This book was hard to follow. The author would skip from one storyline to another on the same page which made the flow of the book seem uneven. The story lacks focus and suspense and seems to get lost in the complicated plot and narrations of the multiple characters.
There were some aspects I liked. Each chapter starts and ends within the same day which is a unique concept. The author provides great detail about events, but these details do not bring any added insight to the story or the characters. At certain points I found myself skimming and wishing McMillan would just get to the point!
The main characters are a nurse named Narcissa Powers and former slave/herbalist named Judah Daniel. The two join forces to search for a mysteriously missing Confederate soldier whose mother Narcissa meets while caring for wounded soldiers in Ward 27. While there she is drawn to Sgt. Smith. Suffering from a gunshot wound in battle,and who had been treated in a home before his condition began to grow worse. His wounded leg had to be amputated, but not before tetanus had set in.
We are also introduced John Chapman and Susy Reynolds. Reynolds starts off the story by taking a letter, written by Henry Wise and given to Jefferson Davis , out of a fire place and sneaking it out. Later while making his daily deliveries of baked good, Chapman comes across a baby boy someone has abandoned in the graveyard at St. John’s church who he ends up turning over to Judah. She then begins a quest to find the mother of the baby who Chapman has named Moses.
While Narcissa is recovering from her illness she find the body of a dark skinned black man dressed in rough clothing near where John Chapman found the baby the day before. It is speculated that the man is connected to the baby somehow. After learning about the letter Susy had taken from Jefferson Davis, Narcissa begins to believe the dead man and perhaps the baby’s missing mother had discovered this secret and were killed to protect it.
At the climax of the story, we find out that the dead man, the missing mother, and the baby are all cousins of Susy. She had been planning on helping them escape to the North. However when the information about the letter was discovered by the young solider that Narcissa had believed to be dead, he killed the husband thinking the family was trying to go North to place the mysterious letter in the hands of the Union.
I was glad when the connection was finally made, but at that point the only reason I continued reading was to see what happened to the letter. I commend McMillan for her research about the Civil War. History buffs would enjoy the information provided about battles and tactics.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Last Scene Alive by: Charlaine Harris 2002 Library Crime and Librarian Detectives
I did not even know Harris wrote mysteries, but I had read several of her Sookie Stackhouse novels! I really liked this book. It is set in a small town in Georgia and our main character is a librarian named Roe Teagarden. Roe is still mourning the loss of her husband Martin.
Roe's world is turned upside down when her former boyfriend returns to Lawrenceton to film the screen version of his best selling novel. The novel is based on the story of Roe and Robin (the author) solving a string of murders committed in this small town. Roe is just beginning to live down the events; all she wants to be left in her own misery.
Roe does not want anything to do with the filming of the movie, but it seems everyone in town has gotten a job working with the crew. At first when Robin calls she hangs up on him and refuses to go to the set. In another interesting twist her stepson, Barrett, is in town working on the film. Barrett feels Roe married his father for his money (because Martin was 15 years older than Roe). Barrett is beyond nasty to Roe, however; she is there for Barrett when the leading lady in the movie shows up dead. Barrett had been intimate with Celia the night before.
Robin and Roe reconnect with each other and soon are kissing like teenagers. Robin shows Roe how she has been living in the past and making themselves miserable. Robin used to date the actress in the film and after her murder he wonders if Roe is next. One afternoon while leaving the library someone came up behind Roe and knocks her to the ground (she was more upset that she ruined the flowers she was carrying from Robin). Robin suspected a young woman who worked for the catering company who was providing food for the film. Tracy was a girl with a history of mental illness. She had stalked another author before Robin. One afternoon Tracy entered Roe's home when she held a knife to Roe's maid. In a struggle Tracy cuts Roe's arm and then falls on her own knife. Tracy admits she has been stalking Robin and that she had struck Celia in the head with her Emmy.
