Joseph Benedict Reads Chapters 41-42 of “Frozen Harvest” – The Cold Case Detective Novel

Chapter 41 synopsis: “TJ venturing out onto the ice in the storm’s dangerous conditions, soon finds himself facing one of his worst nightmares.”

Chapter 42 synopsis: “Sam no longer can logically reason with Joel’s lack of communication, and with his whereabouts unknown, she goes in person to Seven Lakes Police Department to file a report.” – From Frozen Harvest Book written by Joseph Benedict.

Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcmcuDQl5WA&list=PLGA2_kFWaNHVamhplrEOaNSFYyih8glsg

In this video series, The Author, Joseph Benedict, reads from his book Frozen Harvest, The Detective Cold Case Novel, and invites you to read along with him, or hang back and enjoy. In this Video Joseph reads Chapters 41 and 42 of the book, which are pages 170 through 174. The Author will release a video weekly and hopes that you’ll join him as we follow Detective “Joel Vick” on his journey of solving the mysterious Cold Case of Mary Benton.

Overview of “Frozen Harvest”: Mary Benton, traveling alone by train, arrived in the small town of Seven Lakes, Minnesota, on December 5, 1925. In the early evening of December 22, Mary left her room at The Seven Lakes Grand Hotel, venturing out into the middle of a severe snowstorm, never to return. Authorities at the time ruled her disappearance, an accidental death due to exposure even though they never recovered her body. A mysterious letter arriving at the office of Minneapolis detective Joel Vick, nearly ninety years after her disappearance, suggested there may have been something else at play on that fateful night.

Genre: FICTION, Mystery and Detective. Current edition: 200 pages Paperback.

Book Detailed Description: Joel Vick, a Minneapolis detective, down on his luck, receives an opportunity in the form of a mysterious letter delivered to his office. The letter alludes to a 90-year-old missing person case that took place in the small northern Minnesota town of Seven Lakes. Joel, as a child, had spent numerous summers in Seven Lakes vacationing with his family. With a downturn in requests for his services locally, and his natural curiosity aroused, Vick drives up to have a look at the town he hadn’t visited in over 40 years. Initially frustrated that he had wasted his time after visiting the person who wrote the letter, Vick discovers something unusual that changes his mind about leaving. Vick, digging further into the case, determines that the investigation performed at the time of her disappearance to be entirely inadequate. Using his investigative skills, Vick stitches together a story of a beautiful young woman who is looking for a new start, but unable to escape her past. The story set against the backdrop of severe winter snowstorms, extreme cold, and a robust ice harvesting industry that flourished in the decades before refrigeration rendered it obsolete.

About the Author: Joseph Benedict, born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, spent eight years in the US. Air Force before joining the corporate world. For the past nine years, Benedict has been a writer who tells his company narratives through articles, features, and press releases. Benedict loves the creative process of telling a good story and maintains a blog where he publishes his works of fiction and daily human struggles. Benedict currently makes his home in Camden, SC.

Order your copy of the book by visiting Select Bookstores, all Online Booksellers, BookBabby Bookshop; Amazon; and Barnes & Noble. Follow Joseph Benedict Blog by visiting: https://josephbenedictblog.com/

Joseph Benedict Reads Chapters 37-40 of “Frozen Harvest” – The Cold Case Detective Novel

Chapter 37 synopsis: “TJ, dressing for severe weather, leaves his house and makes his way toward the lake where dangerous white-out conditions prevail.”

Chapter 38 synopsis: “Joel, finally escaping his incarceration, is amazed by the amount of snow that has fallen during the day, and retrieving his car, travels back down shoreline drive toward the hotel.”

Chapter 39 synopsis: “Sam, reluctant at first to go to the police, finally decides to report that Joel is missing.”

Chapter 40 synopsis: “Joel nearly wrecking his car when suddenly catching sight of a bright orange object directly in his path, spins out on the snow-covered road, and ends up in a wooded lot. On foot, he discovers footprints where the orange object had been leading out onto the ice.” – From Frozen Harvest Book written by Joseph Benedict.

Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIpBJO59w7Y&list=PLGA2_kFWaNHVamhplrEOaNSFYyih8glsg

In this video series, The Author, Joseph Benedict, reads from his book Frozen Harvest, The Detective Cold Case Novel, and invites you to read along with him, or hang back and enjoy. In this Video Joseph reads Chapters 37, 38, 39, and 40 of the book, which are pages 162 through 169. The Author will release a video weekly and hopes that you’ll join him as we follow Detective “Joel Vick” on his journey of solving the mysterious Cold Case of Mary Benton.

Genre: FICTION, Mystery and Detective. Current edition: 200 pages Paperback.

Joseph Benedict Reads Chapters 34-36 of “Frozen Harvest” – The Cold Case Detective Novel

Chapter 34 synopsis: “Mr. & Mrs. Shaffer, receiving a call from the nursing home asking them to come to the facility, learn upon arrival that Mrs. Shaffer’s father, Mr. Williams, has passed.”

Chapter 35 synopsis: “Sam beginning her search at Joel’s hotel, is not encouraged to learn from the Valet that Joel leaving the hotel around 10:00 AM had not returned.”

Chapter 36 synopsis: “Joel finally discovers a hand-hold on the Icehouse’s front wall and carefully makes his way toward some loose boards where he believes his best chance of escape lies.” – From Frozen Harvest Book written by Joseph Benedict.

Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKRr1Se1dLY&list=PLGA2_kFWaNHVamhplrEOaNSFYyih8glsg

In this video series, The Author, Joseph Benedict, reads from his book Frozen Harvest, The Detective Cold Case Novel, and invites you to read along with him, or hang back and enjoy. In this Video Joseph reads Chapters 34, 35, and 36 of the book, which are pages 157 through 161. The Author will release a video weekly and hopes that you’ll join him as we follow Detective “Joel Vick” on his journey of solving the mysterious Cold Case of Mary Benton.

Genre: FICTION, Mystery and Detective. Current edition: 200 pages Paperback.

Joseph Benedict Reads Chapters 29-33 of “Frozen Harvest” – The Cold Case Detective Novel

Chapter 29 synopsis: “Sam leaving Fairview for Seven Lakes in a severe storm is worried something has happened to Joel.”

Chapter 30 synopsis: “TJ waking from a bad dream, feels a force compelling him to go back onto the frozen lake and search for the woman he saw frozen in the ice.”

Chapter 31 synopsis: “Joel locked in the old, abandoned Icehouse all day and scraped up from his attempted escapes, readies himself for one more effort.”

Chapter 32 synopsis: “Sam is relieved to have arrived safely into Seven Lakes begins her search for Joel.”

Chapter 33 synopsis: “TJ finding his house empty with a note from his parents saying they were called in to the nursing home and his brother at an away basketball game with the school team, has the perfect opportunity to go back onto the ice in an attempt to resolve his nightmares.” – From Frozen Harvest Book written by Joseph Benedict.

Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBIwcHCKceQ&list=PLGA2_kFWaNHVamhplrEOaNSFYyih8glsg

In this video series, The Author, Joseph Benedict, reads from his book Frozen Harvest, The Detective Cold Case Novel, and invites you to read along with him, or hang back and enjoy. In this Video Joseph reads Chapters 29, 30, 31, 32, and 33 of the book, which are pages 150 through 156. The Author will release a video weekly and hopes that you’ll join him as we follow Detective “Joel Vick” on his journey of solving the mysterious Cold Case of Mary Benton.

Genre: FICTION, Mystery and Detective. Current edition: 200 pages Paperback.

Joseph Benedict Reads Chapters 25-28 of “Frozen Harvest” – The Cold Case Detective Novel

Chapter 25 synopsis: “TJ Shaffer, not feeling well after school, falls asleep in his room as a severe winter storm starts to show signs of what’s to come.”

Chapter 26 synopsis: “Joel, locked inside an old Ice House storage building, looks for a way to escape.”

Chapter 27 synopsis: “Old man Williams waking up in his room at the Nursing Home sees an apparition straight out of one of his nightmares staring down at him from the side of his bed. Fear getting the best of him, he succumbs to a heart-attack and dies after nearly 100 years.”

Chapter 28 synopsis: “TJ Shaffer having a fitful sleep with bad dreams, wakes up on his bedroom floor tangled in covers and covered in sweat with the feeling there is something he must do.” – From Frozen Harvest Book written by Joseph Benedict.

Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHLMlnZgPeA&list=PLGA2_kFWaNHVamhplrEOaNSFYyih8glsg

In this video series, The Author, Joseph Benedict, reads from his book Frozen Harvest, The Detective Cold Case Novel, and invites you to read along with him, or hang back and enjoy. In this Video Joseph reads Chapters 25, 26, 27, and 28 of the book, which are pages 146 through 149. The Author will release a video weekly and hopes that you’ll join him as we follow Detective “Joel Vick” on his journey of solving the mysterious Cold Case of Mary Benton.

Genre: FICTION, Mystery and Detective. Current edition: 200 pages Paperback.

Coming Home

As I turn off the main road, there is an immediate sense of stepping back in time; here, shade and quiet close me in with hardwood branches arching above the lane. At the far end, where the trees open up, bright sunlight mimics the end of a tunnel. Low brick walls boarding expansive lawns run parallel to the lane connecting walkways and driveways, where hedges and plantings partially hide historic homes on top of a ridgeline. Markers tell of a historical hard-fought battle between the Continental Army and British on this same ridge 239 years previous.

Turning onto a private drive running along an easement, I see tall Cedars marching up the hill on the right and cozy cottages nestled between private gardens on the left. As I approach the ridgeline, a familiar cupola appears on the horizon, and with glimpses of a green sea beyond, I am grateful to be home.

The paved road ends with the last cottage, and a gravel one with grass growing in its center continues down the hill’s backside. A wooden fence lined with hydrangea leads to an entry gate and going through the gravel drive forks to create a circle around an island of grass, Hollie bushes, and small trees providing some little privacy for the main house.

A delightful patch of shaded grass located on the uppermost part of the yard and enclosed by a line of hydrangea and pear trees hug the gravel lane. Between the foliage, I can see a white picket fence running from the guest cottage to the perimeter fence.

Rounding the bend and heading toward the main house, the same style picket fence encloses the home’s courtyard. The picket’s connecting with an old brick wall that runs along the home’s back creates a shady pathway inviting a person to explore the rest of the property. A curved river rock pathway leads from the picket fence gate to a brightly painted red front door.

The gravel drive meeting the home’s wide carport that at one time would have accommodated carriages has two small crosshatch doors above, hinting at its original use as a hayloft. The carports exterior wall with two windows allows the end of day sunlight to flood across and warm its floors. The windows overlook a side yard with a cobblestone river bed flowing toward the Polo field and a bamboo forest beyond the property line.

As I enter through the carport door, the familiar red-brown bricks, worn smooth by 130 years of groomsmen, carriage wheels, and residents, greet me. There is a sense of permanence walking across them, and their imperfections are as welcoming as an old friend. The craftsmanship and attention to detail, sometimes equal to a properties’ principal residence, are often lavished on Carriage Houses of the past.

The main hallway today is awash in light from two large windows at either end. On sunny winter days, the sun’s rays heat the bricks and acting as a passive solar system; the bricks radiate their stored heat well into the evening.

At the end of the hallway, double doors lead into the main barn, where the old horse stable wall markings are evident on the floor. Two intricate brass half doors also span the double door opening and are used today to coral dogs. Here the ceilings are 12 feet in height. A single row of ten square windows abutted to each other run high near the top of the wall on either side of the room; the window frames long ago painted shut, have hinges that speak of a time before air conditioning. Inside the frames, the wavy glass tells their age, and looking through them renders trees and flowering plants like an impressionist painting by Monet. The room, voluminous, is somehow still cozy. The kitchen, which I suspect once operated as a tack room, now flows out onto a deck overlooking the midline of a historic Polo Field. The field being a low point is often shrouded in fog in the early morning, adding to the mystique of these lands’ history.

Welcome, Home.

Joseph Benedict Reads Chapter 24 of “Frozen Harvest” – The Cold Case Detective Novel

Chapter 24 synopsis: “Joel waking up in the middle of the night sensing someone, is in his hotel room, has a harrowing experience as unseen forces appear to be warning him away from his investigation.” – From Frozen Harvest Book written by Joseph Benedict.

Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WilSmFnmHLQ&list=PLGA2_kFWaNHVamhplrEOaNSFYyih8glsg

In this video series, The Author, Joseph Benedict, reads from his book Frozen Harvest, The Detective Cold Case Novel, and invites you to read along with him, or hang back and enjoy. In this Video Joseph reads Chapter 24 of the book, which are pages 140 through 145. The Author will release a video weekly and hopes that you’ll join him as we follow Detective “Joel Vick” on his journey of solving the mysterious Cold Case of Mary Benton.

Genre: FICTION, Mystery and Detective. Current edition: 200 pages Paperback.

Joseph Benedict Reads Chapter 23 of “Frozen Harvest” – The Cold Case Detective Novel

Chapter 23 synopsis: “Mary believes she is out of options, leaving the comfort and warmth of the Seven Lakes Grand Hotel, and ventures into a raging snowstorm. The mysterious meeting and destination a gamble for her future, propelled by desperation.” – From Frozen Harvest Book written by Joseph Benedict.

Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiTOBVpRM-g&list=PLGA2_kFWaNHVamhplrEOaNSFYyih8glsg

In this video series, The Author, Joseph Benedict, reads from his book Frozen Harvest, The Detective Cold Case Novel, and invites you to read along with him, or hang back and enjoy. In this Video Joseph reads Chapter 23 of the book, which are pages 131 through 139. The Author will release a video weekly and hopes that you’ll join him as we follow Detective “Joel Vick” on his journey of solving the mysterious Cold Case of Mary Benton.

Genre: FICTION, Mystery and Detective. Current edition: 200 pages Paperback.

The Greatest Lake

Lichen and moss of countless shades of green cling for life on misshaped boulders littering the forest floor. Dampness, the smell of earth, and decomposition fill my nostrils. I sense the open vastness of blue beyond the tree line but had yet to glimpse its true grandeur. Walking carefully now and hearing a low rumble of waves crashing far below, I expect a severe drop-off where the trees end. Closer now, I see the water’s surface stretching to the horizon with no land in sight.

As a child, I can remember the Lake’s mood changing throughout the day, sometimes wearing a shimmering silver coat, sometimes slate gray or a dark blue-green when a steady wind blew breakers against its rugged shores. Today’s surface comprises the most pleasing shade of blue, and the massive body of water is seemingly content within its confines.

Clearing the last of the trees confirmed my suspicion as the land abruptly ended, and sheer-walled cliffs dropped precariously a 100 feet or more to Superiors surface. The shoreline’s spectacular view to the North and South only revealing a tiny portion of the Great Lake’s magnificence.

Peering over the edge, I could see boulders deceptive in both size and depth scattered across its floor just beyond where the cliffs started their ascent —the clarity of the water rivaling the purest of fresh-water springs of Northern Florida.

The Lake is always conveying a sense of uncontrollable power whenever I get into proximity—the rocky shoreline and cliffs standing guard battle against gigantic waves during November gales.

The North Shore of Lake Superior from Duluth to Grand Portage is a window into an earlier, more primitive time, and Superior remains too massive and wild ever to be tamed by man.

I am sitting still on my perch at the top of the cliff, watching and listening to the most glorious of the Great Lakes. I am as always taken aback by its immense beauty, respectful of its power, and grateful for its ability to connect me to its ancient past.

Joseph Benedict Reads Chapter 22 of “Frozen Harvest” – The Cold Case Detective Novel

Chapter 22 synopsis: “On the night of December 22, 1925, Timmy Williams sees the storm as an opportunity for a great adventure. Timmy, who is ten years old, spends most of his life in a made-up world to protect himself from the harshness of reality. Out within the storm, Timmy sees something strange that will weigh upon his conscious the rest of his life.” – From Frozen Harvest Book written by Joseph Benedict.

Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD5_DCej-e4&list=PLGA2_kFWaNHVamhplrEOaNSFYyih8glsg

In this video series, The Author, Joseph Benedict, reads from his book Frozen Harvest, The Detective Cold Case Novel, and invites you to read along with him, or hang back and enjoy. In this Video Joseph reads Chapter 22 of the book, which are pages 121 through 130. The Author will release a video weekly and hopes that you’ll join him as we follow Detective “Joel Vick” on his journey of solving the mysterious Cold Case of Mary Benton.

Genre: FICTION, Mystery and Detective. Current edition: 200 pages Paperback.