Review: Let Me Die in His Footsteps by Lori Roy + Giveaway

let me die in his footsteps by lori royFormat read: ebook provided by the publisher via NetGalley
Formats available: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook
Genre: historical fiction
Length: 336 pages
Publisher: Dutton
Date Released: June 2, 2015
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Book Depository

On a dark Kentucky night in 1952 exactly halfway between her fifteenth and sixteenth birthdays, Annie Holleran crosses into forbidden territory. Everyone knows Hollerans don’t go near Baines, not since Joseph Carl was buried two decades before, but, armed with a silver-handled flashlight, Annie runs through her family’s lavender fields toward the well on the Baines’ place. At the stroke of midnight, she gazes into the water in search of her future. Not finding what she had hoped for, she turns from the well and when the body she sees there in the moonlight is discovered come morning, Annie will have much to explain and a past to account for.

It was 1936, and there were seven Baine boys. That year, Annie’s aunt, Juna Crowley, with her black eyes and her long blond hair, came of age. Before Juna, Joseph Carl had been the best of all the Baine brothers. But then he looked into Juna’s eyes and they made him do things that cost innocent people their lives. Sheriff Irlene Fulkerson saw justice served—or did she?

As the lavender harvest approaches and she comes of age as Aunt Juna did in her own time, Annie’s dread mounts. Juna will come home now, to finish what she started. If Annie is to save herself, her family, and this small Kentucky town, she must prepare for Juna’s return, and the revelation of what really happened all those years ago

My Review:

This is a story about the keeping of secrets, the cost of lies and the sometimes strange power of belief.

There is a big lie at the heart of accepted history in rural Hayden County, Kentucky. It’s a lie that involves three families, the town, and a slice of infamy.

It turns out to be a very big lie.

In 1952 Annie Holleran turns 15, and then 15 and a half. In her small and isolated town, 15 and a half marks the point between girlhood and womanhood. Annie prefers to think of it as the demarcation between childhood and adulthood, and hers turns out to be so, just not in the way that anyone would have expected.

We meet Annie and her younger sister Caroline, but their relationship isn’t sweet sisterhood and mutual support. There’s nothing specifically wrong, but Caroline has always been the pretty child that everyone loves. She also sucks all the air out of the room when it comes to Annie. Because when Caroline is there, people only notice Annie to compare her unfavorably, and Caroline always gets her way because she seems so pretty and proper and biddable.

Annie is striking rather than pretty, and she’s taller than all the other girls (and most of the boys) her own age. But what makes Annie stand out is that Annie isn’t really Sarah and John Holleran’s daughter, and everyone knows it.

Annie is the daughter of Sarah’s sister Juna and Joseph Carl Baine. Joseph Carl has the distinction of being the last man publicly hanged in the U.S. Juna is in some ways even more distinctive. Juna was the local evil witch, and Annie seems to have inherited all of the physical signs that make everyone believe she is every bit as witchy as her mother.

People cross to the other side of the street to avoid running into Annie, just as they did with Juna. People believed that the black-eyed, blonde-haired Juna was the epitome of evil. After all, she bewitched Joseph Carl into fathering her unnatural baby, and he was hanged for it.

Of course, the true story is a whole lot different. Except for one detail – Juna really was an evil witch. Not in the sense of spellcasting. There’s no eye of newt or tongue of frog. Juna is a witch because she manipulates people based on their fear of, and belief in, her terrible powers. Which gives her a different kind of terrible power that she is more than willing to use.

There are two stories in this book, and they run in a kind of parallel. In 1936, Juna and her sister Sarah live through the events of that fateful summer where their little brother Dale went missing, where Joseph Carl Baine came back to Hayden County, and where justice went very far astray.

In 1952, the “sisters” are Annie and Caroline. Annie fears that her long-missing mother will come for her, now that she is of age, and take her away and make her evil just like her mother. Annie, while not precisely happy where she is, feels safe and cared for.

But when Annie discovers old Cora Baine’s dead body, the past, and the truth, invade Annie’s life and her small town. One of the Baine boys comes back to Hayden, and the secrets about Ellis Baine, Sarah Holleran and that long-ago summer reach out from the past to touch everyone who was involved.

And Annie finds out the truth about herself, but at a terrible price.

Escape Rating B: So many of the events in this story happen because people really believed that Juna had evil powers and was perfectly willing to curse people and would be effective at it. It looks like her sister Sarah was the most skeptical of Juna’s so-called powers, while at the same time still caught up by Juna’s very successful manipulation of people and events.