In another turn of events....the blow delivered to Celia's head with her Emmy was not what killed her. Before her death, Celia had gone to the library and checked out books. When the books were returned the secretary at the library started acting very strange and then she disappeared. The secretary was not who she said she was. It turns out she was the younger sister of a radical Black Panther member who made bombs during the sixties. Patricia was not who she seemed to be but she redeemed herself.
One night when alone in the library, one of the crew members from the employee entrance. Roe told the cameraman the library was closed and he would have to come back. He insisted that he had left something in one of the books Celia had checked out. The letter he was searching for blew to Roe's feet. She picked it up and discovered he was Celia's father. Celia had Huntington's disease and was beginning to show symptoms. Will had watched Celia's mother die after losing all her dignity from the disease. So Will drugged Celia and then suffocated her with a pillow. He thought it would be better for her to be remembered as the actress who died tragically rather than losing all control of her body. Roe knew too much now and he could not let her leave except.....the radical secretary had come back to the library to get something from her desk. She saw what was happening and struck Will in the back of the head with a gun. Roe made a pact to never say anything because she had saved her life. Roe takes blood and puts it on a corner of desk to make it look like Will hit his head during the struggle.
Roe ends up moving on with her life and is happy with Robin. I liked the twists and turns of the novel and I also lived the romantic aspect.
Roe's world is turned upside down when her former boyfriend returns to Lawrenceton to film the screen version of his best selling novel. The novel is based on the story of Roe and Robin (the author) solving a string of murders committed in this small town. Roe is just beginning to live down the events; all she wants to be left in her own misery.
Roe does not want anything to do with the filming of the movie, but it seems everyone in town has gotten a job working with the crew. At first when Robin calls she hangs up on him and refuses to go to the set. In another interesting twist her stepson, Barrett, is in town working on the film. Barrett feels Roe married his father for his money (because Martin was 15 years older than Roe). Barrett is beyond nasty to Roe, however; she is there for Barrett when the leading lady in the movie shows up dead. Barrett had been intimate with Celia the night before.
Robin and Roe reconnect with each other and soon are kissing like teenagers. Robin shows Roe how she has been living in the past and making themselves miserable. Robin used to date the actress in the film and after her murder he wonders if Roe is next. One afternoon while leaving the library someone came up behind Roe and knocks her to the ground (she was more upset that she ruined the flowers she was carrying from Robin). Robin suspected a young woman who worked for the catering company who was providing food for the film. Tracy was a girl with a history of mental illness. She had stalked another author before Robin. One afternoon Tracy entered Roe's home when she held a knife to Roe's maid. In a struggle Tracy cuts Roe's arm and then falls on her own knife. Tracy admits she has been stalking Robin and that she had struck Celia in the head with her Emmy.
In another turn of events....the blow delivered to Celia's head with her Emmy was not what killed her. Before her death, Celia had gone to the library and checked out books. When the books were returned the secretary at the library started acting very strange and then she disappeared. The secretary was not who she said she was. It turns out she was the younger sister of a radical Black Panther member who made bombs during the sixties. Patricia was not who she seemed to be but she redeemed herself.
One night when alone in the library, one of the crew members from the employee entrance. Roe told the cameraman the library was closed and he would have to come back. He insisted that he had left something in one of the books Celia had checked out. The letter he was searching for blew to Roe's feet. She picked it up and discovered he was Celia's father. Celia had Huntington's disease and was beginning to show symptoms. Will had watched Celia's mother die after losing all her dignity from the disease. So Will drugged Celia and then suffocated her with a pillow. He thought it would be better for her to be remembered as the actress who died tragically rather than losing all control of her body. Roe knew too much now and he could not let her leave except.....the radical secretary had come back to the library to get something from her desk. She saw what was happening and struck Will in the back of the head with a gun. Roe made a pact to never say anything because she had saved her life. Roe takes blood and puts it on a corner of desk to make it look like Will hit his head during the struggle.
Roe ends up moving on with her life and is happy with Robin. I liked the twists and turns of the novel and I also lived the romantic aspect.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Whispers in the Dark by: Eleanor Taylor Bland 2001 Native American (And Other Ethnic as African American, Hispanic)
I was not a big fan of this book. It contained two murder/attempted murder stories in one. The story was centered around Marti Macalister. She is a detective and her husband, Ben, is a paramedic. They have a blended family after the death of both of their previous spouses.
