By: Tracy Dunham
Genres: Mystery
Posted: November 13, 2005
Tal has recently reconnected with a former high-school chum and famous mysterious portrait painter, Travis Whitlock. Coincidentally, Travis has recently returned home looking for the simple life as well. Tal and Travis have an odd, yet strangely compatible relationship that's based more on their mutual history and intellect than sex-appeal.
Everything seems to be going according to Tal's new life- plan until she finds a decapitated head down by the river -- a head that happens to belong to the estranged husband of her office assistant, June. What follows is a gritty game of cat-and-mouse between Tal, Travis, June and a band of rough-and-tumble bad guys who are hell-bent on eliminating anyone or anything that gets in the way of meeting their illegal objectives.
I was immediately impressed with the rich, vivid and earthy descriptions the author gave to every aspect of the book -- the characters, the plot and the scenes. I was captivated by the mystery of each character, which kept me turning pages well past my bedtime. The only disappointment for me was the book ended rather abruptly with many unanswered questions. The author suggests throughout the book more information will be divulged about each characters' past, but then ends before that happens. Overall, I devoured the book, but was left wanting more!
Book Summary
Leaving the big city and coming back to South Carolina was the best thing attorney Tal Jefferson ever did. Even though she's still haunted by the ghosts of her past, she's finally given up the booze and started letting the tranquility of her hometown work its way through her veins. But her life is thrust back into turmoil when she and a high school acquaintance make a gruesome discovery in the Wynnton River. A man has been murdered-and soon, he's identified as the estranged husband of Tal's fierce-hearted secretary, June Atkins. In a town full of racism and self- delusion, Tal will have to clear June's name and save them both from a murderer who'll do anything to save himself.
by: Tracy Dunham
Berkley Prime Crime
December 6, 2005
Featuring: Tal Jefferson; Travis Whitlock
304 pages
ISBN: 0425205770
Hardcover