Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Southern mystery

  • MASTER OF WESTFALL PLANTATION by Bonnie Stanard, a historical novel

    MASTER OF WESTFALL PLANTATION by Bonnie Stanard, a historical novel

    Bonnie Stanard exposes some of the greatest plights of those who suffered from human bondage and slavery in her book Master of Westfall Plantation. Readers will be pulled into the novel’s eloquent prose that paints the tragic moments of the antebellum South. This captivating and well-researched story will resonate with you long after you read the final page.

    Set in Charleston, South Carolina and a nearby island shortly before the Civil War, the book introduces the central character Tilmon Goodwyn. He is cold toward his beautiful wife Georgiana (who is secretly shamed by her humble background), manipulative and suspicious of his widowed mother Phoebe, (who may be flirting with a sophisticated con man), and extremely cruel to slaves (while believing himself benevolent).

    Tilmon blunders through the business of running a large plantation, yet, underpinned by the pernicious institution of slavery, manages to prosper nonetheless. Given to gambling and pleasing himself, he has already impregnated one slave and developed a seething lust for another—young Kedzie, who has a mind towards freedom and a deep hatred of her master that only stirs his passion more.

    Passing his days in questionable business dealings, watching as his foreman lashes his slaves for the smallest infractions, Tilmon gives us little to like. The only time this arrogant husband, indifferent father, maladroit manager, and cruel overlord shows a smidgen of tender feeling is when Billy, a favorite slave, dies, probably having ingested poison meant for Tilmon himself—but administered by whom?

    Meanwhile Georgiana, meeting by chance with the abolitionist preacher who raised her, plots to have Kedzie sent north via the Underground Railroad, not in sympathy for the girl’s terrible circumstances, but as revenge for her husband’s flagrant infidelity.

    In a telling moment, Georgiana hears the laughter of gypsies and wonders how “a person of such poor circumstance could find anything funny,” not grasping that it is freedom, not wealth, which brings happiness. Readers will no doubt want to cling to hope for Kedzie to find a way out of hardship. As the novel ends, there are muted mentions of events in Kansas and elsewhere that may influence Tilmon’s dark empire that he rules with an iron hand and a perverted morality.

    Bonnie Stanard is a freelance writer and editor whose skills come to the fore in this work, with finely honed language that at times borders on the poetic. Master of Westfall Plantation is part of a series, for which Stanard has assiduously researched her subject matter, even attaching a lengthy bibliography. She focuses on the evil of slavery, expressing, in a brief introduction, her conviction that “a man of good will who conforms to a bad culture is more bad than good.”

    The hopeless plight of those who suffered from human bondage and slavery is fervently depicted in the authentic voices of the “low country.” Stanard’s portrayal of Tilmon and other slave masters who believed themselves “righteous and good” chronicles the juxtapositions that permeated the antebellum South. This unrelenting pessimism and, at times, almost complete lack of even a ray of hope can make the read intense and uncomfortable. Nevertheless, Master of Westfall Plantation is a brilliant work speaking honestly of an unspeakable wrong.

    The Master of Westfall Plantation is a companion novel to Kedzie, Saint Helena Island Slave (2012),  Sonny, Cold Slave Cradle (2013), and Westfall, Slave to King Cotton (2014). All four novels compose the well-researched and well-told Westfall series by Bonnie Stanard.

     

  • CATHERINE’S CROSS by Millie West, a Southern Mystery

    CATHERINE’S CROSS by Millie West, a Southern Mystery

    Mystery, romance, and the hunt for a long-lost artifact make Millie West’s second novel that is set in the South Carolina Low Country, an engrossing read.

    Writing in a leisurely pace echoing that of the novel’s southern setting, West begins her story with Jenks Ellington who, while watering ferns at her house in North Carolina one afternoon, experiences the moment of her twin sister’s drowning miles away in South Carolina. Gigi, a strong swimmer and experienced diver, disappeared while diving with her partner Frank Hillier in an area the two had been salvaging for artifacts.