One story that takes place within the novel involved a series of arms which were found in the woods. There seems to be little to link the arms because they are found in a period of over 20 years. Two of the arms have materials linked to artists under their fingernails (one had paint and the other contained chemicals used to develop film). Marti and her partner Vik began asking questions in the artist community. They discovered a local artist named Lucy Carlisle stole art from other people and tried to pass it off as her own. When the artists came back to claim their work, Lucy killed them. The home she lived in was being sold to the government. The part being sold contained the shed that she had buried the bodies under. Once Lucy knew she was caught she shot herself.
In the other part of the story, Marti's best friend, Sharon gets herself in a lot of trouble. Sharon was born to a twelve year old named Rayveena. Rayveena entertained a lot of men during Sharon's childhood. She contracted AIDS and was dying. Sharon could not deal with her mother's illness. Sharon was dating a man named DeVonte. She had sent her daughter, Lisa to live with Marti because she did not want to introduce her daughter to DeVonte yet. Sharon and DeVonte decide to elope and take a honeymoon in his condo in the Bahamas. Sharon does not realize that DeVonte has killed several other women for their money. DeVonte did not realize Sharon had a daughter and therefore would have to split the life insurance and 401K from his wife's death. DeVonte lures Lisa to the island to kill her as well. Both Sharon and Lisa survive the attacks and return home safely. The book ends with DeVonte on a cruise for Hawaii looking for his next victim.
I feel this book would have been much better if it just focused on the story of Sharon and DeVonte. The story of the old artist murderer was not that interesting or believable. I feel like the author just tried to do too much and did not do either story justice.
One story that takes place within the novel involved a series of arms which were found in the woods. There seems to be little to link the arms because they are found in a period of over 20 years. Two of the arms have materials linked to artists under their fingernails (one had paint and the other contained chemicals used to develop film). Marti and her partner Vik began asking questions in the artist community. They discovered a local artist named Lucy Carlisle stole art from other people and tried to pass it off as her own. When the artists came back to claim their work, Lucy killed them. The home she lived in was being sold to the government. The part being sold contained the shed that she had buried the bodies under. Once Lucy knew she was caught she shot herself.
In the other part of the story, Marti's best friend, Sharon gets herself in a lot of trouble. Sharon was born to a twelve year old named Rayveena. Rayveena entertained a lot of men during Sharon's childhood. She contracted AIDS and was dying. Sharon could not deal with her mother's illness. Sharon was dating a man named DeVonte. She had sent her daughter, Lisa to live with Marti because she did not want to introduce her daughter to DeVonte yet. Sharon and DeVonte decide to elope and take a honeymoon in his condo in the Bahamas. Sharon does not realize that DeVonte has killed several other women for their money. DeVonte did not realize Sharon had a daughter and therefore would have to split the life insurance and 401K from his wife's death. DeVonte lures Lisa to the island to kill her as well. Both Sharon and Lisa survive the attacks and return home safely. The book ends with DeVonte on a cruise for Hawaii looking for his next victim.
I feel this book would have been much better if it just focused on the story of Sharon and DeVonte. The story of the old artist murderer was not that interesting or believable. I feel like the author just tried to do too much and did not do either story justice.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
The Body of Christopher Creed by: Carol Plum-Ucci 2000 YALSA and Other Young Adult Mystery Genre Top Choices
This book was rather strange. A young man disappears and turns the town upside down. The only clue anyone has to what happened to Christopher Creed is a cryptic letter he wrote to the principal. In his letter he describes how he does not get along with others and he lists some people he wishes he was more like. Creed says he has no other choice but to disappear.
One of the boys mentioned in the letter, Torey Adams, starts viewing things differently after the letter. Torey was a very popular boy who seemed to have it all; he played sports, had friends and a lovely girlfriend. Torey becomes annoyed when everyone else in the school seems to make a joke out of the disappearance of Creed. Torey even beats himself up for hitting Creed when they were in the 6th grade. Torey becomes interested in the whys, hows and wheres of this mysterious vanishing.