The events in 1952 serve as a way to bring the truth of 1936 to light. They also close the circle on all the open questions, and there are certainly a ton of those. Sarah knows most of the truth, but not all of it. However, her parts of the old story are in some ways the most chilling. Because Sarah acted against her nature in those long-ago events, where Juna acted in concert with hers.

Juna really was evil. Not because of any hidden power, but the very human kind of evil. She enjoyed causing people pain, whether mental pain or physical pain. She manipulates the events of her brother’s disappearance because she wants to see if she can. She wants to see someone hang for her because it makes her feel powerful. But the only injustices done are ones that Juna commits and/or arranges.

The fascinating thing about Juna’s case is how easily people fell in with her manipulation. Even though there are tons of questions about her testimony, and no one likes or trusts her, everyone believes. That willingness to believe her power is probably the most frightening part of the story.

So many of Juna’s real sins are visited upon Annie, and it’s painful to see. Annie isn’t quite an outcast, but people are afraid of her from an early age because of her mother. That Juna is her real mother is a secret that everyone knows and no one talks about. Until it jumps out of the past to bite everyone.

There’s a question throughout the story about whether Annie, Juna and Annie’s grandmother really do have a bit of power, like the stories about “The Sight” in Celtic mythology. Whether they truly do or not is left up to the reader to judge.

Anyone who has read and enjoyed Sharyn McCrumb’s Ballad series, which starts with If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O, will love Let Me Die in His Footsteps.

This story is very loosely based on a true incident in the history of Owensboro, Kentucky, where the last public hanging took place in the summer of 1936. Whether justice was done in either the true or the fictional case is a matter for debate. Some of the media attention in both cases was due to the county Sheriff being female. (Remember this was 1936) Reporters as well as locals wanted to see a woman push the switch to hang a man.

