Call the Canaries Home

 

Call the Canaries Home

Author: Laura Barrow

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Publication Date: July 1, 2023

    Three sisters arrive at the home of their grandmother in Muscadine, Louisiana. They are here to dig up a time capsule they buried 25 years before. Rayanee and Sue Ellen left Louisiana as soon as they were old enough and had no desire to return However their younger sister, Savannah, finally persuades them to keep the promise they made 25 years ago.

    The reunion with their grandmother is strained, at best. Her house is full of painful memories of their mother, now deceased, and of their sister, Georgia. Georgia is Savannah's twin. She disappeared while swimming with her sisters one summer and was never seen again. While going through the time capsule, the girls make a startling discovery in an old photograph. As more questions are asked, a mystery begins to unfold and long-buried secrets are brought to light.

    This book is a real page-turner. The more secrets are revealed, the more twisted the plot becomes. The ending is quite surprising. It was the opposite of what I thought it would be. I highly recommend this book.

Block Party by: Jamie Day

 

Block Party

author: Jamie Day:

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

release date: July 18, 2023

 *I received an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way. 

    Residents of the exclusive Alton Road community of Meadowbrrok Mass. are gathering for their annual Memorial Day Block Party. Although their lives may appear perfect to the outside world, the people on Alton Road have secrets-- lots of secrets.

    A mysterious new couple has moved in with their son, who has recently been kicked out of college. They don't decorate the inside of their house. They are rarely even seen outside. So why does Alex (short for Alexandria) see her brother-in-law sneaking away from their house late at night?

    A mysterious stalker is tormenting another neighbor. (Why did her husband die so mysteriously?) Yet another neighbor is in a horrible marriage, held prisoner by a prenup she should never have signed.

    A gun is missing and, before the block party is over, more than one person will be dead. Alton Road's residents are about to learn that secrets can be deadly.

    Told in turns through the points of view of Alex (short for Alexandria) and her teen daughter, Lettie, the story takes the reader into the lives of this exclusive, wealthy neighborhood and its residents.

    This is a swiftly moving no-holds-barred story. Full of twists and turns, it leads the reader into the privileged and messy lives of its many characters. I admit I got a few characters mixed up a couple times. Ken and Evan confused me because they were both a little one-dimensional, serving more as a backdrop to their wives. I think both could be drawn out a little more, considering their roles in the story. For the most part, all the male characters are more one-dimensional. An exception would be Jay, who plays more of a starring role. The females are more fully developed and carry the story. This is why the ending is a shocker. There is zero foreshadowing.

    I enjoyed this story. It does move swiftly, without getting bogged down in detail. It moves back and forth in time, which was hard to follow in a couple places. However, it didn't detract from the overall story.

Read this story if...

... you love small town- community stories

... you love mysteries

    

    

Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones (A Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mystery)

 Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones

by: Heather Weidner

Publisher: Level Best Books

I received this Kindle version from Netgalley.

    Jade Hicks and her French Bulldog, Chloe reside in a cottage in the beach village of Mermaid Bay, Virginia. Jade inherited the cottage, as well as "Tis the Season", (a Christmas-themed shop) from her grandparents. Jade and her fellow Mermaid Bay residents are preparing for their annual Christmas in July celebration when a jogger on the beach trips over a suitcase. Unfortunately, the suitcase contains bones! Soon, Jade and her Mermaid Bay neighbors are receiving threatening letters and even a few voodoo dolls. Who is threatening the residents of Mermaid Bay-- and why?

Being more familiar with mysteries than cozy mysteries, it took me a bit to get into this one. Without including spoilers, I will say that it got off to a slow start. However, a few chapters into the book, I became more engrossed in the mystery. The story is a little slower-paced than other mysteries that I have read. The characters are likable, although they could've used a little more fleshing out. I was confused about how a person is flattered at being asked out by one man and then, minutes later confirms her relationship with another. It wasn't a deal breaker, but I found it odd. I also noticed that the main character, and a few others, communicate by scrunching their noses a good bit. This is something I haven't encountered before. It does not, however, detract from the mystery. Lastly, the "developers vs. landowners" theme is not a favorite of mine. This is personal. I happen to live in an area where this is constantly an issue. Lastly, I found the use of Voodoo dolls strange, since there were no characters involved in the religion. I found the ending a surprise, although I am not sure how believable. 

