Behind Every Door: A Novel

by Cynthia A. Graham

When a school secretary is found murdered alongside a ditch outside of Cherokee Crossing, Arkansas, none of the usual scenarios seem to fit. Hick Blackburn, a sheriff more interested in finding justice than keeping peace, is compelled to construct the last months of her life to unearth what may have led to her death. With the citizens of Cherokee Crossing increasingly suspicious of the boys who found her body, Hick must battle the town's narrow-mindedness and quickly find those responsible.

As the investigation unfolds, it is clear that everyone has something to hide, including Hick's own family and friends. As age-old lies come to light, Hick must face the truth that people aren't always what they seem. And to find thekiller, he will learn that having secrets isn't a crime. But that some secrets can lead to murder.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Cynthia Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s not easy being Hickory Blackburn, the young sheriff of Cherokee Crossing, a tiny, backwoods town in post-WWII Arkansas. Hick gained his position by a folly he regrets daily as he tries to keep the peace in the small, depressed community. To make his job even tougher, the body of Gladys Kestrel—the beloved high school secretary—is found in a drainage ditch by the unfortunate sons of local man convicted of murdering a much-admired high school girl.

Being poverty-stricken and illiterate, not to mention being the offspring of the town villain, Jeb and Eben become the handy targets of a vengeful mob. The boys’ sudden disappearance only adds fuel to the already explosive situation.

With almost nothing to work with, Hick’s mind loops around and around the unfortunate circumstances that ultimately cost Abner Delaney his life in one of most brutal prisons in the country. It seems to Hick more than ironic that the sons were now faced with the same miserable future. He doesn’t believe any of the Delaneys are capable of murder, but that leaves him with no suspects at all—until he starts digging into the past, starting with Susie Wheeler’s murder.

Against all odds and most of the townspeople, Hick and his deputies plough through prejudices and self-righteousness as they exhume a painful past that becomes even more so, as startling truths finally come to light.

This is second book in the Hick Blackburn Series and it did not disappoint. The writing is as hauntingly beautiful as it was in “Beneath Still Waters.” Excellent mystery series!

[Linda Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Behind every door there is a secret, a lie, a cover-up .. something that stays in the shadows until forced into the sunlight.

Sheriff Hick Blackburn is learning how narrow-minded his town's people really are. The murdered body of the school's librarian is found in a ditch. Suspicion immediately is cast toward the two young men who found the body.

Hick is finding that his friends, even his family are keeping things from him as he investigates. And not everyone is who he thinks they are.

Hick is a fascinating character. He's all about law and order and will go that extra distance to make sure justice is served.

The suspense is palpable and steadily rises as more and more secrets are exposed.

This is the second book featuring Sheriff Blackburn. I highly recommend starting with the first one .... Beneath Still Waters. This one does well as a stand-alone but there are a few references to the first book.

My thanks to the author / Amphorae Publishing Group - Blank Slate Press / NetGalley who furnished a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is now the second novel I have read by Cynthia A. Graham set in and around Cherokee Crossing, Arkansas and featuring Hick Blackburn as the local sheriff.
As with the first book I love the sense of time and place. The language and simple way of life that is represented. The author captures the very essence of the community and its people; her characters are rich and have a depth and her use of setting and location lifts the novel into the status of modern literature worth reading for its cadence and prose.
It is a quiet life with hard working, god fearing people struggling to make a living and raise their kids. Crime and violence does not keep the sheriff's office too busy but when a retired, popular school secretary is found battered to death the community is all too willing to pass blame on outsiders, a poor family that lives on the edge of town in every sense. Two brothers find the body and the townsfolk are sure they are the murderers just as their father was some years before.
Hick isn't convinced; indeed he appears the only one to stand up and seek justice rather than expediency. His quest for the truth takes him and the reader on a journey of doubt, questioning even those he loved until he finds full understanding.
It is an story of epic dimensions challenging a system that is set against the poor and illiterate. Revealing both secrets and lies and a depth of human character Hick had not even seen in his time as a soldier. He reflects that those who returned from action overseas in World War II were deemed heroes but all they had done was survive. Now he sees heroes behind the most humble of dwellings and closed doors. People who believe the best and love unto death itself.
A wonderful plot enhanced with authentic dialogue and characters that step from the page. This is a book that deals with murder and the impact violent actions have beyond that one killing that will make the reader value life more and hopefully be less judgemental.
Cynthia has a simple quality of being able to tell a good story well and make a good story resonate long after the final page.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Not quite as good as the first, because there wasn’t really much character development. The main character was well-developed in the first book, and this one focuses much more closely on the murder case at hand. Still excellent, though.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fact: good things, very good things, can come from small publishers. I read both of the Sheriff Hick southern mystery novels in the stretch of a few days. Cynthia Graham's writing, plotting, and ability to create a fully realized characters and settings more than holds its own alongside some of my favorite and more well-known mystery writers.