On a personal note, a late friend grew up in Owensboro at the time just after the fictional story takes place. He told me that in his childhood, the “three R’s”, instead of “Reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmatic” were “Reading, ‘riting and Route 42 to Ohio”. If the place was anything like the insularity portrayed in this story, now I understand.

~~~~~~ GIVEAWAY~~~~~~

As a part of this tour, I am giving away a copy of Let Me Die in His Footsteps to one lucky U.S. or Canadian commenter. Just fill out the rafflecopter and cross your fingers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TLC
This post is part of a TLC book tour. Click on the logo for more reviews.
***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money or borrowed from a public library and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 5-24-15

Sunday Post

In the U.S. this is the Memorial Day weekend. A lot of people, including us, are visiting friends or relatives or just plain taking advantage of the three-day weekend.

But there was a last week on the blog, and there will be a next week, so there is still a need for a Sunday recap. The world will, after all, return to normal on Tuesday, whether we like it or not.

Current Giveaways:

$25 Gift Card + an ebook copy of The Case of the Invisible Dog by Diane Stingley
3 copies of The Curse of Anne Boleyn by C.C. Humphreys

Blog Recap:

lowcountry boneyard by susan m boyerA- Review: Lowcountry Boneyard by Susan M. Boyer
B+ Review: The Curse of Anne Boleyn by C.C. Humphreys + Giveaway
B- Review: The Case of the Invisible Dog by Diane Stingley + Giveaway
B Review: The Way of the Warrior by Suzanne Brockmann and others
B+ Review: Echo 8 by Sharon Lynn Fisher
Stacking the Shelves (136)

 

 

murder and mayhem by rhys fordComing Next Week:

Memorial Day 2015
Beyond Galaxy’s Edge by Anna Hackett (review)
Murder and Mayhem by Rhys Ford (review)
The Mapmaker’s Children by Sarah McCoy (blog tour review)
Love and Miss Communication by Elyssa Friedland (blog tour review)

Stacking the Shelves (136)

Stacking the Shelves

As the days get longer, the stacks seem to get shorter. I wonder why?

Even though I don’t have a lot this week, I do have one book that I’ve been looking forward to since last year: The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny. Her Inspector Gamache series is one of my all-time favorites. When I read last year’s book, The Long Way Home, I could see where she might be ending the series at that point. Gamache was retired, he wouldn’t necessarily have more cases to solve. But I am so, so grateful that he does.

If you love a good, deep, character driven mystery, this series is a treat from beginning to end, starting with Still Life and hopefully not ending for a long time to come.

For Review:
Gabe (Hell Squad #3) by Anna Hackett
Mad About the Major (Bachelor Chronicles #8.5) by Elizabeth Boyle
The Nature of the Beast (Chief Inspector Gamache #11) by Louise Penny
Protecting Her Heart (Jorda #3) by Nicole Murphy
Solar Express by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
Ten Billion Tomorrows by Brian Clegg

Purchased from Amazon:
Geoducks are for Lovers (Modern Love Story #1) by Daisy Prescott

Review: The Case of the Invisible Dog by Diane Stingley + Giveaway

case of the invisible dog by Diane stingleyFormat read: ebook provided by the publisher via NetGalley
Formats available: ebook
Genre: mystery
Series: Shirley Homes #1
Length: 328 pages
Publisher: Random House Alibi
Date Released: May 19, 2015
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo

After failing to launch her career as a Hollywood actress, Tammy Norman returns home to North Carolina, desperate for a regular paycheck and a new lease on life. So she accepts a position assisting Shirley Homes, an exceptionally odd personage who styles herself after her celebrated “ancestor”–right down to the ridiculous hat. Tammy isn’t sure how long she can go on indulging the delusional Shirley (who honestly believes Sherlock Holmes was a real person!), but with the prospect of unemployment looming, she decides to give it a shot.

Tammy’s impression of her eccentric boss does not improve when their first case involves midnight romps through strangers’ yards in pursuit of a phantom dog—that only their client can hear. But when the case takes a sudden and sinister turn, Tammy has to admit that Shirley Homes might actually be on to something. . . .

My Review:

Somewhere at the corner of quirky and delusional lives Shirley Homes and her questionable belief that she is the great-great-granddaughter of Sherlock Holmes – the fictionality of his existence notwithstanding. Of course, Shirley believes that he was real, because fictional characters don’t have children, let alone great-great-grandchildren.

Whether Shirley is eccentric or downright insane is up to the reader to judge. In her world, everyone seems to have decided that she is a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic. But is she?

The person most concerned about that question is Tamara Norman. Tammy has taken on the job of Shirley Homes’ assistant. While at first it seems as if the job consists of collecting a very nice paycheck for providing a presence that helps prop up Homes’ delusion, the situation changes when they get a real case.

Where Sherlock Holmes had “the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime” Shirley Homes has the case of the barking dog who isn’t there.

It’s pretty obvious that someone is gaslighting their client, Matt Peterman. As soon as he goes to sleep every night, he hears a dog barking outside. But when he gets up to look, the dog stops barking. And there is no dog.

What there is are some new and very smarmy neighbors, and a lot of vacant houses. It’s the depths of the Great Recession, in North Carolina and everywhere else, and Matt lives in a development that isn’t selling.

So why is this happening?

Tammy Norman thinks that Matt is just a lonely crank, until he turns up dead the day after he hires them. Whatever is going on with the ‘invisible dog’, someone wanted the man dead. But the reasons are obscure, and the local police are convinced that Shirley Homes is a complete nutter. Let’s just say the police interview didn’t go well, although by that point Tammy (and the readers) are all too aware that it went typically for any conversation with Shirley.

While Shirley is the catalyst for everything that happens, Tammy is the person who really sinks her teeth into the case, even though she doesn’t want to. She’s sure Shirley is harmlessly nuts, but starts feeling protective of her boss, even as she thinks that the woman needs a keeper and not an assistant.

Although the case reaches for more and deeper levels of ‘slightly out there’, at the same time there is still a case. Matt Peterman is still dead. His ex-wife is trying to grab whatever assets he might have had. Those smarmy neighbors watch every move that takes place in his house, and someone is cleaning up every scrap of evidence that Shirley and Tammy find as soon as they find it.

Tammy finds herself learning how to be a detective from possibly the worst teacher ever. But she can’t help getting involved and wanting to get to the bottom of the case.

As a former actress, Tammy finally hits paydirt when she follows the precepts of her favorite TV show – Law and Order. Tammy starts following the money. And digs up not just dirt, but also a powerful enemy who has been manipulating events in Shirley’s life from the very beginning.

Can there be a Holmes without a Moriarty?

Escape Rating B-: I’m pretty sure this is the quirkiest Sherlock Holmes spin-off I’ve ever read, and I’ve read some dillies. This one takes the prize.

You’re never sure whether Shirley Homes is delusional or telling the truth. It’s not just that her contention that she is a descendant of the original Holmes is impossible because he was fictional, but even he was real, her portrayal isn’t Holmes, it’s a caricature of Holmes.

Holmes used every scrap of technology available to him at the time. Not because he worshiped technology, but because it was efficient and effective. A modern-day version would have adapted, not attempted to slavishly adhere to 19th century practices as much as possible. For example, Holmes often found cases by combing through the personal ads and agony columns in the newspaper. Today, most of that information and angst is in social media.

However, the parallels are striking. The detective isn’t just “Shirley Homes”, but her sister Myra bears a striking resemblance to Mycroft. And there appears to be a Moriarty, the question is who?

There is someone who seems to have the agenda of spying on Homes at every turn, even pretending to be a psychiatrist in order to pump Tammy for information. And she’s not the only contender for the position of Moriarty. Or is she?

And there really is a case. While there is no invisible dog, someone was using Matt Peterman’s fear of dogs to gaslight him for some nefarious purpose.

At the same time, this case has the feel of the movies The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother and especially Without A Clue. In Without a Clue, Holmes the bumbling idiot is merely a front man for the real detective genius of Dr. John Watson. It also feels like a bit of They Might be Giants was added for spice.

While Tamara Norman is no detective genius, she is intelligent, sensible and grounded in the real world of the 21st century. It is her effort to keep Shirley Homes on track and out of too much trouble that eventually solves the mystery of the invisible dog, even as it pulls them all much deeper into the mystery of ‘Who is Shirley Homes?”

If you like your cozy mysteries with more than a touch of madcap, The Case of the Invisible Dog is a lark.

~~~~~~TOURWIDE GIVEAWAY~~~~~~

This tour includes a Rafflecopter giveaway for a $25 eGift Card to the eBook Retailer of the winner’s choice plus an eBook copy of THE CASE OF THE INVISIBLE DOG.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money or borrowed from a public library and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

Review: Lowcountry Boneyard by Susan M. Boyer

lowcountry boneyard by susan m boyerFormat read: print ARC provided by the publisher
Formats available: hardcover, paperback, ebook
Genre: mystery
Series: Liz Talbot #3
Length: 286 pages
Publisher: Henery Press
Date Released: April 21, 2015
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Book Depository

Where is Kent Heyward? The twenty-three-year-old heiress from one of Charleston’s oldest families vanished a month ago. When her father hires private investigator Liz Talbot, Liz suspects the most difficult part of her job will be convincing the patriarch his daughter tired of his overbearing nature and left town. That’s what the Charleston Police Department believes.

But behind the garden walls South of Broad, family secrets pop up like weeds in the azaleas. The neighbors recollect violent arguments between Kent and her parents. Eccentric twin uncles and a gaggle of cousins covet the family fortune. And the lingering spirit of a Civil-War-era debutante may know something if Colleen, Liz’s dead best friend, can get her to talk.

Liz juggles her case, the partner she’s in love with, and the family she adores. But the closer she gets to what has become of Kent, the closer Liz dances to her own grave.

My Review:

It’s possible to call this series “paranormal mysteries” but they really are contemporary mysteries with one important paranormal element.

Liz Talbot sees ghost. Not plural, singular. The only ghost she sees is her late (14 years late and counting) and much lamented best friend Colleen.

But while Liz has grown up and almost moved on in the intervening years, Colleen remains 17, and says that she is the spirit guardian of Liz’ home island of Stella Maris. Colleen is visible, and very definitely audible, to Liz because who or whatever the powers-that-be are believe that Liz’ presence back on Stella Maris and its town council are the best chance for the island to remain the relatively pristine hideaway it has always been.

But Liz has a problem. Her long-distance relationship with her business and romantic partner Nate is starting to run into rocky shoals. Nate wants them to at least split their time between the company’s, and his, home base in Greenville and Liz’ home and extended family on Stella Maris.

He can’t know just how many times Colleen has intervened to save Liz’ (and his) lives so as to help maintain that status quo, or that Liz will lose Colleen’s protection if she leaves the island and gives up her council seat.

Liz and Colleen are trying to find a compromise, while Nate is increasingly frustrated and unhappy with the situation. It doesn’t help that Nate knows all too much about Liz’ love life. She left Stella Maris to marry his bastard of a brother, and stayed away because her first love was on Stella Maris and unhappily married to her own cousin.

Nate figures that if she could pick where she lived based on who she loved before, she must not love him as much if she won’t at least compromise on Greenville for him. While we can all agree that his thinking is a bit skewed, or screwed, it is very, very human.

Meanwhile, they have a case in Charleston, one that is much bigger and more dangerous than either of them expected. A rich, young woman has been missing for a month, and no one has been able to find a clue concerning her whereabouts. Her family is one of the founding families of the city, but she is 23 and without evidence, the police can’t help but think that her disappearance was voluntary.

No one on the Charleston P.D. is very happy when Liz starts turning up clues that they missed, along with a tangled web of classism, elitism, and family secrets.

Not all of them her own.

Escape Rating A-: There’s that old saying about power corrupting and absolute power corrupting absolutely. There’s also the one attributed to Ben Franklin, that three can keep a secret if two are dead.