 As a cozy mystery, there are no expletives and very little violence. This is a "feel good " story, great for a beach visit or travel. Don't expect page-turning action. Do expect likable characters in an adorable village by the sea. I would definitely visit Mermaid Bay myself. 

Read this story if.....

...you love cozy mysteries.

... you love stories that take place at the beach.

... you love small-town stories.

... you love stories that take place in the south.

The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by:Lilian Jackson Braun

 Pubisher: Putnam

Pages: 216

From Amazon: 

THE FIRST COZY MYSTERY IN THE BELOVED NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING CAT WHO SERIES!

The world of modern art is a mystery to many. But for Jim Qwilleran, it turns into a mystery of another sort when his assignment for The Daily Fluxion leads down the path to murder.
A stabbing in an art gallery, vandalized paintings, a fatal fall from a scaffolding—this is not at all what Qwilleran expects when he turns his reporter talents to art. But Qwilleran and his newly found partner, Koko the brilliant Siamese cat, are in their element—sniffing out clues and confounding criminals intent on mayhem and murder.
This riveting beginning to the Cat Who series is the perfect cozy mystery for cat lovers to start sleuthing!

My Thoughts:

    Honestly, I had never tried any of these books because mass-market fiction has never been my thing. However, I found myself in a circumstance where I had nothing to read with me at the time (gasp), and needed something to do. This book was available, so I started reading it.

    

     I like mysteries that don't depend on violence and gore for impact. This book fits that bill. I will admit, there was a part where I started getting characters confused. There are lots of plot twists and turns as Qwilleran makes his way through a small town art world, encountering an odd group of folks along the way..

    

    I won't say this is a book you can't put down, but it isn't bad. Just right for a rainy day inside or a trip to the beach. Light reading is good sometimes.

    I'm going to try another book in the series because I want to know if each book is different, or if they are all "formula fiction". I hope they are not. 

    I'd like to hear from others who have read this series. What did you think?

Read this book if:

        *you love mysteries

        *you love cats

        *you love stories about newspaper reporters who solve mysteries

The Almost Sisters by: Joshilyn Jackson

The Almost Sisters Author: Joshilyn Jackson Publisher: William Morrow Pages: 384

From Amazon:

Superheroes have always been Leia Birch Briggs’s weakness. One tequila-soaked night at a comic-book convention, Leia is swept off her barstool by a handsome, anonymous Batman. She remembers he was tall, black, and an excellent French kisser—but not much else.

The Caped Crusader leaves her with more than just a fond, fuzzy memory. She’s having a baby. Though Leia always wanted to fall in love and have a child, as a young woman she learned exactly what betrayal felt like. Before Leia can break the news of her impending single-motherhood to her conventional lily-white Southern family, her perfect stepsister Rachel’s marriage—to the very man who broke Leia’s heart all those years ago—implodes. Worse, she learns her beloved ninety-year-old grandmother, Birchie, has been hiding her dementia.

Heading seven hundred miles south to Birchville, Alabama—the small town her family founded generations ago—Leia plans to put her grandmother’s affairs in order and clean out her big Victorian house. Just when Leia thinks she’s got it all under control, she learns that Birchie is hiding more than her illness. A dangerous secret with roots that reach back to the Civil War is tucked away in an attic trunk. Its exposure threatens the family’s reputation and freedom, and will forever change the way Leia views her ancestors, herself, and her baby’s future.

This book is about as honest as it gets when it comes to viewing the south as it really is. I don't mean how outsiders see it. I don't mean how we wish it was. I mean as it is. I'm not a fan of comics, so I wasn't much into that aspect, but I love how it all ties in together. This book is a beautiful story of family and race relations in the modern south as seen through the eyes of a 38-year-old white woman, a comic nerd (her words), who is pregnant with a bi-racial child. When her grandmother becomes ill, she travels to the small town of Birchville, Alabama with the intention of shutting down and selling out the family home. Instead, she uncovers a terrible family secret that changes the way she sees herself, her family, and her own unborn child. I don't want to include spoilers. I will just say that I could not put this one down. It has been a long time since I have read a book that didn't bore me.I highly recommend this book.

