ISBN: 0-7887-0086-3 Order from: Recorded Books
A well-crafted mystery with a deep feel of rural North Carolina, a believable protagonist, and a strong first-person focus, somewhat weakened by frequent lecturing and wordiness.
Reviewed by David on October 19, 2002
Genre: Mystery (Amateur Sleuth)
Synopsis: This is an unabridged recording of Bootlegger's Daughter.
Attorney Deborah Knott, irritated at the local judge, decides to run for the position herself in the upcoming election. Her campaign keeps her more than busy, but she cannot refuse a plea to look into an old, unsolved murder. Deborah's seemingly routine review of the eighteen-year-old investigation cause flared tempers, and anger turns into resentment, and worse. However, how much of the resentment is caused by the desire for privacy, and how much by a murderer's fear of discovery?
Full Review: This is a fairly standard mystery, constructed with a deep feeling of North Carolina and the atmospheric portrayal of the rural society. Intricate and long-standing family relationships are part of everybody's identities, and tobacco-growing farmers contend with land developers.
Most of the characters are plausbile, and the protagonist—Deborah Knott—is intelligent without being improbably competent. One of the issues with the book are the frequent pauses to explain various aspects of life, law, economy and family relationships. While useful to build up the environment, they distract from the narrative, and convey a patronizing attitude on the part of the otherwise likable protagonist.
Overall: 5.5; Plot: 6; Characters: 5.5; Style: 5.5; World-building: 6; Originality: 5;
Copyright date 1992, Recorded Books, 1994, Audio cassette, 7 cassettes
ISBN: 0-7887-0086-3 Order from: Recorded Books