The Necessary Murder Of Nonie Blake is the latest in the Samuel Craddock Mystery Series by
Terry Shames. As the title makes clear Nonie Blake had to die. Why and who did
it are the main questions that drive much of this book from start to finish.
Winona Blake, or Nonie, is legendary
in Jarrett Creek, Texas and nearby areas. It has been twenty years since she
left town and eventually wound up in a mental institution far to the north up
near Dallas. When she was 14 all those years ago she tried to kill her younger
sister. It wasn’t horseplay as she meant for her sister to hang until dead. If
it hadn’t been for the quick action of her brother Charlotte Blake would have
died that day.
Instead, it is Charlotte
Blake, who calls Chief of Police Samuel Craddock to report the latest
family tragedy. Her sister drowned in the stock pond behind their house. The home of the reclusive Blake family located
a few miles down a gravel road out past the cemetery on the north side of town
is about to be a very active crime scene. When Craddock gets out there it is
very evident to him that the main cause of Nonie’s death is certainly not
drowning. She took a significant blow to
the head that also crushed her cheek and broke her jaw. The force that was used
far exceeds what she could have generated by a simple fall against a tree or the
ground before sliding into the water. This was not an accidental drowning by
any means. Figuring out who did it and why are the primary points of an
investigation that leads Samuel Craddock on a trail of secrets going back
decades.
While that is the main plot there
are secondary plots building off previous events and ongoing characters/situations
in this highly entertaining series. Along with that, author Terry Shames had
added a new character in the form of a female deputy, Marie Trevino, sent in by
the state to assist as Samuel Craddock sees fit. She has her own way of doing
things and that attitude is going to push Craddock to up his game.
The Necessary Murder Of Nonie Blake features yet another engrossing and complicated mystery in
this long running cozy style mystery series. Macavity Award Winner for Best
First Mystery author Terry Shames continues to deliver in each successive
installment of the series much like what Texas author Bill Crider (prominently
mentioned on the book cover) has done in his Sheriff Dan Rhodes Series,
Terry Shames has created a sense of family with these characters. It doesn’t
take a reader long to feel like he has known Samuel, Lorretta, and numerous
others for years once one starts reading the books.
A
Killing At Cotton Hill
started everything off. Five books later, The Necessary Murder of Nonie Blake
keeps a great series rolling forward at a great pace.
The Necessary Murder Of Nonie Blake:
A Samuel Craddock Mystery
Terry Shames
Seventh Street Books
2016
ISBN# 978-1-63388-120-4
Paperback (also available in eBook
format)
258 Pages
$15.95
Material supplied by the publisher
in exchange for my objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2016
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2 comments:
I'm doing a challenge to read a book set in each state of the US by a new (to me) author Kevin so this author looks like a good candidate for Texas which I haven't visited yet. Do you recommend starting at the beginning or could I dip my toes in at any stage?
Like most series this one should be read in order. Start with "A Killing At Cotton Hill."
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