Read this book if:

*you love southern fiction

*you love mysteries

*you love family fiction/ sisters

*you love stories about race and race relations

Deceived by: Randy Wayne White

Author: Randy Wayne White Author: Randy Wayne White Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2013 pages: 338

This was my first Randy Wayne White novel. I'd been hearing about him for years. My family visits the Sanibel area on a regular basis, and Doc Ford's (his restaurant) is one of our absolute favorite places to eat. Just before our last trip to Sanibel, I was in the library looking for beach reads and decided to check out a Randy Wayne White mystery. What could be better than reading a book that takes place exactly where you are, right? Deceived caught my eye because of the female protagonist. Something about it appealed to me, so I took it home. I sure am glad I did! I couldn't put it down! I have to admit, Hannah Smith is not the cuddliest of characters. If I met her in person, I doubt we'd be friends. However, the storyline itself kept me flipping pages. Hannah's mother's best friend disappears suddenly. When Hannah stops by her house to check on her, she has a run in with an axe-wielding stranger. It only gets better from there. Throw in bogus charity schemes that prey on the elderly, destruction of state artifacts, a twenty- year- old unsolved murder from the early days of Florida's drug smuggling...plus a love affair with Doc Ford, the hero of Whites other mystery series...and you have a book that is hard to put down. (My husband is reading it now.) I loved this book and can't wait for the next. I'll probably go back and read the first in the Hannah Smith series as well. This corner of Southwest Florida is stunning, and White's knowledge and love of the area are evident. I enjoyed reading my copy under an umbrella just down from Bowman's beach. Pick your favorite spot and try it out. :)

Read this book if...
*you love mysteries
*you love Southwest Florida
*you love stories that take place in tropical settings

The Diviners

Title: The Diviners Author: LIbba Bray Publisher: Little, Brown & Co. Pages:578

I borrowed this book from my local library.

From Amazon:

Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.

This review may contain a few spoilers. I usually don't include spoilers, but I found it impossible not to do so in this case.

I admit this book is different from my usual reads, but the trailer sounded intriguing. I actually found it hard to put down. It does contain a few things I normally avoid- brutal murder, animal sacrifice- but, aside from those unpleasantries, it was a pretty good book. I got a little bogged down in some spots- had to skip a few paragraphs and get on with it. The slang can get annoying- the words pos-i-tute-ly and jake get used on every single (I kid you not) page. Set against the backdrop of 1920's NYC- speakeasies, flapper girls- the story follows several characters with unusual psychic gifts. Evie can hold any object and know the innermost secrets of the owner. Memphis has the power to heal, and his brother Isaiah has the gift of prophecy. Sam has the ability to be invisible, and is searching for his mother who was taken by the government as part of Project Buffalo- a mysterious, top-secret government paranormal project. Theta's gift I never completely understood except that she killed her ex-husband with it. Why are these characters being brought together and why are they dreaming the same dreams? Who is the mysterious man with the tall hat? And what exactly is Project Buffalo? I hope these questions will be answered in the next book....

And then, of course, there is the murder mystery itself. An evil spirit is released from a Ouija board and begins wreaking havoc on the city. Who is the spirit and what are the strange symbols left behind on his victims? Why are some of their body parts missing? Can Evie, Sam, her Uncle Will, and his assistant, Jericho, stop the killer before it is too late?

I had to struggle between 3 and 4 stars on this one. On the one hand, I  couldn't put it down. On the other, the slang and the bogged-down-in-detail parts got annoying. Evie, the main character, is a selfish spoiled brat who isn't all that likable. Will I read the next one? Sure- I will give it a try. Will I finish it? I'm not sure...

Read this book if:

*you love murder mysteries

*you love reading about the supernatural

*you love stories set in the Roaring 20's.

*you want to get wrapped up in a new series

What Happened to My Sister

Title: What Happened to My Sister Author: Elizabeth Flock Publisher: Ballentine Books Pages: 276

I borrowed this book from my local library.