Kent Heyward, the missing heiress, is heir to two of Charleston’s great family fortunes. Her family, especially her powerful grandparents, are all too used to getting their own way in every single thing. While they close ranks and protect their secrets, they seem to think they are so powerful that none of their secrets will ever get out, or that they will be able to completely suppress those secrets, by murder if necessary.

If only Kent really had run away. She would have been much better off with some other family, because her own family’s secrets have made her a target.

A lot of the nasty business in this story revolves around classism. The rich aren’t just different from you and me, but in this story, they think they are better. To the point where marrying outside the class is an excuse for kidnapping and murder. But it’s an old case that comes back to haunt them where it hurts the most.

As Liz investigates, its not so much whether she will uncover anything illegal, but rather how much she will uncover. And whether any of the people who have something to hide can afford to let her live, even if her death would leave Kent unfound and unmourned.

While she is investigating, Liz is also dealing with a personal crisis. She loves Nate, but she can’t leave Stella Maris. And she can’t tell him why. Nate’s reactions are not particularly adult or particularly sensible.

And in the background, there is Liz’ marvelous and slightly crazy family. Their deep roots on Stella Maris are sometimes a help, as is her brother the island Chief of Police, but dodging their attempts to protect her or take care of her often result in some crazy situations.

Her mother is hilarious in fiction, but I’ll admit would drive me nuts in a heartbeat.

The case that Liz is investigating has tons of twists and turns that keep the reader from figuring out both whodunnit and their motive for the entire way. Especially when the repeated attempts on Liz’ life intervene to confuse matters and motives.

I raced through this book to find out who, what and why, because I got so involved in the plot. Plots. Lots of bad people with lots of plots, some more successful than others. All wrapped up at the end with a lovely, but slightly bittersweet, happy ending.

Readers who like their heroines with smarts and brass and slightly zany friends and families will eat this series up like a slice of Key Lime Pie. Take your first bite with Lowcountry Boil (reviewed here) and enjoy!

TLC
This post is part of a TLC book tour. Click on the logo for more reviews.
***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money or borrowed from a public library and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 5-17-15

Sunday Post

Next weekend is Memorial Day, the unofficial start of Summer. It feels early this year, calendar-wise, but the weather in Atlanta is already into the mid-80s, so by that measure, Summer is already here.

Winters in the South are marvelous. Summers are hot, muggy, sticky and sometimes stormy. And did I mention hot? On that other hand, everywhere I’ve ever lived had something unpleasant in their normal weather pattern. In Anchorage, summers are wonderful, mostly in the 60s but sometimes the 70s, and the winters are, well, abominable. And abominably long. In Seattle, the summers are pretty good, except for that two-weeks-maybe-three where you really, really wish you had air conditioning – and you don’t. And it’s never really cold in the winter, but it is gray and wet and terribly gloomy Chicago has a cold, snowy, miserable winter, and a hot sticky summer, but the spring and fall are gorgeous. Then there’s the big stuff. In Florida, it was hurricanes. In Anchorage, earthquakes.

There’s something I miss out of every place we’ve lived. And something I don’t miss!

11-02-Reading-Reality---A-Match-for-Marcus-Cynster-Blog-Tour-Ad-600-x-600Current Giveaways:

$25 Gift Card + an ecopy of Ryder: Bird of Prey by Nick Pengelley
Highland Prize package from Stephanie Laurens

Winner Announcements:

The winner of The Dismantling by Brian DeLeeuw is Anne.

 

lowcountry boneyard by susan m boyerBlog Recap:

B+ Review: Ryder: Bird of Prey by Nick Pengelley + Giveaway
B+ Review: A Match for Marcus Cynster by Stephanie Laurens
Excerpt + Giveaway: A Match for Marcus Cynster by Stephanie Laurens
A Review: Lowcountry Boil by Susan M. Boyer
A- Review: Selfish, Shallow and Self-Absorbed edited by Meghan Daum
A- Review: The Clockwork Dagger by Beth Cato
Stacking the Shelves (135)

way of the warrior by Suzanne BrockmanComing Next Week:

Lowcountry Boneyard by Susan M. Boyer (blog tour review)
The Curse of Anne Boleyn by C.C. Humphreys (blog tour review)
The Case of the Invisible Dog by Diane Stingley (blog tour review)
The Way of the Warrior by Suzanne Brockmann et al (review)
Echo 8 by Sharon Lynn Fisher (review)

Stacking the Shelves (135)

Stacking the Shelves

Another blissfully short stack of books, or so it seems.

