core, hunt for beauty, even when it isn’t pretty. She’s the author of Shadows in the Mind’s Eye and coauthor of It’s a Wonderful Christmas.
A firm believer in the power of an entertaining story, Tromp is also a book editor and published children’s book author. She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with her husband, two kids, two crazy cats, and a slightly eccentric Shetland Sheepdog.
You can find her on Facebook (@JanyreTromp), Instagram (@JaynreTromp), Twitter (@JanyreTromp), and her website, www.JanyreTromp.com where you can download a free copy of her novella, Wide Open.
The prize pack includes:
- A copy of Shadows in the Mind’s Eye,
- A custom made silver peach tree necklace inspired by the book,
- A “Light speaks through the broken places” t-shirt also inspired by the book.
The Green Mockingbird 