From Amazon:

From the author of Me &; Emma comes a dazzling novel of two unforgettable families bound together by their deepest secrets and haunted pasts—perfect for fans of The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes and The Book of Bright Ideas.

Nine-year-old Carrie Parker and her mother, Libby, are making a fresh start in the small town of Hartsville, North Carolina, ready to put their turbulent past behind them. Violence has shattered their family and left Libby nearly unable to cope. And while Carrie once took comfort in her beloved sister, Emma, her mother has now forbidden even the mention of her name.

When Carrie meets Ruth, Honor, and Cricket Chaplin, these three generations of warmhearted women seem to have the loving home Carrie has always dreamed of. But as Carrie and Cricket become fast friends, neither can escape the pull of their families’ secrets—and uncovering the truth will transform the Chaplins and the Parkers forever.

I was surprised to find this sequel to Me & Emma. Although it had been a while since I had read Me & Emma, it was one of those books that stayed with me. I couldn't wait to read this one, and it did not disappoint! I was taken in from the first page and could NOT put it down! I will try not to include spoilers.

 Carrie is the victim of terrible abuse but, sadly, doesn't know it.  It is all she has ever known. When she and her mother flee Hendersonville, NC in an old beat up car they are hoping for a new start. Sadly, bad luck seems to follow them wherever they go.  When car trouble strands them in a flea bag hotel, nine-year-old Carrie has to fend for herself for food while her alcoholic mother is out "working". She is haunted by the memory of her baby sister, Emma, whom her mom swears never really existed. However, Carrie is certain that she did once have a baby sister. What happened to Emma? Why won't her mother, who used to talk about her also, admit that she once existed?

Honor Chaplin is trying to start a new life with her young daughter. Having just lost a daughter to cancer, and having recently separated from her husband, she moves back in with her mother and struggles to begin again. When Honor and her daughter, Cricket, run into Carrie at the local Wendy's they are struck by her resemblance to Caroline, Honor's recently deceased daughter.  They are drawn to the pitiful Carrie and an odd friendship begins.

Will the Chaplin's find out the secrets Carrie is hiding? Will they find out the real reason she and her mother are fleeing Hendersonville? And will they finally unravel the truth about Emma?

this one will keep you on the edge of your set. You won't be able to put it down!

Read this one if you...

*read Me &; Emma and want to know the rest of the story

*love southern fiction

*love a good mystery

 

The Cottage at Glass Beach

Title: The Cottage at Glass Beach Author: Heather Barbieri Publisher:HarperCollins Pages:302

I borrowed this book from my local library.

From the inside cover:
Married to the youngest attorney general in Massachusetts State history,Nora Cunningham is a picture-perfect political wife and doting mother. But her carefully constructed life falls to pieces when she, along with the rest of the world, learns of the infidelity of her husband, Malcom.
Humiliated bu the press, Nora packs up her daughters- Annie, seven; and Ella, twelve- and takes refuge on Burke's Island, a craggy spit of land off the coast of Maine.  Settled by Irish immigrants, the island is a place where superstition and magic are carried on the ocean winds, and wishes and dreams wash ashore with the changing tides.
Nora spent her first five years on the island but has not been back to the remote community for decades- not since that long-ago summer when her mother disappeared at sea.  One night while sitting alone on Glass Beach below the cottage where she spent her childhood, Nora succumbs to grief, her tears flowing into the ocean.  Days later she finds an enigmatic fisherman named Owen Kavanagh shipwrecked on the rocks nearby.  Is he, as her aunt's friend Polly suggests, a selkie- a mythical being of island legend- summoned by her heartbreak, or simply someone who, like Nora, is trying to find his way in the wake of his own personal struggles?


