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Tragedy's Twin: A Carrie Lisbon Mystery
A death at the county poorhouse is unremarkable in 1900. Unless the corpse presents as a drowning victim and there is no water on the property.
Widowed undertaker Carrie Lisbon has traveled to Duncan, the county seat, to attend the Annual Sheriff’s Benefit Ball. But before the country hoe-down can begin, Sheriff Del Morgan asks her again to be his “keen observer” as he examines the body of Abbey Taylor, a resident of the county home whose death is more than a little suspect.
At the heart of the mystery is the county poorhouse and its shadowy past, a bitter matron, an oily administrator, and a young bride, all of whom have something to hide. Under a withering August heat wave, Carrie and Del pursue meager pieces of the puzzle. Their search for answers leads them to a clan of noble miscreants who live in the hills, through a tangle of genealogies and tragic histories, and brings them way too close to each other.
Along with her gangly Uncle Sav, his half-blind cousin Grace, and Marta, the beautiful and disgraced almshouse drudge, Carrie will grapple with a deadly illness, her own guilty conscience, and a new set of social trials as she decides the fate of her relationship with Morgan and discovers what really happened to Abbey Taylor. She’ll need all her wits to survive the outcome.
Widowed undertaker Carrie Lisbon has traveled to Duncan, the county seat, to attend the Annual Sheriff’s Benefit Ball. But before the country hoe-down can begin, Sheriff Del Morgan asks her again to be his “keen observer” as he examines the body of Abbey Taylor, a resident of the county home whose death is more than a little suspect.
At the heart of the mystery is the county poorhouse and its shadowy past, a bitter matron, an oily administrator, and a young bride, all of whom have something to hide. Under a withering August heat wave, Carrie and Del pursue meager pieces of the puzzle. Their search for answers leads them to a clan of noble miscreants who live in the hills, through a tangle of genealogies and tragic histories, and brings them way too close to each other.
Along with her gangly Uncle Sav, his half-blind cousin Grace, and Marta, the beautiful and disgraced almshouse drudge, Carrie will grapple with a deadly illness, her own guilty conscience, and a new set of social trials as she decides the fate of her relationship with Morgan and discovers what really happened to Abbey Taylor. She’ll need all her wits to survive the outcome.
285 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 3, 2023
2 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 16, 2023
In Tragedy’s Twin, the second book in the Carrie Lisbon Mystery series, by Chris Keefer, Carrie and her Uncle Sav are going to visit Uncle Sav’s cousin Grace. They are going to the town of Duncan so that they can attend the Annual Sheriff’s Benefit Ball. They are going to Duncan for the sole purpose of having some fun. Carrie is going there to be closer to Sheriff Del Morgan even though she knows it is wrong because he is married and they vowed that they would not cross that line again. Uncle Sav is going so that he can spend time with his cousin, Grace, as well as spend time in the library working on his genealogies.
Unfortunately Sheriff Morgan calls upon Carrie for her expertise when a dead body is found outside the Shadow House. The Shadow House is a poorhouse in town and the dead body is a woman who lived there. Upon examining the woman’s body Carrie and Sheriff Morgan agree that the body was staged outside and her actual cause of death was from drowning and not falling out of a window. Ward Elwin, the administrator and Matron Cutler both insist that Abbey Taylor was found outside on the grounds of the Shadow House and had fallen out of a window.
Once Carrie and Sheriff Morgan begin their investigation they find that there are a lot of secrets within the walls of the poorhouse which send them up into the poor section of Duncan to look into Abbey’s family history. Uncle Sav cannot contain his excitement when asked to travel with them to the Peak Lots so that they can interview Abbey’s family.
Tragedy’s Twin is a captivating story that pulls readers in immediately. There is a lot to the story that I have not mentioned and that is because you need to dig in and read it all for yourself. Carrie is a great main character with her past life and what she is doing with her current situation…even though longing for a married man is not acceptable, reading about it and her struggles with it make the story that much more interesting. And the spider web of the family tree that Uncle Sav uncovers will amaze you and the uncovered relationships will blow the readers mind !!!
Unfortunately Sheriff Morgan calls upon Carrie for her expertise when a dead body is found outside the Shadow House. The Shadow House is a poorhouse in town and the dead body is a woman who lived there. Upon examining the woman’s body Carrie and Sheriff Morgan agree that the body was staged outside and her actual cause of death was from drowning and not falling out of a window. Ward Elwin, the administrator and Matron Cutler both insist that Abbey Taylor was found outside on the grounds of the Shadow House and had fallen out of a window.
Once Carrie and Sheriff Morgan begin their investigation they find that there are a lot of secrets within the walls of the poorhouse which send them up into the poor section of Duncan to look into Abbey’s family history. Uncle Sav cannot contain his excitement when asked to travel with them to the Peak Lots so that they can interview Abbey’s family.
Tragedy’s Twin is a captivating story that pulls readers in immediately. There is a lot to the story that I have not mentioned and that is because you need to dig in and read it all for yourself. Carrie is a great main character with her past life and what she is doing with her current situation…even though longing for a married man is not acceptable, reading about it and her struggles with it make the story that much more interesting. And the spider web of the family tree that Uncle Sav uncovers will amaze you and the uncovered relationships will blow the readers mind !!!
October 21, 2023
Author Chris Keefer has done it again. Her sequel to No Comfort for the Undertaker is lean and mean. The plot holds interest and builds tension with masterful misdirection, until all comes crashing down in big reveals near the end. Hugely satisfying for the mystery buff, and replete with convincing period details for the avid history buffs, it is Roll-Over-And-Die good for aficionados of both.
The writing is suffused with deft touches that add to the pleasure of the read, such as, “the place was as abandoned as a plague village”, and “she had the strength of wet lace” to name only two.
In No Comfort, the first book of the series, Carrie is a grieving widow, which gives her compelling depth. But in Tragedy’s Twin, Carrie’s grieving gives way to uncertainty over what her battered heart can withstand. ‘Will she or won’t she?’ and ‘Will he or won’t he?’ is played out against a larger, broader canvas of human conniving and desperation.
An added pleasure for readers familiar with local history is recognizing some of the sources for inspiration.
The writing is suffused with deft touches that add to the pleasure of the read, such as, “the place was as abandoned as a plague village”, and “she had the strength of wet lace” to name only two.
In No Comfort, the first book of the series, Carrie is a grieving widow, which gives her compelling depth. But in Tragedy’s Twin, Carrie’s grieving gives way to uncertainty over what her battered heart can withstand. ‘Will she or won’t she?’ and ‘Will he or won’t he?’ is played out against a larger, broader canvas of human conniving and desperation.
An added pleasure for readers familiar with local history is recognizing some of the sources for inspiration.
February 8, 2024
I just love this series so far and can’t wait for the next book. I enjoy the time period in which it’s set and Carrie’s character in particular, though her uncle is entertaining as well. My only quibble with this book was that I tired of Carrie mooning over the sheriff. I do like their friendship and relationship, I just don’t really like drawn out romance, but that’s more of a me thing than a problem with the storyline.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews