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Once again, minor neighborhood concerns and petty but unusual crimes have been occurring in Clearview, Texas. For example, there are zoning issues regarding chickens within town limits, a naked man who keeps exercising in front of a law office and the unsavory reputation of the local pinball arcade. As always Sheriff Dan Rhodes handles these problems and other minor disputes with an easy friendly manner. While Rhodes cannot believe some of the situations the populace finds itself in, he is always courteous when dealing with these distinctive individuals. Unfortunately Clearview is hit by a more serious crime that good public relations cannot resolve. Lloyd Berry, the owner of the local flower store, is found dead in his store. There is no obvious motive for the crime as the cash register is full and nothing has been stolen. Even though some of the stores located on the same strip mall as Berry's business are not completely legitimate, it seems unlikely that his death is connected to any of these other storefront owners. Rhodes believes that this murder is somehow connected to the Clearview Barbershop Chorus, of which Berry was the director. Some of his suspicions arise from the fact that Rhodes, while being completely tone deaf, was recently asked to join this singing group. As Rhodes investigates, he discovers that there are a lot of tensions and disputes within the choir and that Berry's death has made things only more complicated. It seems that Berry had been accused of embezzlement and of courting a married woman. To complicate the situation even more it appears as though Berry started some of the rumors about himself and other members of the organization. With Berry being murdered, some of the choir members attempt to hide feuds and their own small-mindedness, while others let loose with all of their pent-up hatred. Rhodes must shift through the pettiness and lies in order to expose the killer and find justice for the victim. While I enjoy the Dan Rhodes series, I tend to view it as a guilty pleasure. Unfortunately there are many things that a long-time mystery reader might find frustrating about the series. Like many of its predecessors, MURDER IN FOUR PARTS is formulaic. Rhodes must confront the peculiarities of small town life while solving a major crime. (For such a small town, Clearview suffers from a lot more violent crimes than one would expect.) While investigating and questioning suspects, Rhodes ends up visiting the ER or sustains injuries that should be examined in the ER but continues to investigate even when injured. Some of the characters in this book are hackneyed at times and trite; however, their clichéd actions do capture the friendships, rivalries and other tensions that occur within a rural town. Even though a reader could easily find fault with MURDER IN FOUR PARTS, I still enjoyed this recent addition to the series. The characters remain constant in their behaviors and do not deviate from their personalities developed in earlier books. While some of the small town crime – such as the loose alligator – seems over the top, it merely makes the book more interesting. Rhodes manages to keep himself outside of the squabbles of the community, so his narrative illustrates the events that make a community a community and makes readers feel as if they are coming home after a long absence. For these reasons, I look forward to the next release in this series.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, August 2009
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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