 From the cover blurb, I was a little hesitant.  I was afraid it would be another romance set on a beach.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was not the case.  It was part coming home novel, part mystery, with a little bit of the supernatural thrown in.  The mystery unveils itself a little at a time, and keeps you guessing up to the very last page.  I must say that I found Ela to be a bit irritating, and  unlikable.  As mother of a daughter, I feel guilty saying this, but it is true.  She seems totally unreachable.  I found myself thinking, "Well send her to her dad!! Get her some counseling! Just get her out of this story!"  Sorry, Ela, but you're a selfish brat. Some of her actions were justifiable, but seriously, the child needed counseling.  I can understand her being upset about her parents' separation, but she took it too far. The fact that both parents were so caught up in themselves that they couldn't see the child was mentally unstable was, sadly believable in this day and age. Lastly, I do feel there were a few unresolved issues in the end.  I still had questions.  I won't spoil it for anyone. Let's just say I'd have liked an epilogue. All in all, it was a good read.  Plenty of twists and turns. Not boring at all.

Read this book if....
*you love mysteries
*you love stories with a beach/ island setting
*you love stories about survival after divorce / separation
*you love stories with a supernatural element



Sea Change by Karen White

Title: Sea Change Author: Karen White Publisher: New American Library Pages:392

From the back cover:

For as long as she can remember, Ava Whalen has struggled with a sense of not belonging, and now, at thirty-four, she still feels stymied by her family. Then she meets child psychologist Michael Frazier and thinks her days of loneliness are behind her. After a whirlwind romance, they impulsively elope and Ava moves to Matthew's ancestral home on St. Simon's Isl;and off the coast of Georgia.

But after the initial excitement, Ava is surprised to discover that true happiness still eludes her.  There is much she doesn't know about Matthew including the mysterious circumstances surrounding his first wife's death.  And her new home seems to hold as many mysteries and secrets as her new husband.  Feeling adrift, Ava throws herself into uncovering Matthew's family history and that of the island, not realizing that she has a connection of her own to this place- or that her obsession with the past could very well destroy her future.

Although I'm usually not big on books that pull heavily on romance for the story line, I have been a Karen White fan since I first began reading the Tradd Street series.  I also loved The Color of Light. Some of her books are a little romance-heavy for me but she weaves a good story.  This one I liked in that it relied less on romance and more on the story itself.  I like the setting White chose for the story and her descriptions of St. Simon's island are wonderful. She creates a great sense of place. At first I couldn't put this book down, but as it got toward the end I found myself getting less excited.  I couldn't understand why Matthew was so secretive about his former wife.  He hadn't even bothered to tell Ava about her before they married.  (Agreed, it was a whirlwind romance, but wouldn't a former marriage come up at some point?) I felt like it got a little wordy and I was also left not completely believing the ending of the Pamela/ Georgina/ Geoffrey storyline.  I guess the ending was a little unsatisfying.  All in all, this was a pretty good read, although not my favorite by Karen White.  I still look forward to her next book, and I would still recommend this one to any one who loves a good southern mystery.

Read this book if...
*you love southern fiction
*you love mysteries

*you love books with an island setting

A Teeny Bit ofTrouble

Author: Michael Lee West Title: A Teeny Bit of Trouble Publisher:Minotaur Books Pages: 330, incl. recipe section

I checked this book out from my local public library.

From inside the front cover:
After Charleston pastry chef Teeny Templeton witnesses a murder, she discovers that her lawyer-boyfriend, Coop O'Malley, has been keeping secrets. And then even more trouble comes knocking on her door- trouble in the form of a precocious ten-year-old girl who just might be Coop's daughter. As more lies explode, Teeny finds herself trapped in tiny Bonaventure, Georgia, a zany "little Savannah" , where she must gather DNA from a child genius as she tries to outwit a stalker, decode an encrypted diary, and fend off the advances of an ex-beau.  That calls for Anything-You-Say-Can-Be-Used-Against-You-Quiche.  And just when she thinks her life can't get any more complicated, a series of not-so-teeny troubles arise, including an uneasy love triangle, a gossip-mongering tarantula breeder, a wise-cracking Southern Belle with early Alzheimer's, Coop's lovable Chihuahua-toting granny, and clues that point to something truly deadly going down in the charming southern town...But when the suspect is arrested and the bodies keep piling up anyway, Teeny doesn't know whom to trust.  As the murderers close in, Teeny unearths a revelation that threatens to flip her whole world upside down.