Discovered at Midwest Book Awards Gala.

Two notes: I am glad that I read Beneath Still Waters and Behind Every Door in order as I got a sense of Maggie as a more vibrant character in the first novel who is somewhat less interesting in the second book. And I seriously worry that that Hick will die of lung cancer before many more books are written about him from all those cigarette fueled moments of deep thought.

[Katie Battaglia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review!

Behind Every Door follows Sheriff Hick Blackburn and his quest to solve not only a recent murder, but also one from 14 years ago that could potentially shape his current case. When a woman whom the town loved is found murdered, everyone is sent into a tailspin. Certain members of the town blame the Delaney boys, since their father was convicted and executed for the murder of a teenager years prior. But Hick doesn't buy it. And he also doesn't believe the past cases conviction was correct. Will he be able to sold this murder and find out the truth before it's too late?

I ended up really enjoying this book. I was iffy at first because I didn't realize it was set in a past timeframe and I usually try the avoid books like that. But I did really enjoy it. It started a little slow and I had a hard time keeping up on some of the characters, but it didn't take long for me to get caught up. The storyline had me on the edge of my seat waiting to find out who did it and why. I enjoyed Hick's character very much, along with a lot of the others. Overall I really liked this book and I would recommend!

[Helen Hollick · Rating 5 out of 5]

'What I particularly enjoy is how Ms Graham uses the brooding weather to reflect the growing tension at Cherokee Crossing. On the one side, a large number of people have already decided who is guilty of the murder and want the sheriff to act – before they do so themselves. On the other side, those who are not so quick to judge urge caution – albeit that this is a dwindling minority. And all the while, one storm after another rolls in, making night out of day, drenching the town and the surroundings.'

From my Discovering Diamonds Review Blog

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway. It was an enjoyable quick read, the main characters were compelling, but some of the supporting cast seemed very one-dimensional. Particularly the “bad guys”- either they were not developed as completely as I’d like, or there wasn’t a lot of background to really flesh them out. It was such a short book that more could have been added to really make it a provocative read.

[Barbara L. Cull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book

After reading this author's first book, Beneath Still Waters, I wanted more. Now I want even more so I will definitely be reading the next in the series Between the Lies. Can hardly wait to see how the characters will develop cause I'm interested in them all. And then, I'm sure I'll want more! I very much enjoy reading about this time period cause I grew up in this period and enjoy reading about the South as I did not grow up there!

[Msmarilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

When murder hits a small town in rural Arkansas after WWII, would hate and prejudice interfere with facts and evidence or would justice prevail? Sheriff "Hick" Blackburn races against time and boiling emotions to find out who would kill a retired school secretary and whether her death had any connection to a 13 year old murder of a popular teen girl

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second of Cynthia A. Graham's mystery books set in Cherokee Crossing, Arkansas in the years after WWII. I finished the first, "Beneath Still Waters" and reviewed it for a book tour and liked it so much that I pushed aside my other TBRs to read this one--which I received as a free ARC e-book from NetGalley.

'Behind Every Door' picks up a couple of years after 'Beneath Still Waters' and (very slight spoilers) Andrew Jackson Blackburn (Hick) is still sheriff and now married to Maggie and a father. The crime in this book is very personal to Hick since the victim is Gladys Kestrel, the high school secretary that supported his father while principal and who was almost a part of the Blackburn family. Suspicion quickly falls on the two poverty-stricken local brothers who found her--mainly due to their father being executed for the murder of a high school girl fourteen-years earlier. Hick doesn't believe the boys are guilty but the girls father, a powerful local pastor and local newsman Wayne Murphy incite fear and judgement in the community, putting Hick up for criticism once again. It's up to Hick and his team to solve the crime and to find if there is a possible connection between the two murders.

I liked this book just as much as the first, it's good to see the development in Hick and the other returning characters, although Hick still has issues from his PSTD, the death of his father and brother, and years of feeling not-quite-good-enough. I did have the mystery figured out earlier in this one but I wasn't sure I was right and the doubt made me want to turn the pages. As in the first book, Graham packed a lot of story into a fairly short read. I would recommend (as I almost always do) that you start with the first book. I suppose this one could stand on its own but getting an intro to Hick, the supporting characters and the town will make you enjoy this one all the more. I really enjoyed these two books--characters, setting, historical aspects--and I hope that there are more to come.

