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Martha Bone, The Constant Reader
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Signs in the Blood: Pleasant, enjoyable and relaxing
First, let me suggest that the folks -- whoever and wherever they might be -- who name hurricanes read Shakespeare's Hamlet. What mad irony would name a hurricane "Ophelia"?
Signs in the Blood is the first novel about Elizabeth Goodweather, a gardener and widow who lives in the Appalachians of North Carolina and solves mysteries. Vicki Lane has a second novel in the works, and I hope many more. Elizabeth is a woman of a certain age. Her two children are grown and away from home, and she continues the business she and her husband created. A young nephew lives in a cabin near her home and helps.
There is much mountain lore in this mystery. Elizabeth and her husband inherited some land in the mountains and began an herb and plant business. Their best seller is a natural wreath, made by hand by Elizabeth. Gardeners will enjoy reading about the plants, but Signs in the Blood also has lots of stuff to say about mountain religions.
In addition to the modern story, Elizabeth is told by a dying neighbor that she must discover a truth about an old murder. Lane gives her readers the old story in italics about every other chapter. It is quite clear to the reader which is which, I think, without the italics, which I hate. It's much easier to read regular type.
There are snake-handling ministers with piercing blue eyes, wild painting preachers who paint when called by the spirit, and healing of fatal illnesses and nose bleeds. Elizabeth is not a believer, but she is respectful of all religions. In addition to the religious ingredient, there are mad militiamen with high mountain fortresses, a group of young star worshippers with many pregnant young girls, and a local ginseng hunter found dead in the river. Cletus Gentry was a "natural." He was not smart enough to learn to read, but he was a genius in the lore of the mountains. Cletus was afraid of the water, so his mother believes he was murdered. She asks Elizabeth for help.
Of course there must be a romantic angle, and that is found in an old friend of Elizabeth's husband. He comes to visit his daughter in Ashville. He is attracted to Elizabeth, but he has other irons in the fire and some interesting fish to fry. Sorry -- but Signs in the Blood is so much like other mysteries that it is a bit cliché-ish.
Despite the italics and formulaic writing, Signs in the Blood is a pleasant read. The mountain setting makes it attractive, and the characters are enjoyable. No brain cells will be stretched while reading Signs in the Blood, so it's relaxing.
This week I also tried to read The First Wife by Diana Diamond, which I hope to goodness is a pen name. This is a truly silly story about a divorced woman named Jane Warren who falls in love with a multibillionaire -- such an easy thing to do -- and becomes a wonderful mother to his two children. She has to rescue his children from expensive schools and teach him to appreciate them, but she is fabulous, so this is not a problem.
Unfortunately, someone is trying to kill her. Since her husband's first wife was murdered and decapitated, one might assume he has an enemy. The clue to the murderer is on the front cover of the book, to which I say "Yuk"! I checked the end to see what happened, although all but the dullest reader can guess fairly quickly.
The First Wife is a terrifically silly book. It is a waste of the paper on which it was printed, recycled or not.
A second book I tried and failed to read is Retribution by Jilliane Hoffman. This story is about a "brilliant prosecutor," C. J. Townsend, who was raped and tortured the night before she was to take the bar exam. Years later, she has a rapist up on charges as a serial killer who enjoys torture. She recognizes him and is "walking the fine line between justice and revenge."
The quotes above come from the back of the book, which makes me wonder how I ever came to own it. I read the first chapter and felt sick. It turns out that C.J. Townsend had nightmares for years after she was tortured, and I frankly expected to do the same if I kept reading. There are people who might enjoy Retribution, but I am not one of them.
Take your pick from these three books, and hope Ophelia doesn't hit land. |
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