Sophie on topI’ve mentioned before that I’m on the American Library Association Notable Books Council. It’s an awards jury for the 25-ish notable books of the year. While I can’t say which books are under consideration, I can show you this picture. I received ALL of these boxes on Friday. While I expect to read what’s inside, I had to wait for Sophie and LaZorra to finish playing Queen of the Hill before I could even get started!

For Review:
The Empress Game by Rhonda Mason
Dearest Rogue (Maiden Lane #8) by Elizabeth Hoyt
Lowcountry Boneyard (Liz Talbot #3) by Susan M. Boyer
The Mechanical Theater (Chroniker City #2) by Brooke Johnson
Treasured by Thursday (Weekday Brides #7) by Catherine Bybee
Where Lemons Bloom by Blair McDowell
You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day

Purchased from Amazon:
Absolute Honour (Jack Absolute #3) by C.C. Humphreys

Review: Lowcountry Boil by Susan M. Boyer

lowcountry boil by susan m boyerFormat read: ebook purchased from Amazon
Formats available: paperback, ebook, audiobook
Genre: mystery
Series: Liz Talbot #1
Length: 408 pages
Publisher: Henery Press
Date Released: September 18, 2012
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Book Depository

Private Investigator Liz Talbot is a modern Southern belle: she blesses hearts and takes names. She carries her Sig 9 in her Kate Spade handbag, and her golden retriever, Rhett, rides shotgun in her hybrid Escape. When her grandmother is murdered, Liz high-tails it back to her South Carolina island home to find the killer. She’s fit to be tied when her police-chief brother shuts her out of the investigation, so she opens her own. Then her long-dead best friend pops in and things really get complicated. When more folks start turning up dead in this small seaside town, Liz must use more than just her wits and charm to keep her family safe, chase down clues from the hereafter, and catch a psychopath before he catches her.

My Review:

lowcountry bombshell by susan m boyerI picked up Lowcountry Boil (and Lowcountry Bombshell) because I’m reading the third book in the series, Lowcountry Boneyard, next week for a tour. I picked the tour because I enjoy books that are set in or near places where I live, and the Carolina Lowcountry isn’t all that far from Atlanta.

I completely fell in love with this book, and raced through the entire series in just a couple of days. Liz Talbot is a terrific heroine; her adventures are hair-raising, while her family is hilarious.

Of course, sometimes that family is the cause of either her hair being raised, her adventures, or both.

There’s a quote from Harper Lee about families that goes, “You can choose your friends but you sho’ can’t choose your family, an’ they’re still kin to you no matter whether you acknowledge ’em or not, and it makes you look right silly when you don’t.”

Liz Talbot’s family are part of the reason that she really, truly loves the small island and town of Stella Maris. They are also the reason that she lives all the way across the state in Greenville. Until her grandmother is killed, and private investigator Liz finds herself the heir to her grandmother’s house, her Stella Maris town council seat, and quite possibly in the sights of her grandmother’s killer.

She’s certainly in the sights of her obviously sociopathic cousin Marci the Schemer, but then again, Liz has always been in Marci’s sights. Anything Liz had or wanted, Marci was determined to either spoil or steal from Liz, up to and including the man that everyone expected Liz would marry.

Liz has stayed away from Stella Maris ever since, at least in part because she couldn’t bear seeing Michael Devlin miserably married to Marci. Liz had also married, regretted it and divorced post-haste on the rebound, but at least she figured out what a bastard her ex-husband Scott really was. Michael either doesn’t have a clue about Marci, or doesn’t give a damn.

And Liz got something terrific out of the deal. Scott’s brother Nate is Liz’ business partner and best friend. She couldn’t have asked for a better person for either part of her life. It’s too bad that Nate and their successful business are in Greenville, while Liz is chasing friends, relatives and clues across the state on Stella Maris.

Where her brother is the Chief of Police and not happy that his sister is investigating (and making a target of herself) on his turf. He wants to protect her, but he needs her investigative skills. Blake is often on the horns of this particular dilemma, and the poor man never does figure out how to solve it.

Grandma Talbot was definitely murdered. The question that both Blake and Liz have to solve is motive. It turns out that everyone on the island is about to find themselves caught in the crossfire between those who want to develop their private little island at any cost, and those who want to keep things just the way they are.

Only one side is resorting to murder to get their way.

And Liz’ best assistant and defender is the ghost of her childhood best friend. But Colleen isn’t completely reliable, and isn’t corporeal enough to help Liz when the bullets start flying.

Or is she?

