Review: The Curious Poisoning of Jewel Barnes: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry Shames

This comes out Tuesday...

It is always a great pleasure when another book in the long running Samuel Craddock Mystery series by Terry Shames comes out. The latest, The Curious Poisoning of Jewel Barnes, is another solidly good one.

 

As the book begins, it is the fall of Craddock’s discontent. He thought he was in love and they had a future together. But, Wendy Gleason is gone as she has reconnected with her high school love who has come back into her life. It has been a bit of a whirlwind these last few weeks for them and they are about to be married. A break up is hard enough, but with Jarret Creek so small, everybody for miles around knows every excruciating detail.

 

Loretta has stopped by this morning, as she almost always does, with some food and news. This time the news is a bit strange as one of two twin sisters thinks the other is trying to kill her. Lily and Jewel, part of the Barnes family, have lived together their entire lives. They live a couple of blocks over from the family home. Much of their lives, they have bickered, but nothing too serious and nothing ever got out of hand to the point that anyone else, in the family or outside, had to really intervene.

 

That may have changed in the here and now of mid-November. Loretta says she has heard from Hannah, another sister, there is some sort of serious feud going on. Lily is sure her twin sister is trying to poison her and, to hear Loretta tell it, the fear that Lily has is very real.

 

Chief Samuel Craddock does not think much of it as everybody in that family has a temper and there is always some sort of petty disagreement going on. Some families are just like that. Not only that, but the twins are in their mid-forties so Craddock believes they should both have some sense. Beyond that, why would one try to kill the other one now?

 

Loretta does not know, but she is clearly concerned as is Hannah who told her some of the details. So, he agrees to see each of the twins and check in, but that takes awhile as various other problems take precedence. That includes the possibility of an illegal dumpsite just outside the limits of his jurisdiction. A site that, it soon becomes clear, nobody wants to talk about or have it investigated.

 

Soon, Jewel is dead from an apparent poisoning. Lily is the main suspect. She is also devastated by the death of her twin sister. That death also has rocked Hannah and the entire family. A death that has to be investigated by Craddock and others as either it was an accident or deliberate.

 

If that wasn’t enough, Wendy’s kids who have always thought the world of Craddock are concerned about the return of the old flame and his criminal history. It doesn’t take long for Craddock to realize they have reason to be concerned though he has no idea what to do about it. Where is the line between being a lawman and a concerned ex-boyfriend?

 

As always in this series, much is going on via many fronts, and Samuel Craddock does his best. The Curious Poisoning of Jewel Barnes: A Samuel Craddock Mystery brings back numerous characters that are old friends/ The latest installment of a great series that began with A Killing at Cotton Hill is another solidly good read.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3JmQlU1

 

My digital ARC came by way of Severn House, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025