October 1964 and for
Marjorie Trumaine the unthinkable has happened. No, her beloved Hank is still
alive, paralyzed, and holding his own. He still wishes that he had died in the
shotgun accident, but she is thankful he is still around. Despite the brutal
events in See Also Murder, life on her farm in rural North Dakota has
continued and she is managing to hold things together. The Knudsen boys,
Peter and Jaeger, continue to be a huge help to her, but they can’t make the
rains come. Rain is the lifeblood of any farm and Marjorie needs it to rain.
Indexing helps pay the bills, but that job can’t totally support the farm.
Unfortunately, her
powers to hold things together are tenuous at best and do not extend to the
town library. Calla Eltmore, librarian resource when Marjorie has a question as
well as a longtime friend, has been found dead at her desk in the Dickinson
library. Marjorie is devastated by the news and can’t believe it. Not only the
fact that she is dead, but the police seem to think it was by suicide.
Despite voicing her misgivings,
she can’t seem to get anyone else to listen to her. Even when she spots a clear
clue that the police should have figure out.
The death of Calla is
one of several storylines at work in this complicated and very engrossing
read by author Larry D. Sweazy. Building on the character of Marjorie
Trumaine as well as several other ones, a complicated mystery read full of rich
details is constructed. Readers are again exposed to the difficulties of rural
farm life in the early 60s in North Dakota, Marjorie’s duties as an indexer, living
in a place where everyone knows your business day and night, and numerous other
themes and angles in this complicated mystery. See Also Deception: A Marjorie Trumaine
mystery building on the first book and is a very worthy second book in this
intense mystery series.
Highly recommended, as
is the first book, See
Also Murder. Because those events are referenced in this read, it
is also recommended that readers new to this series start with the first book.
See Also Deception: A Marjorie Trumaine Mystery
Larry D. Sweazy
Seventh Street Books
May 2016
ISBN# 978-1-63388-126-6
Paperback (eBook format available)
$15.95
270 Pages
Both the author as well as the
publisher, Seventh Street Books, supplied review copies for my use to read and
review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2016
By coincidence, I just read this one a couple of weeks ago and was quite taken with it. I hadn't read the first one, but I am now within about 50 pages of finishing it. The period details are so well done and Marjorie is a fully realized character. I had read a favorable review somewhere but wasn't prepared for how rich this story is. I love all the little details. . . the constant wind, the surprise that a dog is allowed in the house, the party line, and so forth.
ReplyDeleteJeanne
As the only reviewer who matters and who uses the best words....the best ...many people say my reviews are the best.. ...I am sure you saw my favorable review.
ReplyDeleteIt is one heck of a series.