Midwest Book Review
The Fox And The Puma is set on an island off the coast of France, populated with an unexpected mixture of native farmers and fishermen with more or less affluent vacationers. There are natives like the Town Crier, beating his tinny drum to announce both good and evil news, and the aging femme fatale, Regine, jealous of her lovely, young daughter, and playing her own summer games at the topless beach. A puma escapes from an itinerant circus at the same time that a convicted rapist/murderer does the same from the nearby prison. When a nude, partly devoured woman's body is found near a popular beach, the island erupts into panic. Fred and Maggy Renard will be drawn into the investigation. Old hatreds and sins, dating as far back as the Nazi occupation in World War II, begin to surface, and many more ugly secrets will be exposed. Barbara Sohmers has debuted a marvelous couple into a small world of excitement, romance and danger. The Fox And The Puma is brightly written by an author of imagination and a talent for spinning a terrific suspense novel that will the reader hoping for more to come!

The Norman [Okla.] Transcript Mandy Bowerman April 20, 1997
"Barbara Sohmers writes in the preface of THE FOX AND THE PUMA that she loves reading mysteries. She couldn't find any books to her liking one day, and decided to write her own. She succeeded. The book is a good one and I couldn't put it down. The descriptions of the island, its inhabitants and characters are vivid and believable. Sohmers has a way of drawing the reader in, even to the point of being in the thoughts of the escaped mountain lion. THE FOX AND THE PUMA is the first Fred and Maggy adventure to appear in print. This reader is looking forward to the second installment, THE FOX AND THE PUSSYCAT.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Barbara Sohmers introduces you to her favorite couple of adventure, Maggy and Fred Renard. Their shared passions, from good food (Fred is an amateur gourmet chef... Maggy just likes to watch) to jazz music, the sea, and the quirks of humankind, will endear them to anyone who loves excitement, romance, and danger in exotic places. 'The Fox and the Puma' is set on an island off the coast of France, full of an unexpected mixture of local farmers and fisherman with more or less affluent vacationers. Summer brings prosperity to some, hardship to others, as the tiny island is invaded by tourists in search of sun and fun. You will meet natives like the Town Crier, beating his tinny drum to announce both good and evil news, and the aging femme fetale, Regine, jealous of her lovely young daughter, and playing her own summer games at the topless beach. A puma escapes from an itinerant circus at the time that a convicted rape. murderer does the same from the island erupts into panic. The Renards will be draw into the investigation. Old hatreds and sins, dating as far back as the Nazi occupation in World War II, begin to surface, and many more ugly secrets will be exposed. Maggy and Fred invite you to sail away with them and their unforgettable dog "Rug," to the sensuous, dangerous world of 'The Fox and the Puma.' 'The Fox and the Puma' is the first Renard adventure. The second will be 'The Fox and the Pussycat,' set in the night world of Paris.

SYNOPSIS

An island off the coast of Franc, a charming French couple Fred and Maggy Renard, sunny beaches, an escaped puma, a convicted rape/murderer on the loose, a nude parly devoured woman's body found on a popular beach. Will the Renards catch the killer before another body turns up?

FROM THE CRITICS

James A. Cox

"'The Fox and the Puma' is brightly written by an author of imagination and a talen for spinning a terrific suspense novel that will keep the reader hoping for more to come." --James A. Cox, The Midwest Book Review

Bowerman