|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
Claire Watkins is a deputy sheriff living in a small town of western Wisconsin, just across the border from Minnesota. She and her daughter moved there after the murder of her husband in Minneapolis. There she hoped to find peace and tranquility, but that was not to be. As deputy sheriff, she is the chief investigator for the department and she probes all homicides. Stephanie Klaus is a battered woman. She will not tell Claire who or even admit that she is being beaten although she did call anonymously for help one night. When her good friend Buck Owens is murdered, Claire now has a homicide to investigate as well. She feels certain the two are related. The great strength of Ms. Logue's writing is in her description of the countryside, the weather, the small villages. She sets a tone with her descriptions that creates the atmosphere for the book: The trees stood stark and naked. This hill had been so lush in summer. Claire liked the woods revealing themselves, though, the branches reaching bare toward the sky. The land had moved to neutral and had a spareness to it that she found elegant. It is getting toward Thanksgiving and winter has come to this part of the country. The cold and the snow reach through to the bones and reading this book chilled me completely. The characters are likable, people I enjoy spending time with and people about whom I care. Stephanie is a frightened woman who keeps getting the strength to move on and then is found again. She finally turns on her attacker to protect a small dog. She is an object of pity and of concern. Claire and her daughter Meg are just down home folks, affable and appealing. Claire has developed a relationship with Rich Haggard and he is bringing his mother Beatrice for Thanksgiving dinner. Meg is having a problem with her fifth grade teacher who is a bully and resents Meg's intelligence. These form subplots for the book. The suspense at the end is nail biting. Even when I was sure I knew how the story would conclude, I feared I was wrong. The ending will pull you in and not let you stop until the book is finished. The plot, however, is a bit thin. There is little doubt who the criminal is; there are only three possibilities. We wonder why it took Claire so long to figure it out. However, the book is well-written and the descriptions alone make it worth your time. The characters are enjoyable and, as long as you don't mind a rather thin plot, I think you will enjoy this story.
Reviewed by Sally A. Fellows, April 2002
This book has more than one review. Click here to show all.
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
| 