Escape Rating A: As I said at the top, I absolutely loved this one. Liz is just the kind of person I’d hope to be friends with. She’s smart, she has a good sense of humor and a great grasp of the absurd, and she keeps on going no matter what life throws at her, and usually goes with a laugh.

Yes, sometimes she rushes in where her brother wishes she feared to tread, but she takes the reader right there with her every time.

Her family is tremendous fun, well, except for Marci the Schemer. Most families have someone in them that you wish weren’t there, so Marci isn’t completely atypical. One of the interesting and all-too-real aspects of Marci’s history and character was the way that Liz’ mother keeps wanting to think the best, while even as a child Liz knew that there was something wrong with Marci. Which there so was.

The mystery in this story is convoluted, at least in part because everybody knows everyone so well. That’s both a strength and a weakness for the bad apples. There are so many people that no one wants to suspect of anything because everyone knows their parents and their families. It takes Liz, with both her stubbornness and a few years of distance, to see what has been under everyone’s nose all along.

The addition of Colleen the ghost as a main character was both fun and serious at the same time. Colleen is the guardian spirit of the island, and it’s her job to protect and sometimes help whoever holds the Talbot seat on the village council. While it’s possible to think of Colleen as some manifestation of Liz’ conscience or hunches, she feels like a real character. She makes Liz question herself at just the right moments.

While the mystery in this story was multi-layered and very well done, it was the family dynamics and the complexity of Liz’ character that kept me turning pages and sometimes tickled my funny bone. This book (and this series) are a real treat!

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money or borrowed from a public library and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 5-10-15

Sunday Post

Happy Mother’s Day to those of you who are mothers.

selfish shallow and self-absorbed by meghan daumAnd for those of us who are not, one of my reviews this coming week is Selfish, Shallow and Self-Absorbed, a collection of essays about choosing to be childless, edited by Meghan Daum. Because I still get people telling me I’ll change my mind about not wanting to have children. And let me tell you, not only has that ship sailed, but it’s no longer even remotely able to re-dock at this facility.

After having been teased by (meaning read) The Deepest Poison last week, I’m really looking forward to The Clockwork Dagger this week!

 

Current Giveaways:

spring fling giveaway hopGiveaways from 11 Shops and a $280 Prize Pack in the Spring Fling Fabulous Giveaway
The Dismantling by Brian DeLeeuw (paperback)

pleasantville by attica lockeBlog Recap:

Spring Fling Giveaway Hop
A Review: Speak Now: Marriage Equality on Trial by Kenji Yoshino
A+ Review: Pleasantville by Attica Locke
B- Review: The Dismantling by Brian DeLeeuw + Giveaway
A Review: Dead Wake: the Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson
B Review: The Deepest Poison by Beth Cato
Stacking the Shelves (134)

 

lowcountry boil by susan m boyerComing Next Week:

Ryder: Bird of Prey by Nick Pengelley (blog tour review)
A Match for Marcus Cynster by Stephanie Laurens (blog tour review)
Lowcountry Boil by Susan M. Boyer (review)
Selfish, Shallow and Self-Absorbed edited by Meghan Daum (review)
The Clockwork Dagger by Beth Cato (review)

Review: Pleasantville by Attica Locke

pleasantville by attica lockeFormat read: ebook provided by the publisher via Edelweiss
Formats available: hardcover, large print, ebook, audiobook
Genre: mystery, thriller
Series: Jay Porter #2
Length: 432 pages
Publisher: Harper Collins
Date Released: April 21, 2015
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Book Depository

In this sophisticated thriller, lawyer Jay Porter, hero of Locke’s bestseller Black Water Rising, returns to fight one last case, only to become embroiled once again in a dangerous game of shadowy politics and a witness to how far those in power are willing to go to win

Fifteen years after the events of Black Water Rising, Jay Porter is struggling to cope with catastrophic changes in his personal life and the disintegration of his environmental law practice. His victory against Cole Oil is still the crown jewel of his career, even if he hasn’t yet seen a dime thanks to appeals. But time has taken its toll. Tired and restless, he’s ready to quit.

When a girl goes missing on Election Night, 1996, in the neighborhood of Pleasantville—a hamlet for upwardly-mobile blacks on the north side of Houston—Jay, a single father, is deeply disturbed. He’s been representing Pleasantville in the wake of a chemical fire, and the case is dragging on, raising doubts about his ability.

The missing girl was a volunteer for one of the local mayoral candidates, and her disappearance complicates an already heated campaign. When the nephew of one of the candidates, a Pleasantville local, is arrested, Jay reluctantly finds himself serving as a defense attorney. With a man’s life and his own reputation on the line, Jay is about to try his first murder in a case that will also put an electoral process on trial, exposing the dark side of power and those determined to keep it.

