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COLD FLAT JUNCTION
by Martha Grimes
New American Library, February 2002
432 pages
$12.00
ISBN: 0451205235


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

The first impression you may receive from the Cold Flat Junction area is that it is a boring place, a non-happening residence. Not true. Twelve-year-old Emma Graham has a story to narrate, starting with a mystery that happened forty years ago. We know that a twelve-year-old named Mary Evelyn Deveraux was found dead on the edge of Spirit Lake forty years ago. A recent death took Fern Queen whose father was just released from prison. Her mother, Rose Deveraux Queen, had been previously killed all those years ago and Rose's husband had been convicted of this crime.

Three deaths! The police were searching for Ben Queen, but Emma did not think he was guilty. Emma waitressed at The Hotel Paradise where her mother was the cook. An upcoming trip to Florida included Emma's mother, her business partner, Lola, and Lola's bratty bragging daughter, Ree-Jane. Emma was left behind. The good news was that this gave Emma some new freedom for her mystery gathering. It was quite an undertaking for a girl this age to solve a mystery and still keep on with the rest of her life.

The characters in this story were the strength. There was matriarch Aurora Paradise (the owner of the hotel), a cantankerous cane carrying 79 year old who liked her alcohol. Mr. Butternut was a man who lived close to the murder scene. Emma thought he may have seen or heard something; she had to know the truth so she became an ally of his. The relationship between the sheriff and Emma sparkled. At one point, Emma waited for the sheriff to return to his office. She waited all afternoon and most of the time, she waited alone. The sheriff was angry with the deputy for leaving someone there alone especially since it was Emma. There was too much opportunity for her to snoop.

Emma was always seeking but never quite doing it the regular way. As Emma tells her story, most of the time I felt she was truly 12. The turn around was when she sleuthed with the best of the pros. Occasionally, in these scenarios, her childhood slips is portrayed "too adult."

Martha Grimes is the author of numerous books; the prequel of this book is Hotel Paradise.

Reviewed by Rita Ratacheck, May 2002

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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