ISBN: 0-7887-3212-9 Order from: Recorded Books
A satisfying mystery, sometimes wordy, but with a solid plot, and a fine description of familial, racial and social relations in rural North Carolina.
Reviewed by David on November 30, 2002
Genre: Mystery (Amateur Sleuth, American South)
Synopsis: This is an unabridged recording of Home Fires.
Deborah Knott is a District Judge in Colleton County, North Carolina. Bolstered, and sometimes sorely tried, by her extended family of cousins, Deborah is a part of the rural community. Deborah, in addition to her work, is building a house, one that will hopefully serve her and her lover Kidd Chapin.
A minor crime involves one of Deborah's young cousins. When similar occurences esacalate from vandalism to murder, with strong racial overtones, Deborah along with her whole community is stressed. Deborah has to put all her efforts into solving the crimes, clarifying her cousin's role in this, and stopping the racial tensions from splintering her home community.
Full Review: The descriptions of the rural South, stressed, and sometimes improved by the pace of progress, are excellent in this book. Occasionally, the plot gets bogged down in long-winded descriptions, but the emphasis on the mystery usually keeps the reader's attention.
Deborah's extended and colorful family help to anchor this first-person narration and solidify the sense of place, and most of the supporting characters are well fleshed out.
The plot resolution becomes predictable half-way through the book, but there are enough details and investigative tasks to make the length of the book plausible. On the whole, this is a satisfying mystery.
Overall: 6; Plot: 5.5; Characters: 5.5; Style: 5.5; World-building: 6; Originality: 5;
Copyright date 1998, Recorded Books, 1999, Audio cassette, 5 cassettes
ISBN: 0-7887-3212-9 Order from: Recorded Books