Sins of Man: The Ivy League Chronicles Book Two
E.K. Prescott
Paper Raven Books (2021)
ISBN 978-1-7366806-2-9
Reviewed by Ashley Hooker for Reader Views (12/2021)
E.K. Prescott does not disappoint her readers with the second book in her Ivy league Chronicles series, “Sins of Man.” If anything, she has increased the level of mystery and sprinkled her story with some infatuation.
“Sins of Man” is the continuation of her first book, “Nine Squares.” Professor Wikki is still working at Yale and still has possession of the elusive amulet. Maize is still the young woman attending Yale, hoping for a chance to be a famous investigative reporter. Scott is still the adored big brother to Maize.
Professor Wikki, Scott, and Maize are attending the famous Yale football game against Harvard when a student named Tad is found dead. Professor Wikki goes into detective mode and learns the dead student has died from some bad alcohol. This student won’t be the last to die from a bad batch. Maize is enlisted to help investigate since she is a student on campus. During her investigation, a boy named Tommy develops a crush. Tommy is a member of a family gang that delivers alcohol, and they don’t like Maize. The story continues with new developments regarding bad batches of alcohol and the continuing investigation of the amulet. Professor Wikki tries to piece the puzzle together about what he saw in the previous book and what that has to do with an amulet.
While I am intrigued by the author’s story line, I am more impressed by her analysis of the time period. The Ivy League Chronicles are set in the Roaring Twenties. Prohibition is at its height; gangs and family mafias are breaking the rules all in the name of a dollar and a drink. Prescott points out that while Prohibition was a good idea, it had the opposite effect than was intended for. It was an act of telling the kid not to touch that button, which made them want to touch it even more.
I give “Sins of Man” five stars because Prescott has put together a story line that will keep you turning pages. She knows how to execute the art of suspense in her writing. Best of all, the editing is impeccable. Her character development is fantastic. I always feel like I could sit down with Professor Wikki or Maize and have the best conversations. Her storyline is entertaining while thought-provoking.
My only recommendation for readers is to start with book one in this series. I continue to recommend this series to anyone that loves a good mystery with the flair of a speakeasy and danger of the mafia.
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