    Jenks, who has always had a deep connection with her twin sister, can’t believe that Gigi’s death was accidental.

    The detective on the case, the handsome Seth Mason, is equally suspicious. The initial investigation finds nothing wrong with Gigi’s diving equipment, and the autopsy reveals that she had no drugs or alcohol in her blood stream. Mason also finds it suspicious that Frank Hillier, an experienced ex-Navy diver, has no explanation for why he lost track of Gigi during the dive.

    Almost immediately following the funeral, Jenks begins to have disturbing and inexplicable dreams about a woman wearing a golden cross.  As Jenks begins to follow clues left behind by her twin, she finds herself drawn ever deeper into the history of the area and its inhabitants.

    She discovers that Gigi had been in touch with Miss Meta, a local spiritual advisor, and that Gigi had been reading the old spiritualist’s family diaries. Those diaries mention a gold cross exactly like the one in Jenks’ dreams. Is her sister trying to communicate with her from the afterlife?

    Each page of this romantic thriller is imbued with the natural beauty of the Carolina Low Country, its people, and its culture. Ms. West weaves its rich and intriguing history, along with the region’s distinctive manners and idiosyncrasies into her work.  Readers (non-Southerners will need to remind themselves that they are immersed into the pacing of a good Southern tale) will find themselves unable to put down this intriguing southern mystery.

  • An Editorial Review of “Swamp Secret” by Eleanor Tatum

    An Editorial Review of “Swamp Secret” by Eleanor Tatum

    With a cast of quirky, lovable characters and a unique, small-town setting of southeastern North Carolina country, Swamp Secret, by Eleanor Tatum, delivers an engaging tale of mystery, suspense, and romance. Readers will enjoy revisiting old friends and meeting new ones in this delightful sequel to Swamp Run.

    Suspecting that trouble might be brewing, Sheriff Earl Cunningham orders Deputy Alex Turner to be present at a local town hall meeting. Alex, who had been planning a relaxing evening watching sports on his friend’s large-screen television, is not amused—until he meets Councilman Eugene McLaurin’s niece from Chapel Hill, the lovely Dr. Jillian Royal. Jillian, a medical researcher working on a groundbreaking study into childhood obesity, is instantly attracted to the handsome deputy.

    As it turns out, Sheriff Cunningham was right to be concerned: The locals are up in arms over the exorbitant water bills for the properties surrounding the local lake that is the area’s most popular tourist attraction. Ex-Marine Stephen Kinney has organized a protest at the town meeting, which he disrupts by hinting at corruption and graft by the local council members and demanding answers about missing county revenues from the local liquor store chain. Jillian’s uncle becomes uncharacteristically belligerent—so angry, in fact, that he drops dead of a heart attack.

    A grieving Jillian and Alex both suspect that something was indeed troubling her normally level headed, ethical uncle. When they question her Aunt Muriel, she admits that her husband had brushed aside similar questions about the water bills from her sister Mildred who lives at the lake, saying that she “not concern herself” and that he “would take care of the problem.” Are the lake residents’ suspicions well-founded? Are liquor store revenues lining the pockets of council members and others in their sleepy  town? Or are they just troublemakers?

    The mystery deepens when Police Chief Joseph Sutton from Swamp Run fame breaks up a meeting at Mildred’s house on the lake to discuss the water bills, citing an obscure crowd-control ordinance that forbids more than four cars to be parked at one house on the lake without a permit. He wonders if the sheriff is merely concerned about his re-election, or is he a party to rampant graft? And what—if anything—does his connection to the mysterious Mr. Malacouti have to do with recent events? As more lives are put at risk, Jillian must use her medical investigative skills to help Alex unravel the mystery.

    Clever dialogue, humor, and a healthy dose of romance between Alex and Jillian will surely delight romance readers. Providing a deft balance of romance and mystery, Tatum plants intriguing clues and steadily builds suspense in a way that had this reviewer eagerly turning the pages to discover who is embezzling town funds and endangering the lives of its citizens.