Creed's mother is a pretty scary lady. She was a former naval officer. She is determined that a boon (short for the underprivileged kids who live in the boondocks) named Bo killed her son. Bo pushed Creed off the bleachers the year before and broke his leg. Bo and his girlfriend Ali find a copy of the letter sent from Creed to the principal and save it to a disk. When the letter is found in Bo's locker it makes him look even more guilty.
Torey is determined to find out what happened to Creed. He and Ali used to be friend but have since drifted apart. She gained a bad reputation after her parents split up. It was also social suicide to date a boon. Ali lived next door to Creed and was determined that Creed's mother killed her son. Each night she went into Creed's room looking for something. Ali reveals to Torey that Creed kept a diary. They come up with a plan to get the diary out of the house. Once Torey decides to participate his life will never be the same. Torey goes to a local park and call the Creed house. He tells the mother he has information about Christopher and to bring lots of money. When the Creeds leave the house Bo tries to break in but doesn't make it inside. Luckily Christopher's brother sees Bo and gives him the diary.
Ali, Torey and Bo were all taken into the police station. A neighbor saw them standing outside the Creed home. Through all of this Torey realizes that Bo is not a bad guy and he feels guilty for judging the boons all this time. Torey begins distancing from the people he thought were his friends.
When they read the diary, they discover Christopher had a girlfriend. Torey and Ali paid her a visit to see if she might now were Creed was. After meeting the girlfriend they discover Creed made up most of the relationship. It was as if he created his own world in his diary. the girl's aunt was a psychic. She told Torey he would find Creed's body when he was alone in the woods.
Torey goes in the woods behind his house where he used to play as a child. There was an old Indian burial ground back there. He find a treasure map that Creed had created years before. In the darkness Torey is very frightened of what he may find. He tips over one of the rocks and breaks his leg. In doing this he discovers an underground cave containing bodies. Some of them were bodies of Indians but Torey notices one that is not. Right before his eyes the body starts disintegrated and there is a horrible smell.
Torey thinks he has found the body of Creed but it was really was Bob Haines. His son had disappeared years before and the people in the town thought Bob was responsible. He went to the cave and committed suicide. Torey spent several months getting treatment in a mental institution. He transferred schools but he never gave up on finding Creed. He created a website dedicated to Creed. Torey also wrote out the story of what happened. He thought Creed moved away and maybe had assumed a combination of names from the boys he wished to be like. Torey searched for names based on those listed in the note. Torey would email the story to the people and wait for a response. Torey never gave up his opinion that Creed was still alive.
This book has several good messages to use with teens. Several lives were ruined in the book by people spreading rumors. The community thought Bob Haines killed his son and made his life so terrible that he committed suicide. Mrs. Creed thought Bo killed her son and was hell bent on ruining his life. Torey's friends thought he had something to do with Creed's disappearance so he transferred schools. Eventhough many of things said were not true, people chose to believe them. People do not want to live their lives with a dark cloud of suspicion following them.
One of the boys mentioned in the letter, Torey Adams, starts viewing things differently after the letter. Torey was a very popular boy who seemed to have it all; he played sports, had friends and a lovely girlfriend. Torey becomes annoyed when everyone else in the school seems to make a joke out of the disappearance of Creed. Torey even beats himself up for hitting Creed when they were in the 6th grade. Torey becomes interested in the whys, hows and wheres of this mysterious vanishing.
Creed's mother is a pretty scary lady. She was a former naval officer. She is determined that a boon (short for the underprivileged kids who live in the boondocks) named Bo killed her son. Bo pushed Creed off the bleachers the year before and broke his leg. Bo and his girlfriend Ali find a copy of the letter sent from Creed to the principal and save it to a disk. When the letter is found in Bo's locker it makes him look even more guilty.
