Review 124: Secret on Cobb Mountain by Kit DeCanti

Secret on Cobb Mountain
by Kit DeCanti
CreateSpace (March 2009)
ISBN: 1442126787
316 Pages
$12.95 Paperback
$9.97 Amazon Kindle

I will admit that a “romantic mystery” is not my first choice for a book I’d read for review here or for pleasure. But what convinced me to give Kit DeCanti’s book a sincere try was a YouTube video that she posted of herself reading the prologue.  Proof that book trailers and author videos on the web do work! Not only does Kit do a good job at it and has a good voice for reading out loud, but I admired the unique and uncommon attention to certain details that might otherwise be overlooked.  I was immediately captivated, like a small child in the library who just sat down for story time.

For a mystery, at  first the reader usually overlooks said details but discovers later that they should have been paying closer attention. In the video, watch Kit’s face when she mentions the water bottle the woman is carrying, and when “a little smile crept across her face.”  That was enough for me, and I knew I immediately wanted to read more of this book:

First, I’d like to point out some physical attributes of the book itself which immediately appealed to me as soon as I received it in the mail.  The book is not the traditional 6×9 trade paperback, but rather 8 x 5.5.  I really liked this size because the book is just over 300 pages.  The spine measures 3/4′s of an inch, but the size of the book itself helps to make it seem not so daunting for readers like me who usually frown at self-published books that top 300 pages. The crisp green background with white letters also gives the book a very classic feel.  The cover art by Jeff Tangen Photography appears a bit darker online as shown above, but on the book itself it actually works perfectly.  Though darker on the book than the original on the photographer’s website, I think Kit meant for it to seem a bit mysterious yet alluring. The arrangement on the cover is simple, but like I said, I think the font, colors, and artwork really help to give the book a timeless feel.  It is definitely a book I’d pick up from a table in the bookstore, so other authors out there struggling with their book covers should take note.

As I sat down to read the book, the larger font struck me as odd. Each line of text has seven to nine words at most, making this a very quick read for me.  I decided to ask the author about the larger font, and discovered this was actually a request from friends:

As far as the print size goes- yes, I deliberately had it printed with a larger font.  When I announced my intentions to publish this book, many of my friends who are avid readers requested larger print.  It certainly makes for a more comfortable read.

I agree with Kit. With the size of the book itself and the font, it definitely was a comfortable read for me which I found to be very satisfying.  So, another tip for authors out there struggling with format: ask your friends what they like and don’t like.

It’s obvious that the book is also a personal journey for the author.  She takes great care in letting the reader know the book celebrates “her love of the unusual county she has been blessed to live in.”  That being Lake County, California.  The front matter even contains a thank you page where Kit pays gratitude to various places and businesses that allowed her to use their name in the book.  I thought this was a very nice touch because even though the book is a work of fiction, I always enjoy a story where characters visit real towns and real places.  In fact, I enjoy it so much I tend to put real buildings and places in my own writing, sometimes even in disguise, serving only a purpose that is personal to me.  It’s also fun to Google these points of interest when I’m done reading a book.

The story itself follows a rookie deputy named Ron Simons.  The death of a young woman (murder or suicide?)  leads Simons on an unusual journey throughout Cobb Mountain and Lake County as he gets to know his new home and some of its odd inhabitants.  Kit has obviously breathed much of her fondness for her home into the lead character and it really helped to develop him as a leading man.

The details and investigation of the mystery at hand are kept quite simple, and for someone like me who doesn’t read too many mysteries, I can appreciate that.  Television shows like CSI tend to over-dramatize the intricate science involved in solving cases, turning all of us into blood spatter experts and DNA analyzers right in our living rooms (It’s on TV so it must be true!).  Kit avoids that aspect of the story and concentrates instead on a mysterious woman named Kat who keeps weaving in and out of the story, and eventually captures the heart of Ron. Their romance is kept light though, and as a male reader I didn’t once feel like I was falling into a Harlequin romance.

Overall, Secret On Cobb Mountain came as a total surprise to me.  Congratulations to Mrs. DeCanti for stepping outside the boundaries created by self-published books trying to blend into the traditional publishing background.  This is a book that does stand out above the rest, and deserves its spot front and center.  A great read not just for mystery or romance fanatics!