Note: As mentioned, I received complimentary ARC of this book via NetGalley in hopes of a fair and honest review. I received no compensation for my review and my thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

[Paula Birchler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Behind Every Door is Cynthia A. Graham’s exceptional sequel mystery to Beneath Still Waters. In this book, the discovery of a mutilated corpse plunges Sheriff Hick Blackburn into solving the gruesome murder of the sweet, middle-aged school secretary who worked for his father. Eventually Hick makes connections between this grizzly case and the fourteen-year-old unsolved murder of a minister’s only teen-aged daughter. Graham peels into the heart of each character, into their motivation, like a master chef peels an onion. She slowly opens doors, revealing characters’ secrets hidden behind the facades they show the world, showing each major character’s demons and growth. My favorite characters from the first mystery: Hick, Maggie, Doc Jake Prescott, and an annoying news reporter, are supplemented by equally interesting, quirky characters that include a vindictive minister, a philandering school administrator, and a priest who works with society’s outcasts including Negros, second-class citizens in 1950. Hick grows in his relationship with his wife Maggie without the author resorting to tawdry, formulistic sex scenes. One of my favorite themes developed in this book is the different level of justice for poor folks versus people of means, an ongoing problem that plagues our judicial system today. I loved this book and intend to buy a few gift copies.

Paula Birchler

[E Vikander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Behind Every Door is another twist in the mystery of who killed Gladys Kestrel, who was the high school secretary for 30 years, in the small town of Cherokee Crossing, Arkansas. Andrew Jackson “Hick” Blackburn is the sheriff in charge of solving the murder of this beloved member of the community. What’s not to love with a character named Hick (nah, it’s short for Hickory) and a cemetery named Wanderlust. It’s refreshing to read a story where the characters are regular people with real problems and flaws instead of being smothered in quirkiness. I realized I was drawn into the story when I started worrying about Hick’s health; you’ve got to cut back on those cigarettes dude. This is masterful storytelling with down-home touches.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had mixed feelings starting this book. I enjoyed "Beneath Still Waters" and so was excited and nervous. The story, although a mystery, is really more of a story of people's characters and motives. She explores the mix of good and evil in people with compassion; but also a serious call for us to be our better selves. Ms. Graham writes with prose that is really poetic and I am growing attached to Cherokee Crossing and its people. I'm looking forward to another trip! Despite the serious subjects involved "Behind Every Door" is an easy, enjoyable read.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I would like to thank NetGalley, the author and the publisher for my advanced copy.

This was a lovely little gem that was a quick but solid read. The characters were believable and well thought out and the detail really put you into each scene. I really appreciate the extra effort the author put into discussing the inequality of the era by keeping it simple, she stayed true to the times.

If you're looking for a quick enjoyable read with a few nice twist and turns this book is for you!

[Katherine Ising · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down. The descriptions of the places and people are so detailed and evocative that I could feel the heat, smell the smells, see and hear the sounds and felt like I knew the people. As a mystery, I had my suspicions, but was surprised at who committed the crime. I look forward to reading more of Graham's work.

[Audrey K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read this mystery by local St. Louis author Cynthia A. Graham. There were so many characters, however, that I started keeping a running list. The murderer was a well-kept secret throughout most of the book...I did not suspect the culprit until the end of the story. Very sad circumstances for the poverty-stricken characters in the story.

[Chantel DaCosta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book from Net Galley in exchange for my review.

3 stars. or 2.8 The mystery was OK but wanted more twists and turns. In a small turn where the list of suspects was already small to begin and dwindling it was hard to figure out "who-dunnit"

[Trina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this arc from Netgalley.

I really enjoyed reading this book. An exciting whodunit that kept my attention throughout. I definitely recommend this one. I also will be looking for other books by this author.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Behind Every Door is a good, short mystery. I look forward to more by this author. Four stars

[Dawn Naughton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love when you can't predict the ending in a story. This is just such a book. Great read!

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable and engaging read. The characters were vivid and populated a well-rendered world. The mystery's core strength was the story structure and short chapters packed a punch. The author's dialogue really rang true and kept the whole affair moving forward at a nice clip.

I'm looking forward to reading more of Ms. Graham's work!