Torey is determined to find out what happened to Creed. He and Ali used to be friend but have since drifted apart. She gained a bad reputation after her parents split up. It was also social suicide to date a boon. Ali lived next door to Creed and was determined that Creed's mother killed her son. Each night she went into Creed's room looking for something. Ali reveals to Torey that Creed kept a diary. They come up with a plan to get the diary out of the house. Once Torey decides to participate his life will never be the same. Torey goes to a local park and call the Creed house. He tells the mother he has information about Christopher and to bring lots of money. When the Creeds leave the house Bo tries to break in but doesn't make it inside. Luckily Christopher's brother sees Bo and gives him the diary.
Ali, Torey and Bo were all taken into the police station. A neighbor saw them standing outside the Creed home. Through all of this Torey realizes that Bo is not a bad guy and he feels guilty for judging the boons all this time. Torey begins distancing from the people he thought were his friends.
When they read the diary, they discover Christopher had a girlfriend. Torey and Ali paid her a visit to see if she might now were Creed was. After meeting the girlfriend they discover Creed made up most of the relationship. It was as if he created his own world in his diary. the girl's aunt was a psychic. She told Torey he would find Creed's body when he was alone in the woods.
Torey goes in the woods behind his house where he used to play as a child. There was an old Indian burial ground back there. He find a treasure map that Creed had created years before. In the darkness Torey is very frightened of what he may find. He tips over one of the rocks and breaks his leg. In doing this he discovers an underground cave containing bodies. Some of them were bodies of Indians but Torey notices one that is not. Right before his eyes the body starts disintegrated and there is a horrible smell.
Torey thinks he has found the body of Creed but it was really was Bob Haines. His son had disappeared years before and the people in the town thought Bob was responsible. He went to the cave and committed suicide. Torey spent several months getting treatment in a mental institution. He transferred schools but he never gave up on finding Creed. He created a website dedicated to Creed. Torey also wrote out the story of what happened. He thought Creed moved away and maybe had assumed a combination of names from the boys he wished to be like. Torey searched for names based on those listed in the note. Torey would email the story to the people and wait for a response. Torey never gave up his opinion that Creed was still alive.
This book has several good messages to use with teens. Several lives were ruined in the book by people spreading rumors. The community thought Bob Haines killed his son and made his life so terrible that he committed suicide. Mrs. Creed thought Bo killed her son and was hell bent on ruining his life. Torey's friends thought he had something to do with Creed's disappearance so he transferred schools. Eventhough many of things said were not true, people chose to believe them. People do not want to live their lives with a dark cloud of suspicion following them.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Peach Cobbler Murder by: Joanne Fluke 2005 Culinary (with Recipes)
This book is a Hannah Swensen Mystery. Hannah owns a bakery in a small town in Minnesota. She is in danger of losing her bakery when two southern sisters, Vanessa and Shawna Lee, open a bakery right across the street. The two sisters spent a lot of money to decorate the shop. Hannah tries to convince herself that once the new wears off, her customers will return. Hannah's pastries are indeed better than the new shop. It was later discovered that the new bakery's signature southern peach cobbler was made and frozen by another company!
I liked the character of Hannah. She was a plump lady with unruly hair. She was dating two men in town. Norman was a dentist and was the kind of man Hannah should marry. He is thoughtful and loyal. But Hannah is drawn to the sexy sheriff's deputy named Mike. It appears that Mike is also dating Hannah's competitor Shawna Lee. This is enough for Hannah to wish her dead and when this happens it is only natural for people to wonder if she did it (especially since Hannah was the one who discovered the body). Lucky for Hannah she was at the wedding of her partner in the bakery when the murder occurred. The one thing I did not like about Hannah's character was that she was a grammar snob. Hannah was always correcting her younger sister named Andrea. Andrea was helping her sister investigate the murder of her rival. I just thought it was mean how Hannah was also hinting at her superiority.