    Swamp Secret by Eleanor Tatum earned First Place for Southern Romance Category, the 2013 Chatelaine Awards, a division of Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Writing Competitions. We look forward to reading the sequel!

  • An Editorial Review of “Fathers House” by C. Edward Baldwin

    An Editorial Review of “Fathers House” by C. Edward Baldwin

    Fathers House by C. Edward Baldwin is written for an uncommon reader: the thoughtful thrill-seeker. Often times the grotesque scenes are juxtaposed with people simply living life, dealing with paperwork, or stuck on a stagnate case they don’t understand. The villain’s motivations of power and control are clearly presented, and the number one antagonist holds at least one insanity card in his hand. The push and pull of villains in the shadows gives the reader a sense that the main characters lack free will and are rudderless. All these elements make this an engrossing novel, but some may find the horrific-ness of some of the scenes difficult to read.

    Fathers House centers on the dealings of a crime syndicate and its infiltration at all levels of what seems like a pleasant, law-abiding city in the South. The reader is quickly introduced to Fathers House, a halfway home for delinquent and orphaned youth in Duraleigh, N.C.

    Baldwin introduces a large cast of characters who will weave the plot twists and turns in his opening chapters.  Reading the first few chapters that set-up the story may be daunting, but do read on.  However, once the reader pushes through, the story picks up pace while the tension ratchets up at breakneck speed.

    Our protagonist is Ben Lovison, an assistant district attorney who is touted as a community role model, in part due to his humble beginnings as an orphan in Fathers House and a shining example of Mayo Fathers’ community work. Lovison, who was abandoned by his father, is now an expecting father of twins. The reader receives brief flashes of what Lovision tries to expect parenthood to be like without the benefit of parents to emulate except for Mayo Fathers.  Fatherhood in one way or another is a central theme throughout the work.

    The plot initially focuses on Lovison’s investigation of Cain Simmons, a teenage rapper at Fathers House indicted in the murder of another young man.  Lovison is half detective, half lawyer, and more than competent at his job. But after Cain’s apparent suicide, Lovison begins wandering without direction, unsure now that he has no one to prosecute.

    The narrative slides between adults working for Fathers Disciples, adults supposedly working for the good of society, adults working for the law, and finally the children who are at their mercy.  Each character is trapped in a world where no one is trustworthy once their illusions are shattered.

    Ben Lovison’s world is crushed as he discovers the dark truth behind his boyhood foster home, his mother’s murder, and the disappearance of his own father.  As the novel continues, it becomes clear that it is not about any one character, but the effects the Fathers Disciples have on those whose lives they try to control and wield power over.

    The Fathers Disciples’ development as a crime syndicate works well. The disciples decide which youths they will use for the syndicate and which are the ones who will go out into the world as Lovison did, thereby, keeping up the façade for Mayo Fathers, the owner of the house and its hidden torture chamber. Lovison somehow stays on the Fathers Disciples’ radar as a potential threat, but they deem Lovison as just a fly on the wall.

    The twists and turns of Fathers House will satisfy readers who find non-obvious connections connecting devilishly amusing. Juxtaposition of the bribery, murders, and power plays against Baldwin’s subliminal questioning of free will and what really drives all of our lives is not highlighted in an initial reading, but in the undercurrent subtext. This is yet another example of how Baldwin’s story engages the reader in unexpected ways. Parts like the end, which will not satisfy all readers (blink and you will miss it), are balanced by a well thought-out story arc, and the slow reveal of the darkness everyone is capable of holding in their secret heart.

    Fathers House is a bloody and suspenseful debut thriller by C. Edward Baldwin that deals with the brutal undercurrents of crime in modern society.

  • An Editorial Review of “Tea Leafing” by Weezie Macdonald

    An Editorial Review of “Tea Leafing” by Weezie Macdonald

    In her debut novel, Tea Leafing, Weezie Macdonald demonstrates extraordinary skill in deftly weaving the multifaceted personalities and lives of a quartet of friends—exotic dancers (or strippers, as you will) at a high-end gentlemen’s club in Atlanta. It is an intriguing thriller of local graft, mafia-style murder, international drug rings, money laundering, and revenge.