I didn't even have to read inside the front cover to know I'd love this book.  I love Michael Lee West's books! She is an awesome southern writer. I checked the book out and brought it home without even opening it- and it did not disappoint.  Teeny, like all Wests heroines, is easy to love.   Wests' females are human- imperfect, sometimes a little neurotic, and always easy to identify with.  Teeny makes mistakes.  She can be impulsive and stubborn.  She has bad hair days (every day), and has a strange fashion sense.  The reader is immediately drawn to her. Who wouldn't be on her side?  Her boyfriend may be seeing his beautiful (and evil) ex.  A smart-alek ten-year-old claims he is her father. Then, after witnessing a murder, Teeny is in fear for her own life.  Life has never been easy for Teeny- her own mother abandoned her at the local Dairy Queen when she was only eight years old.  Raised by her loving Aunt Bluette, Teeny has had do to the very best she could with what little she had to work with. This is what makes her vulnerable.  It also gives her strength.  Teeny is a gourmet cook, finding recipes for every situation (including The Right To Remain Silent Salsa and I've Already Hired An Attorney Chips).  Recipes are included!

West writes a great mystery.  I had no idea which character(s) were guilty until the very end.  (Don't worry, I won't spoil it.) This book was hard to put down.  There were twists and turns on every single page.  Just when you think you've got it all figured out, another clue is unearthed which changes everything.  Once again, Michael Lee West has written a great southern read- an a great mystery as well.

Read this book if...
*you love southern fiction
*you love a great mystery
*you love "small town novels"
*You are a fan of Michael Lee West

See this review on Amazon.com

Summer in the South by: Cathy Holton

Title: Summer in the South Author: Cathy Holton Publsiher: Center Point Publishing Pages: 510 (large print edition)

I checked this book out from my local library after seeing it on  Library Thing.

From the cover:  After a personal tragedy, Chicago writer Ava Dabrowski quits her job to spend the summer in Woodburn, Tennessee, at the invitation of her old college friend, Will Fraser and his two great aunts.  Her charming hosts offer Ava a chance to relax and write at their idyllic ancestral estate, Woodburn Hall.

But Ava soon learns that ancient feuds and modern rivalries lurk just beneath the estate's placid surface.  Fascinated by the family's impressive history- their imposing house filled with treasures and their mingling with literary icons Fitzgerald, Hemingway and Faulkner- Ava stumbles onto rumors about the darker side of the family's legacy and discovers a multitude of skeletons in their closets.  As Ava struggles to write the story of the Woodburns, she finds herself tangled in the tragic history of a mysterious Southern family whose secrets mirror her own.

Being a fan of southern fiction, I had to give this one a try.  I had a stack of books in my TBR pile, but this one caught and held my attention from the first page.  The author does a great job of capturing the uniqueness of a southern small town (waving at everyone you see, revealing one's life story in line at the grocer).  However, I never could find myself rooting for Ava.  She seemed nosy, blunt and cold to me.  Actually, I think this is the way southerners tend to view many non-southerners.  It just isn't the way we do things.  Therefore, I think the author does a great job in capturing the way non-southerners are viewed by others here (often unknowingly). 

The mystery itself is vaguely interesting, but I kept wondering why, exactly, Ava really cared?  In her relentless pursuit of finding the true killer of Charles Woodburn she questions other family members continuously. She also writes their family secrets down and intends to publish them.  (Can you see why I find her so unlikeable?)  I kept asking myself (over and over) why Ava even cared?  These people were essentially strangers to her.

 Another thing I found distracting was this quote:  "They'd spend the summer driving around town picking up girls in a 1967 Corvette they'd bought at an auction. Jake was the worst. You didn't dare get into the back with him unless you wanted to come out with bruises and whisker burns all over your face and other places too embarrassing to mention."  Think about it.  A 1967 Corvette has no back seat.

So was all the hanky panky taking place- in the trunk? A minor detail, indeed, but very distracting.
I'm not saying I didn't like the book. It was a pretty good mystery and I was surprised at the outcome.  However, I am not used to books where the main character is actually unlikable.  Again, this is an excellent portrayal of how non-southerners appear to southerners.  The author actually did an excellent job with this.  It was a quick read, and not a bad one.  At least it made me think.....

Read this book if....

*you love southern fiction

*you love a good mystery

*you have no knowledge of classic cars (smile)