Hannah's mother was dating a pseudo Englishman. The girls never really liked Winthrop and they later find it was for good reason. When Hannah started investigating the death of Shawna Lee she kept running into dead ends. Andrea mistakes Vanessa for her dead sister and gives Hannah an idea. What if someone wanted to kill Vanessa and accidentally killed her sister. Another lucky break in the case is when her mother discovered a picture of Winthrop and Vanessa in Winthrop's underwear drawer. When they began investigating, Hannah discovered Winthrop was really named Bobby Joe Peters. He and Vanessa were partners in crime (literally). Vanessa had romanced and then killed a wealthy older man back in Macon, Georgia. She was supposed to share the fortune left to her in the will but she got greedy. Bobby/Winthrop had escaped from prison. Both of these criminals could not turn the other in because they could report the other's crime.
Bobby had went to kill Vanessa and killed Shawna Lee instead. Both Vanessa and Bobby/Winthrop went to jail for their crimes. As the story is ending both Mike and Norman propose to Hannah. She tells them both she has to think about it and the story ends.
All in all I liked the book and I would probably read more of them. It included humor and gave the reader clues to see if we could discover who the murderer was. I also liked that Hannah used her brain rather than her looks to get answers. I found it unlikely that she was solving crimes the police could not figure out, but I guess stranger things have happened.
I liked the character of Hannah. She was a plump lady with unruly hair. She was dating two men in town. Norman was a dentist and was the kind of man Hannah should marry. He is thoughtful and loyal. But Hannah is drawn to the sexy sheriff's deputy named Mike. It appears that Mike is also dating Hannah's competitor Shawna Lee. This is enough for Hannah to wish her dead and when this happens it is only natural for people to wonder if she did it (especially since Hannah was the one who discovered the body). Lucky for Hannah she was at the wedding of her partner in the bakery when the murder occurred. The one thing I did not like about Hannah's character was that she was a grammar snob. Hannah was always correcting her younger sister named Andrea. Andrea was helping her sister investigate the murder of her rival. I just thought it was mean how Hannah was also hinting at her superiority.
Hannah's mother was dating a pseudo Englishman. The girls never really liked Winthrop and they later find it was for good reason. When Hannah started investigating the death of Shawna Lee she kept running into dead ends. Andrea mistakes Vanessa for her dead sister and gives Hannah an idea. What if someone wanted to kill Vanessa and accidentally killed her sister. Another lucky break in the case is when her mother discovered a picture of Winthrop and Vanessa in Winthrop's underwear drawer. When they began investigating, Hannah discovered Winthrop was really named Bobby Joe Peters. He and Vanessa were partners in crime (literally). Vanessa had romanced and then killed a wealthy older man back in Macon, Georgia. She was supposed to share the fortune left to her in the will but she got greedy. Bobby/Winthrop had escaped from prison. Both of these criminals could not turn the other in because they could report the other's crime.
Bobby had went to kill Vanessa and killed Shawna Lee instead. Both Vanessa and Bobby/Winthrop went to jail for their crimes. As the story is ending both Mike and Norman propose to Hannah. She tells them both she has to think about it and the story ends.
All in all I liked the book and I would probably read more of them. It included humor and gave the reader clues to see if we could discover who the murderer was. I also liked that Hannah used her brain rather than her looks to get answers. I found it unlikely that she was solving crimes the police could not figure out, but I guess stranger things have happened.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Nate the Great Talks Turkey by: Majorie Weiman Sharmat and Mitchell Sharmat 2006 Youthful Sleuths
Nate is watching the news and realizes there is a turkey terrorizing the town! His neighbor, Claude comes by Nate's house and asks him to help him find this turkey. Claude was walking and eating popcorn. He dropped some popcorn and the turkey began following Claude to eat the popcorn. Claude wanted to be friends with the turkey. Nate did not want the case but his dog, Sludge, did. Claude and Sludge left to find the turkey.
Nate stayed home and enjoyed the quiet of not taking the case. He gets a call from his cousin Olivia Sharp. From the description she is a wealthy young lady (she has a driver, housekeeper, a private jet, and a limo to ride around in). She is a detective in San Francisco. She is bored and loves birds, so she decides to visit Nate and help with the case.