    Juxtaposed with the shadier side of  Tea Leafing is the story of these women’s’ loyalty to each other, clever sleuthing, and determination not to let their co-worker and friend’s unjust and gruesome death go un-avenged.

    Macdonald masterfully develops the rich and distinctly different characters of Sam, Grace, Mary Jane, and Birdie both on and off stage at the Pink Pussycat, yet enables them to mesh within the close bonds of their friendship, especially when they resolve to face the dangers of joining forces to solve Lena’s murder. Tears of loss and compassion flow as they mourn their friend’s death, though they purposefully maintain a discreet distance from Lena’s high-society Savannah family and friends—all except her younger sister Amanda, who provides a key clue.

    Chunks of humor lighten the story—in the shenanigans and uninhibited dialog of the feisty-tongued, Irish-born, Manchester-raised Birdie, and vignettes of the club manager’s outlandishly dressed and coiffed mother, Pietra Maria Speranza DiFrancesco, who sails through the crowded club like a battleship, bellowing for her son Gio. Macdonald’s colorful descriptions enable us to smell the smoky air of the club, the whiskey, the perfume, even the sweat. We feel ourselves to be a part of the scene, and of the lives of those within it. Her multifaceted characterizations make us aware that people are not only, or perhaps not at all, what or who they appear to be.

    The story accelerates at a heart-stopping pace, as the clues build and the quartet construct their plan of action. Additional colorfully drawn characters join the cast, and the scene explodes to cover the globe—the Caribbean, Russia, Switzerland, Japan, Singapore. The suspense builds as money launderers, the Russian mob, and the underworld of Atlanta come into play. The urge to turn the pages faster and faster fights the need to absorb the intricate detail of the story. Heed that warning, readers, or you’ll find yourselves back in Atlanta not quite sure what happened.

    Tea Leafing by Weezie Macdonald is an entertaining and captivating mystery that will take you on a great ride on the wild side.

    [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][Editorial note: If you, like this reviewer, feel as though you’ve made some very good friends only to have to tell them goodbye, Weezie Macdonald is not going to let that happen. This quartet will entertain us again in the next book of Macdonald’s series. And, yes, you will discover what “tea leafing” is all about.]

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  • An Editorial Review of “The Grave Blogger” by Donna Fontenot

    An Editorial Review of “The Grave Blogger” by Donna Fontenot

    The Grave Blogger is a murder mystery that is not for the faint-hearted. The horrors of the torturings and killings detailed within its pages are definitely not for those who prefer their mysteries to be the cozy kind. This story, complete with a psychotic psychiatrist, takes place in the Deep South where a special kind of macabre is required to send chills up your spine.

    The main character, Raya, is a true crime blogger who begins having flashbacks of a gruesome massacre–one that she witnessed as a young child while she remained, she now hopes and prays, hidden out of sight of the killer. The human monster who committed the revolting crimes twenty years ago in this small, seemingly idyllic, bayou town was never caught.

    Enter the attractive Nick Simoneaux, a detective, who agrees to talk with Raya about the case. He harbors fears that his own father might have been involved as they begin to interview townspeople who were around when the first murders were perpetrated. It has been suspected that the killer was one of the town’s own. No one is above suspicion.

    Fontenot’s style allows the reader to see through the eyes of the main characters, which is especially chilling from the killer’s perspective. Readers’ hearts will be racing as the story twists and turns and the suspense rapidly intensifies in this creepy “OMG-this could really happen” page-turner. Prepare to devour this fast-paced thriller in one sitting with the lights on and the doors locked.

    The Grave Blogger was awarded 1st Place in the Murder/Suspense Category of the INDIE Awards, a division on the Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Awards 2013. Fontenot’s first novel, The Grave Blogger, was selected for showcasing a new style in fiction writing for fans of modern crime stories.