This is about the 6th novel by Spencer-Fleming, and the experience shows in her ability to spin a gripping and compelling tale and to draw readers in to being concerned about her characters. The author is a multiple award-winner, and deservedly so.
Our heroine, Clare Fergusson, is an Episcopal priest and an Air Force reservist who toward the end of the book gets deployed to Iraq. This put a rather serious delay on the budding romance with the Millers Kill upstate New York Police Chief, Russ Van Alstyne.
The mystery revolves around discovering who is killing Mexican farm workers. It brings out deep-seated prejudice within the community that Clare needs to deal with inside her congregation. These issues are handled sensitively and make this book a more meaningful and deeper read than the average mystery.
I really look forward to reading more Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne mysteries.
Liz Nichols
Showing posts with label women detectives. Show all posts
Showing posts with label women detectives. Show all posts
Monday, August 24, 2009
Friday, September 5, 2008
Susan Wittig Albert's "Nightshade"
At first it was difficult to get in to the China Bayles mystery, "Nightshade," because this is the third of a trilogy. It continues "Bleeding Hearts" and "Spanish Dagger," both of which were about the death of China's father. The third book tracks the way China and her husband, Mike McQuaid, sleuth out her dad's killer.
China is a former assistant DA, who has become a shop owner in the hill country outlying Austin, TX. China's character has always bothered me a bit because I personally do not know any shop owner or restauranteer who can break away from the business long enough to solve a murder mystery. One has to suspend reality long enough to appreciate the plot.
While I found the information about the Nightshade family of plants-- including the tomato, tomatillo, chili pepper, potato, eggplant, petunia and tobacco, not to mention the other deadly varieties, I didn't really get how it tied in with the plot. Well, there is one character crucial to solving the case who raises tomatillos. I kept expecting someone to get poisoned.
No such luck. People got blown up, run over and shot in this one.
Still, it's a fast read and it kept my attention throughout, even though I never quite got into the characters or the plot.
I've read other China Bayles mysteries before, and I'm sure I'll pick them up again. I just don't think I'll go out of my way to go back to the two previous titles in the trilogy. I got the picture from the third one.
One thumb up.
Liz Nichols
China is a former assistant DA, who has become a shop owner in the hill country outlying Austin, TX. China's character has always bothered me a bit because I personally do not know any shop owner or restauranteer who can break away from the business long enough to solve a murder mystery. One has to suspend reality long enough to appreciate the plot.
While I found the information about the Nightshade family of plants-- including the tomato, tomatillo, chili pepper, potato, eggplant, petunia and tobacco, not to mention the other deadly varieties, I didn't really get how it tied in with the plot. Well, there is one character crucial to solving the case who raises tomatillos. I kept expecting someone to get poisoned.
No such luck. People got blown up, run over and shot in this one.
Still, it's a fast read and it kept my attention throughout, even though I never quite got into the characters or the plot.
I've read other China Bayles mysteries before, and I'm sure I'll pick them up again. I just don't think I'll go out of my way to go back to the two previous titles in the trilogy. I got the picture from the third one.
One thumb up.
Liz Nichols
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