ISBN: 1-4193-1659-1 Order from: Recorded Books
Sometimes a bit slow, this mystery builds suspense with solid characters amid colorful background of North Carolina.
Reviewed by David on January 17, 2006
Genre: Mystery (Amateur Sleuth)
Synopsis: Deborah Knott is eager for the one-week trip as a substitute judge in a mountain town of Cedar Gap. The normally scenic town is stunning during the fall leaf season, and despite its influx of tourists, its charm is conducive to thinking about Deborah's planned marriage to her old friend Dwight Bryant.
With the doubts in her heart, Deborah's is eager to take up an external puzzle: the murder of a prominent doctor, and the suspicious disappearance of an acquitance.
Full Review: The book features wonderful scenery, small-town juxtoposition of the rich and poor, a reasonably convoluted but well-prepared mystery thread, an element of suspenseful drama, as well as romantic angst.
The title, unsurprisingly, is a pun. And the book, seemingly fitting its touristy setting takes a number of opportunities for minor melodrama. Still, as the spectacular scenery of North Carolina mountains in the fall overwhelms the overplanned uniformity of Cedar Gapp's zoning board, so do the solid characters enliven the slightly contorted plot, and make the book a satisfying experience.
Overall: 6; Plot: 6; Characters: 5.5; Style: 5.5; World-building: 6.5; Originality: 5.5;
Copyright date 2004, Recorded Books, 2005, Audio cassette, 7 cassettes
ISBN: 1-4193-1659-1 Order from: Recorded Books