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Abby Silvernale #2

by Julia Pomeroy

Julia Pomeroy's artsy waitress Abby Silvernale returns to the moonlit back roads of the Hudson Valley in book two of her gripping new mystery series.

Fall is coming to Bantam, NY, the small town where Abby Silvernale waits tables at the InnBetween. Seasonal business is slowing down and her boss, Dulcie, is forced to cut back on shifts. Abby has no choice but to take a part-time job—as an amanuensis—with Norman, a ninety-one-year-old sculptor with a crumbling memory.

When the flamboyant and needy Germaine LeClair breezes into town, having just written a successful book about Tuscany, Abby discovers she has a long history with the domineering old sculptor. On the surface, Germaine seems to be all she claims, but there is something from her past she isn't telling.

At the restaurant, Dan the dishwasher quits and Dulcie hires Fritz, a man Abby distrusts from the moment she meets him. As Fritz gradually seduces and isolates Dulcie, Abby stands by, powerless. And when long-hidden secrets, revenge, and greed erupt into violence, Abby must fight to survive in this stunning sequel to The Dark End of Town.

Genres: Mystery

330 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2007

About the author

Read Julia Pomeroy's biography on her website

Reviews

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, for me, this Abby Silvernale mystery did not pack the same punch as her debut. Much of the book was slow to progress, and not in an anticipatory way. Abby’s difficulty in getting close to others is still at the forefront of this novel, but her character seems to have regressed from where she left off. Overall, a decent read, but a letdown to someone who enjoyed the last book immensely.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I originally began reading this series I thought I wouldn't like it, mostly the description of a failed model turned waitress but that proved misleading. It's about a woman who isn't so much a failed model since she never really had a career as it is about a woman dealing with the incredible blow life has dealt her but she's dealing with it the best way she knows and with each installment her shell cracks a bit more. She isolates herself but often feels lonely, she welcomes her burgeoning relationship and at times wants more even though she turns and runs when he offers it, she's fiercely loyal to her friends, has a strong sense of right and wrong and it insatiably curious. She's real and flawed and while her life seems bittersweet at times it also just seems sweet at others, she grabs hold of happiness and contentment where she can - her pets, her job, her few friends, her rusty old truck, learning to bowl - in the simplest of things.

[Patti · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm glad I only paid $1.00 for this book. It's been awhile since I've read a book with such an unlikeable protagonist. Abby is just not fun to be around. The character of Germaine is over the top ridiculous...so, what, her red hair and green skirts just cast a spell over the town and no one can resist her? And Dulcie couldn't manage a seashell business on the beach, let alone this restaurant.

I love the idea of the small towns, and the inn, and CRAZY QUIRKY characters but I guess I'll watch reruns of Gilmore Girls instead. At least I liked those people.