Headlines and second-page stories dance in the corner of our eyes. Our dreams are haunted with them. For unclear reasons, some of them won’t go away, leaving our collective heads to hang in shame. Or worse, create celebrity out of all proportion. We live in narrow spaces. Believing me-and-mine are special but not vulnerable. Evil exists, just not on our street. We carry the rumors with us. Like sand in our shoes, the stories seldom stop us in our tracks. We will deal with them later. But the grit in our soles whispers, “What if it’s true?”
What If It’s True? Takes place in a small Southern town. A good solid town. Neat and efficient in all its circumstances. A woman of a different truth moves there coincidentally with rumored sins of the faithful. The truth of this book is secrecy can become malignant in a community until an outsider raises questions.
As a lover of mysteries and suspense I was referred to this book by a work associate who said they were impressed by it. After digesting the material over a long and comfortable weekend, I must say that I can’t agree more. From the vibrant descriptions and progressive story line all the way to the unique and three dimensional characters, this novel was a stellar read. So many novels set in southern locations seem to be saturated with caricatured people and a stilted dialog that aches with falseness; not so here. The characters exposition rings true as if you’re hearing it straight from someone’s mouth, making suspension of disbelief during the entire read something so easy that you just happily ease right into the novel.
From Trigger to Clarissa, I thoroughly enjoyed the people that populated the small town. Ms. Sally was fun to read and the murder mystery itself was palpable, building to a crescendo that thoroughly satisfies. Also, the writing was succinct and never veered off onto unnecessary descriptions or into areas that took away from the primary story. All said, this is one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. I recently discovered Ms. Burns has written another novel called Spit of a Minute. Now that I’ve finished this one, I can’t wait to read her other one this after my work week is over. Here’s to another fun weekend.
Loved it! I'm from a small town (even though it's becoming a booming metropolis now) so I understand the while small town mentality and Burns was spot on. The suspense held well with just enough information leaking here and there to keep you guessing and wanting to turn the page. Sex, lies, scandals, politics, money, religion, and a small town all wrapped up in a neat little murder mystery....what else could you ask for? Perhaps a little live story? Done! Grade A job, Burns. I will definitely be searching for more books you've written.
A well drawn story of a small southern town where the local preacher is trying to undermine the police chief, and girls from his congregation are accusing their fathers of beating them and possibly worse. A divorcee moves to town as the story begins and offers her service as a court appointed advocate for a girl who is removed from her family after she is seen one too many times in the ER. Running through the story is the romance between the newcomer and the (married) local police chief. Although some of the plot may be unsettling, it was well written and ended with a believable solution.
Right after read Dixie Burn's first book Spit of a Minute, which i could not put down. I decided to read "What if it's True? Each book is totally different and both are fantastic.and entertaining. I would recommend each of these books equally. Dixie Burns has a true gift for making her stories and characters come to life and makes you feel as if you are right there with them. Excellent !
Can a small town house a big secret without anyone getting hurt?
The dialogue seems a little affected at times but this is a first rate who done it or not novel. What would you do if a girl came to you with a story so fantastically horrible you wished it was a lie? That's just what police chief Trigger has got on his hands, but his good friend the judge sure doesn't want him to ever solve this case. Read on to find out what the whole town should have guessed.
Great story! There were enough twists and turns, colorful characters, and juicy (albeit uncomfortable) plot details to keep driving this book to a satisfying conclusion. I'm impressed with the small town that Ms. Burns created to so closely resemble Anysmalltown, USA. I'll gladly recommend this author!
Captures your interest right out of the gate and holds it through to the last sentence. The setting and subject matter blended to create a homogeneous storyline. Definitely not the same old story about a sleepy southern town. Interesting and enjoyable read!
Can't wait for another book from. Ms Burns. She touched upon a very delicate subject in this one especially in small towns. All the characters seem so real to me. Enjoyed every word. Again waiting patiently for the next installment.
This was a very good read. It had excitement, suspense, and interesting plot line. Trigger, chief of police, is the main character, and his mid-life crisis made an impact in the storyline.
Really enjoyed this story. One of the best books I have read. A story with plenty of twists and turns. Mystery and romance plus a dose of troubles in a modern society.
This book started out a little slow but wow did it pick up speed. A page burner I couldn't put done. Full of twists and turns that kept me entirely hooked until the great ending.
Life certainly goes round in circles enough to make me dizzy or sick in my stomach. It is hard to ruffle the feathers of people we have known for a long time but it has to be done when the innocence of children is being destroyed. They look to the whole village to take care of them.
While the subject matter of this book may have been a bit hard for me to handle, the writing was solid. Books based in my new home of the south always intrigue me. Although, this small town could easily be where I came from in Upstate NY. Great read.
This is not the type of books I usually read but I did read to the last word. We. wish this type of world did not exist but it is a reality in today's world. A very well written book. Good read for troubled people seeking help.
This story is about a very difficult, disturbing problem of child abuse. And the "secrets" in small towns. I found it hard to read but I couldn't help but finish it. Well written. Dixie Burns gave it a decent end. I had tears at the ending. I found it worth the time to read.
A story about sex, perversion, corruption and murder!
The story is set in a small southern town but it seems like there's always an ugly underbelly in them. Trigger Foley is the small town fifty something sheriff that is just walking through life. Clarissa Clooney is new transplant in town. She's divorced and trying to find her way in life. She gets pulled into a drama involving teenagers and an overzealous Baptist pastor. The story is not graphic in sex but it is part of the seediness of the tale. One thing that bothered me about the book was that the author thanked friends at the end for editing her work and let me tell you, I found dozens of grammatical errors. As long as that doesn't bother you as a reader then enjoy this sometimes disturbing tale.
A long and sad tale of a small town at its worst. I liked the charm of the leading lady and her old man, but the charm quickly fizzled to stomach churning sin. The story itself revolved around the deepest filth one could imagine. The warmth and kindness that eluded from the minority of the characters drowned in the overall theam. However, the the story did keep me on my toes with its twists and turns.
Despite all the punctuation, grammar, and spelling errors (maybe no proofreader was involved), I read this book straight through and enjoyed it a lot! I will gladly proof the next one for you, Miss Dixie!
At first I had a hard time getting involved in the story but then it seemed I compute it down. Good story where corruption is exposed and lives are changed for the better