My Review:

black water rising by attica lockePleasantville was every bit as terrific as I expected it to be, and the story makes an excellent bookend to Jay Porter’s legal career. We saw it take off in Black Water Rising (reviewed here) and in Pleasantville we see what could be his swan song, or perhaps a new renaissance. Time will tell.

Jay’s own story seems to be a parable on the cliche that if it wasn’t for bad luck, he wouldn’t have any at all. He has an unfortunate knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and nearly getting himself killed extricating himself from the mess that he has accidentally landed in.

In this particular story, Jay also finds himself caught in the middle of a mess that could be described as “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”, along with a cautionary tale about not getting in the way of someone who gets their jollies by being a very big fish in a very small pond.

I used to know someone who referred to some folks who fit that category as being a shark in a goldfish bowl. The problem that Jay discovers is that those type of sharks will do just about anything to maintain their sharkitude.

Pleasantville takes place in 1996, fifteen years after the end of Black Water Rising. During those intervening years, Jay’s career has risen and finally fallen. He’s gone from being in his 30s to pushing 50, and sometimes feeling 50 push back. In Black Water Rising, his wife Bernice was pregnant with their first child. In Pleasantville, he is a widower raising their two children alone, after Bernice’s death from cancer the previous year. His once burgeoning civil practice has sunk to one last case that he is afraid to go to court with – after the death of his wife, he has lost his own fire.

In the autumn of 1996 the country was about to elect Bill Clinton for his second term. In Houston, a historic mayoral race has come down to a runoff between the first black Houston police chief and the second woman to run a viable campaign for mayor. The politics are dirty and getting dirtier by the minute.

In the middle of the campaign, a young female campaign worker is murdered, and the pattern of the crime fits two other recent murders of young women in the Pleasantville neighborhood. The murder is tragic, but political considerations overtake the investigation of the crime.

Former police chief Axel Hathorne is from Pleasantville. His opponent, District Attorney Wollcott, decides to prosecute Axe’s nephew Neal for the crime, based on extremely flimsy evidence. As Neal is his uncle’s campaign manager, it looks a lot like a cheap stunt to tank Axe in the upcoming runoff election.

Jay takes Neal’s case. At first, simply because he is in the police station when Neal is brought in for questioning. A happenstance. The patriarch of the Hathorne family, Sam Hathorne, asks Jay to take the case for real when Neal is charged. Jay doesn’t trust Sam, doesn’t trust himself in a courtroom, but can’t manage to stop himself from taking up Neal’s case when it looks like he wasn’t just falsely accused, but falsely accused in order to finagle the outcome of the election.

But the case turns out to be much different than Jay imagined. Not because of the election angle, but because old Sam Hathorne, the unofficial mayor of Pleasantville, has committed many more and dirtier deals than anyone in his community imagined. He’s sacrificed everyone’s best interests in order to maintain his position as the shark in his particular goldfish bowl.

And Jay won’t let him get away with it any more than he’ll let the DA and her dirty tricks manager get away with pursuing a trumped up murder charge to steal an election.

Escape Rating A+: Pleasantville was even better than Black Water Rising. The story has just as many thrills and definitely chills, but the scope was larger and the chills further reaching. While Black Water Rising was about one man’s fight against corporate corruption, Pleasantville has a broader theme about the far reaching consequences of political corruption, and the short term memories of the electorate. It’s a story about the changing nature of one community, and how that change is reflected in the wider world.

The dirty tricks campaign against Alex Hathorne in Houston is intended as a precursor of the long-drawn-out fight that turned into the 2000 presidential election where our fate was decided in a courtroom. The manager of the dirty tricks in this Houston mayoral race moves on to bigger and better (or worse, depending on perspective) things as a manager of the Bush campaign in 2000. It’s easy to see a connection between this mayoral campaign and the Swift Boat deceptive advertising in the 2004 election.

But this story personalizes the political dirt by focusing on the bogus case against Neal Hathorne. Through the case of one young man who has an alibi for the time when the crime took place, we see how easy it is to obfuscate the facts in order to forward an agenda. The opponents didn’t need to convict him, they just needed to dirty his name for 30 days, long enough to win the election. That Jay is willing to do whatever it takes to thwart that ambition tells both him and the reader that he still has something left to live for, and still has something to give back to his community and his clients.

That he is unwilling to bury a difficult truth in order to keep the status quo in power shows that he is still an idealist after all. And those choices are what make him so fascinating to follow.

TLC
This post is part of a TLC book tour. Click on the logo for more reviews.
***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money or borrowed from a public library and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.