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It's always a pleasure to set a spell and visit with the citizens of Delphi, S. Dakota. Tory Bauer, now co-owner, of the only cafe in town, is waiting tables, with her cousin Del, while co-owner, ex-stripper, Alanna Luna, acts as short order cook, for a diner full with the European Traveling Lutheran Youth Choir, Tory's cousin, Junior, wife of the local minister and in her 8th month of pregnancy, and the town regulars. Amidst all this, she looks out the window and sees a plumber's truck pull up. The heating system in the cafe has stopped working, and it's winter in South Dakota, but with dismay, a ferrety little man exits the truck... it's "Weasel" Cleaver, a petty thief, just out of prison, and "an equal opportunity letch." Del quickly warns Junior to spread the word that Weasel is back in town, and Tory tells Alanna to keep an eye on him, not to let him even talk to any of the teen-age girls, not to give him money, and not to sign anything. Three years before, Weasel had stolen $15,000 from Aphrodite, the previous owner of the small restaurant, stolen a car and driven off with a 14 year old girl. Before they can get Weasel into the back room to fix the furnace, Del notices one of the girls, whom they thought had been asleep, seems to be comatose. In the ensuing confusion, Weasel and Meg, a Canadian girl singing with the choir, disappear, but no one notices until after the unconscious girl is taken to the hospital. A note is found under her arm. Junior reads it, pales, and hands it to Tory and Del. It appears to be a suicide note, saying that Junior's husband, Reverend Clay Deibert, molested her. After this, things really get complicated. It's always a pleasure to read about the disfunctional denizens of this small town. They have become friends over the course of the previous 5 books, which were not released in chronological order, but are all very readable. As Taylor has said, "When we're not there, they go about their business and live their lives but every once in a while, they tell me they have a story to tell and I just write it down" Even though Tory and the others live a whole world away from my northeastern urban life, I look forward to visiting them every year.
Reviewed by Barbara Franchi, January 2002
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