loribonesscaswell

What should have been a simple trip home for journalist AnnaLise Griggs has turned into a nightmare. It is time for college to start and who shows up in Sutherton, North Carolina to start class, Suzanne Rosewood with her parents in tow. Her mother, Tanja and her father, Benjamin, the district attorney of Urban County, Wisconsin. AnnaLise and Ben have a bit of a past. A past she would love to forget. Now it has followed her home.

AnnaLise has errands to run and the Rosewoods all have plans so the visit is none to sweet but very short. That is until AnnaLise learns that Tanja has had an accident on the treacherous mountain road outside of Sutherton. The tragic accident turns out to be deadly. Then there is another death and AnnaLise just can't shake the feeling that these deaths are related. Her journalist instincts take over causing her to learn just how far people with go to get and keep what they believe is theirs.

Dollycas's Thoughts

When you think of Sandra Balzo you think of Small Towns - Big Crimes and that is the story she delivers.

The story is full of southern charm. The Woolly Worm Festival is right around the corner. Mama Philomena's restaurant serves up recipes like Corn Flakes Crunchy Baked Chicken, Grape Nuts Pudding and complimentary Chex Mix, the comfort food Mama (Phyllis) grew up on. And like any small town everyone knows everybody's business. Or do they?

The mystery is a delight, full of red herrings that keep the reader guessing as the clues all come together in unimaginable ways. Funny by the end everything makes perfect sense.

The twists and turns are not all in the story. The roads around Sutherton are crazy. I was gripping the book and holding on for dear life in several places. I would be a driver just like AnnaLise, timid, slow, mindful of the drop offs, but her mother and others that drive those roads daily tear up and now the mountain with ease.

Sandra Balzo is a gifted storyteller, her stories just flow with a perfect balance of what makes up a great cozy mystery. Quirky characters we love, a well-plotted story with just the right amount of humor, taking place in a picturesque setting with "cool mountains" and beautiful lakes and trout filled streams. Her stories are the perfect kind to escape into and I look forward to every trip.