Blue Ridge

by T.R. Pearson

The new deputy sheriff of a Virginia town investigates the discovery of a human skeleton on the Appalachian trail while his cousin, an actuary, heads to New York to investigate the death of his son. 22,500 first printing.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Interracial Romance, Thriller, Novels

243 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Thomas Reid Pearson is an American novelist born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He is the author of seventeen novels and four works of non-fiction under his own name, including A Short History of a Small Place, Cry Me A River, Jerusalem Gap, and Seaworthy, and has written three additional novels -- Ranchero, Beluga, and Nowhere Nice -- under the pseudonym Rick Gavin. Pearson has also ghostwritten several other books, both fiction and nonfiction, and has written or co-written various feature film and TV scripts.

Reviews

[TinaNoir · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an utter revelation. There are two storylines here: one following cousin Ray who has just been hired as a sheriff deputy in a small town off the Appalachian trail and one following cousin Paul who lives in Virginia but travels to New York City to identify the body of his murdered son.

What follows is fascinating and fun read. While Ray is trying to find out the identity of a skeleton found on the trail (with the help of the wonderfully monikered female park ranger Kit Carson), Paul is busy learning more about the New York City underworld than he bargained for. Paul's story gets the lion's share of the book and I can't say that I am sad because his story is worth it just to read what the diabolical, yet oddly charming, crime lord Giles will do next.

[Marisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. The only reason I’m giving this 3 stars instead of fewer is because of how good of a writer T. R. Pearson is. Had the author been just any other person, I think I would’ve marked this as ditched and left it at that. But damn, Pearson has a way of spinning a sentence and painting a picture that makes it a little difficult to fault him for a boring novel. Note: a LITTLE difficult. Because aside from Pearson’s writing, the actual novel itself is just ok. It starts out slow, gets interesting in the beginning of the middle, and then slows down again. Maybe I don’t care for mafia books, and Blue Ridge isn’t described as a mafia-esque book, so I went into it with different expectations. Unfortunately, my expectations weren’t met, and while sometimes that can be good, this time it was just disappointing. Once the mafia connection was introduced, and Paul started pulling around with them, everything went downhill.

The most interesting character is Kit Carson, and she barely gets any attention in comparison to Ray and Paul, two cousins who are both boring and mean nothing. Ray and Paul’s stories don’t even connect together to show why it’s important to include both arcs. Blue Ridge could have focused entirely on just one of their stories, and in all honesty, the only story worth focusing on was Kit’s.

I wish I could say this is a quick read since it’s only a little over 100 pages, and I read it in under 24 hours, but it felt like it took me a week to plod through the first 2/3 before I decided to skim the rest. Skimming felt like it took another week to get through. Overall, I don’t recommend this book. I think Pearson is a hell of a writer, but if his other books are like this one, he might be one I’ll pass on in the future, though I’m certainly not opposed to trying another of his books.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Blue Ridge years ago upon its initial publication, and I remember enjoying it immensely then. I recently reread it upon its recent e-publication and enjoyed it even more. A word of caution: these are not mysteries in the Sue Grafton sense; these are character-driven mystery stories in the Jo Nesbø sense, based on complex characters beyond the usual law enforcement/detective formula and on settings that demonstrate their own authority, voice, and sensibility. Ray Tatum--laconic, taciturn, wise, and weary, is the cuddle-up-to main character that every reader wants to save from the idiots in the story who surround him. Paul Tatum, in a contrapuntal role, is his slightly more fastidious but less worldly cousin whose “mystery” is one of self-discovery through the streets of New York City to put to “rest” the death of a hardly known son. The story alternates between the experiences of the two men, gently tethered by images and feelings that are delivered with such a light touch that by the time you notice the strings, you wonder how many you already missed. Blue Ridge is the first in a series of novels that resurrect and reanimate Ray Tatum, so if you’re anything like me and mine, you’ll be grateful for the recurrent fix. Be warned, however: these are not for the faint of heart or the short of attention span, as the literary quality is high. If you can hang in there, the payoff—as in all Pearson novels—is superb.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The characters are alive and funny and real and identifiable. The story itself was interesting but it's the description and dialogue that drew me in- it's all about the people and making their way through the maze of humanity.

[Adrienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I cannot believe I finished this book. It was awful.

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to finish this book, made it halfway through and stopped. I was skimming through hoping it would grab my attention, but it never did. I didn’t like how there were two different crimes in two different states, and the back and forth and wondering if they were related. The writer does give interesting, sometimes comical descriptions of characters and places. For that, I rated the book a two.

There are so many books waiting that I can’t waste time completing this one! So many books, so little time.

[Mark Lacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easy, fast read, and I read it just about straight through. But was very disappointed that the two stories interleaved were never connected. And neither story satisfactorily solved. Some good characterization.

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I disliked most of the characters. I disliked the resolution of both mysteries. But the author has an interesting voice.

[Cindy Grossi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some gems, but I did not care for the construction. Hard to follow at times.

[Rebekah Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who has family in the general area where this book (& his others) takes place (& who has also lived there years ago myself) I will always have a special place in my heart for Pearson's work. His sense of humor & writing style is absolutely unmatched. Some may find it odd but I find it refreshing. Of note, some may find the scenes switching back & forth between VA & NYC confusing but I think it was well done. Pearson also does a great job of handling race in this book. He manages to criticize the establishment without doing so in an obvious or clichéd way.

[Harron68 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have enjoyed some of Pearson's other writings, so expected to do the same again . . .not, it turns out. The book held my interest, tho not strongly. Characters were not the best. Obligatory sex scene, wacky Southerners, just didn't measure up. I am generous giving it 3 stars.
Incidentally, copyrighted 2000 it has defacement of a confederate statue base as part of the story!!!! He was a bit ahead of his time.

[Teinevi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hey, at least I made it to the middle of the book until I decided to give up, that at least earns it 2 stars. I thought it was going to be an interesting read at first, two stories in the one book, together but separated but then.... I don't know, maybe I just lost interest. The task of switching back and forth between each story became a task and somehow I lost interest.

Maybe I'll re-read it some time

[Alexandre · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll just go on and say this could have been one average book and another decent one. The thing here is that you get two very different stories entwined in the same package and they don't really have a proper ending either. The writing displayed in "these" novel(s) is/are decent and enjoyable, but I would have liked it better if the 2 stories were released on their own.

[Bart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really two different books. Both are good, but neither story connects to the other in any meaningful way. Still, the TWO unconnected stories in this ONE book are both well written and interesting to read.

[Steve · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up at a used book store for a dollar. I overpaid :-(

[Nadine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author is a wonderful craftsman of the English language and is sentences are a joy. But the shifting points of view left me wanting a straight out story.

[Jeannie May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love TR Pearson! Funny and moving and true to life (if you're Southern!)

[Nefty123 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat confusing because of the parallel plots. But overall a pleasant read.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun passages; confusing story line.

[Daniel Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

It just never clicked. The potential of the two stories and their parallels started off looking good, but it never worked for me. I stuck it out to the end, but I was only glad when it was over.

[Ralph Berrier · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A fun read.

[Sandi Jordan]

I could not get into this confusing book

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This character-driven mystery novel initially drew me in with its humor. On pages 24-25 I did a double-take. What's with the word 'evermore'? It's sort of an unusual word - forever in dress-up clothes - but why on Earth did the author use it three times in two pages: 'evermore beautifying & renovating', 'evermore neat & uncluttered', 'evermore disinfecting'. Obviously, this bugged me, probably disproportionately so. Then on pages 116-117, 'I troubled myself' & 'they'd troubled themselves'. For such a thin novel, I felt like it went on too long. I did enjoy some of the characters – particularly Giles and his henchmen, Jumbo and Spooky. Jumbo & Spooky didn’t say much (anything?) - it was really Paul’s description of them that I enjoyed. Kit Carson I could have done without – too over the top, like she was put in the novel just to stand in contrast to the good old boys.

[nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a strange book. It's about what happens when two ordinary middle-aged southern men find themselves caught in ancient Greek tragedies, only really funny ancient Greek tragedies. One man discovers that the son he never knew was murdered in New York City (a kind of Hades if you're from the South). That man's cousin, a sheriff, finds human bones along the Apalachian trail, and tries to discover their identity. There's also a dead dog that needs proper burial. Apparently T.R. pearson believes that Antigone lives in our modern world. The problem with the book is that it ends before we find out what happens in today's world if you do or do not respect the work of the Furies. It seems to say that most of us have forgotten the Furies, and those who haven't..... get to sit on the porch and enjoy a beer?

At any rate, my book club (The 7th street Texaco book club, which consists of me, Chris the owner, and John who pumps gas) all enjoyed it.

[Casey · Rating 2 out of 5]

An intersting literary mystery, but I didn't love it. Though I've never read anything by him before, Pearson seems to be very much a stylist, and while that is certainly not a bad thing (it makes for enjoyable reading), the style seems to detract from the story in this case.

He does something interesting structurally, though. The story is told through two parallel narratives, one told in the third person (mostly)limited pov (he switches between several key characters), and one in the first person. It works, but I'm not sure the reason behind it. By that I mean, I don't see how the story ultimately benefitted from it. It takes some getting used to, since he switches between the two points of view within the chapters, with only a page break to signify the switch. Can't say that I love it, but it was intersting to see how he broke the "rules" but still managed to pull it off.

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book. In a world of barely comprehensible multi-threaded narratives, Pearson keeps it (relatively) simple with two. Vaguely mysteries, the stories focus on two Virginia cousins and their involvements roles in solving some unanswered questions. The real star of the book is Pearson's prose -- at once basic and deeply textured, be proves that you don't need a lot of fancy fifty-cent words to achieve rich descriptions. He evokes a feeling of the past -- dingy New York hotels, cars with "Grand" and "Coupe" in the names, handkerchiefs -- while keeping the setting modern. He's also scary good at nasty detail... crappy carpets, coffee stains, ugly dogs, untucked and mustard-stained shirts, shitty roadside burgers. You're sure you've been to that dump before, felt that revulsion... it's great.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pearson has two separate story lines running throughout this book, switching from one to the other with each new chapter. I kept waiting for some intersection between them or a reason for these two stories to be in the same book. Other than the fact that the primary characters of each story were cousins, I never did find one. The tales were each interesting and the author displays a quirky, droll sense of humor in his writing, but the book ends with no real resolutions to his tales. Reading this book was like watching a baseball game where the players slowly wander off the field because they have lost the ball. I found this novel to be a disappointing experience that left me unsatisfied.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written in the "ever-popular" modern fragmented style so it was difficult to get started. There were two separate stories with two separate murders. The story in NYC was not very credible to me, especially the outcome for the father. It was difficult sometimes to realize which story I was reading because the stories would stop and start within chapters. When I finished the book, I though the ending was clever but not very exciting. I like mysteries, so I liked this book enough to rate it three stars. In places it was quite good.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ray and Paul, cousins, each end up on their own trails as they investigate two unrelated murders. Both are solved, but that's not the point. Their murder mysteries never cross, and the longer that goes on, the more I wondered why. There's a moment at the end of the book, when the mysteries are resolved, and the cousins have a visit. On these last pages, there's an opportunity to assume connections between the two stories, but that's all it is -- assumptions. Beautifully written, great characters, but unexpected.

[Pooch · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ch I, p. 1 puny eyesore, gaudy, hideous, dusty, artificial

Ray Tatum
Dog, Monroe

Word: scree--acuumulation of small, broken stones

p. 6 "takes no notes, has no memory to speak of"

p. 10 "a note on her palm about prior to lingering to take in with me a heated exchange from across the hall." HUH? :)

Word-- treacly: sticky

Quit at p.114 -- Too grisly for me