Twenty-Five Years Ago Today [Kindle Edition]

An entertaining murder mystery with a twist of romance. Twenty-something Kris Langley is an editorial assistant with the local newspaper, primarily writing obits and providing short snippets for the Twenty-Five Years Ago Today column. She wants to be more involved in writing stories for the paper, and resents her colleagues who have no scruples and yet are praised for their work at the newspaper. When Kris comes across a story about a local girl, Diana Ferguson, who was murdered 25 years ago, she feels a need to investigate. Kris's own cousin was murdered when they were just children and Kris has always blamed herself. If she solves Diana's case, bringing the killer to justice, would it help to ease her guilt over her cousin's murder? We follow Kris's investigation, as she finds the people who knew Diana, and interviews them. When she meets Eric Soares, Diana's nephew, a romance blossoms despite Kris's attempts to keep him at a distance.
I found Stacy Juba's writing style compulsive, and the action was fast-paced and realistic. The psychological aspects to the story were well thought out and true-to-life. I particularly liked the depiction of the competitive behaviour of the staff at the newsroom.
'Twenty-Five Years Ago Today' is so much more than just a murder mystery. It deals with many emotional subject areas which everyone will be able to relate to, including family relationships, guilt, forgiveness, secrets, bereavement, trust; all woven into this intriguing tale of a long-forgotten crime.
I loved the way all the action in the present day related in some way to the past, almost as if the characters had all been trapped back in time to some extent because of events that had changed their lives. In parts, this book reminded me of old detective serials, because of the slick way in the which the investigation was handled.
It's a perfect little book. I read it as an ebook download but now I have to buy the paperback because it's one of those books that you'll want to keep for ever. Highly recommended.

Enjoyed the story, but found the ending a little bit too much and a bit OTT however the plot line was well thought out and the book basically well written

Review of Twenty Five Years Ago Today by Stacy Juba
5 stars

I totally enjoyed this thoroughly engrossing mystery, a romantic suspense by Stacy Juba. Kris Langley is a woman with a long-held secret: she considers herself responsible for the death of her much-loved cousin Nicole, when they were both twelve. During her work as an editorial assistant at a newspaper, writing obits and birth and wedding announcements, she happens upon a crime account from twenty-five years earlier: the death of a 21-year-old woman, a promising artist, working as a cocktail waitress. Although there were a couple of ex-boyfriend suspects, the case quickly went cold and stayed that way. Kris begins to investigate, and befriends the bereaved mother, sister, and brother-in-law. The dead woman's nephew at first agitates against her questioning, but it isn't long before the sparks between Eric and Kris fly, for other reasons entirely.

Author Stacy Juba keeps the suspense burner turned up to the max, and although there are plenty of possibilities, and what seems a pretty certain result, I think readers will find themselves surprised at the outcome. Ms. Juba also really delineates the layers of emotion involved, both in the death of Diana Ferguson so many years earlier, and in the murder of Kris' cousin, and shows us the aftermath of both crimes.

I highly recommend this mystery-it's a re-reader.