Claude gives Sludge a feather to get the scent of the turkey. They find a turkey but it is not the one on the news. It was some one's pet who got out of their fence. There are two turkeys loose! Olivia ends up catching the other turkey. She goes to the pet store and buys over a $1000 worth of turkey food!
The message of this book is cute. Olivia was concerned about the bird and his safety. They allowed Claude to believe he had found the missing bird. Claude was always losing things and the other characters wanted him to feel good about finding the missing bird!
Nate stayed home and enjoyed the quiet of not taking the case. He gets a call from his cousin Olivia Sharp. From the description she is a wealthy young lady (she has a driver, housekeeper, a private jet, and a limo to ride around in). She is a detective in San Francisco. She is bored and loves birds, so she decides to visit Nate and help with the case.
Claude gives Sludge a feather to get the scent of the turkey. They find a turkey but it is not the one on the news. It was some one's pet who got out of their fence. There are two turkeys loose! Olivia ends up catching the other turkey. She goes to the pet store and buys over a $1000 worth of turkey food!
The message of this book is cute. Olivia was concerned about the bird and his safety. They allowed Claude to believe he had found the missing bird. Claude was always losing things and the other characters wanted him to feel good about finding the missing bird!
Friday, November 25, 2011
Christmas Mourning by: Margaret Maron Holidays
I was interested to read this book because it was centered around Christmas and the North Carolina native Maron based the story in her home state.
This book centers around Judge Deborah Knott and her husband Deputy Dwight Bryant. In the story a popular young girl, Mallory Johnson, is killed in a car accident. When the blood test comes back and reveals there was alcohol in her system her father is determined to find out what really happened. The author reveal some issues in the family. Mallory has a stepbrother named Charlie who feels she has been pampered her whole life. There is some suspicion Mallory's father killed Charlie's father to gain the love of their mother (however this is never proven). Mallory is also not the perfect young woman many believed. She tore apart several of her friends' relationships and gained some enemies.
In the end we find that her death was an accident. Two local troublemakers were spotlighting deer (shining light in their eyes to paralyze them so they can be shot). They turned their spotlight on Mallory's car. She was in a fight with her brother on the phone and lost control of the vehicle. Mallory's father discovered some trash left on the side of the road by the boys. He drove to their house and shot both of the boys. Deborah and Dwight work together to solve this puzzle. When authorities go to arrest Malcolm Johnson, he asks to clean up before being taken to the station. He goes into the bathroom and slits his own throat.
This book is part of a series but you don't have to read the other books to follow the story, however; there were some parts of the book I feel I would have understood more if I had read the other books. I liked the phrases incorporated into the story that represent North Carolina. The story wrapped up but there was a little twist that left the storyline open for the next book...
This book centers around Judge Deborah Knott and her husband Deputy Dwight Bryant. In the story a popular young girl, Mallory Johnson, is killed in a car accident. When the blood test comes back and reveals there was alcohol in her system her father is determined to find out what really happened. The author reveal some issues in the family. Mallory has a stepbrother named Charlie who feels she has been pampered her whole life. There is some suspicion Mallory's father killed Charlie's father to gain the love of their mother (however this is never proven). Mallory is also not the perfect young woman many believed. She tore apart several of her friends' relationships and gained some enemies.
In the end we find that her death was an accident. Two local troublemakers were spotlighting deer (shining light in their eyes to paralyze them so they can be shot). They turned their spotlight on Mallory's car. She was in a fight with her brother on the phone and lost control of the vehicle. Mallory's father discovered some trash left on the side of the road by the boys. He drove to their house and shot both of the boys. Deborah and Dwight work together to solve this puzzle. When authorities go to arrest Malcolm Johnson, he asks to clean up before being taken to the station. He goes into the bathroom and slits his own throat.
This book is part of a series but you don't have to read the other books to follow the story, however; there were some parts of the book I feel I would have understood more if I had read the other books. I liked the phrases incorporated into the story that represent North Carolina. The story wrapped up but there was a little twist that left the storyline open for the next book...
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)