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NEXT OF KIN
by Ami Elizabeth Reeves
Avalon, August 2005
218 pages
$21.95
ISBN: 0803497296


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Seventeen-year-old Sally Brown has run away from her Phoenix home to reunite with her older sister Suzanne and the rest of her estranged family. Something happened in the small town of Delight, Arkansas that forced Sally's mother to leave her family and take baby Sally as well. It is a forbidden topic and Sally is interested in learning more, but right now she has her future to consider.

As a track-and-field star she has a better chance of earning a college scholarship in Arkansas than she did in Arizona. She is looking out for herself and fighting to stay independent. What she is unaware of is that not everyone has welcomed Sally's return with open arms and her presence is now opening a can of worms. With all of this hostility, murder cannot be far behind.

Ami Elizabeth Reeves' debut novel NEXT OF KIN is a promising start for an up-and-coming author. The book stands out with its small-town setting and the local flavor provided by each of the characters introduced from Delight, Arkansas. Even without having met them it appears that you have met them your entire life through their actions in the book, what they say about themselves, or just the local town gossip.

It can all be appreciated when the (not-so-literal) fireworks begin at the Annual Delight Arkansas Chicken Cook-Off where a body of a nosy reporter is found. Everyone knew the victim and there was no love lost for her. However, she held a key to Sally's past and now a small-town scandal will now be placed in the open and anything could happen.

The book's weakness lies in its predictability regarding the who and the why inside the murder mystery. Also it was fairly easy to figure out why Sally's mother left town in the first place after less than a hundred pages. The novel is peppered with clues, making it a bit obvious. But regardless of that, flaws and all, this book managed to grab my attention in a positive way. It was a fun read and highly entertaining. Let's see what comes next from Reeves' imagination. It will sure be worth the wait.

Reviewed by Angel L. Soto, August 2005

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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