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Detective Billy Able #3
Devil Sent the Rain
Edgar Award nominee and bestselling author Lisa Turner’s hard-boiled Detective Billy Able returns in this dark Southern mystery about the murder of a dazzling Memphis socialite—and the scandals revealed in the wake of her death
The heart can be an assassin. Detective Billy Able knows that from experience.
Fresh from solving Memphis’ most sensational murder case, Homicide Detective Billy Able and his ambitious new partner Frankie Malone are called to a bizarre crime scene on the outskirts of town. A high society attorney has been murdered while dressed in a wedding gown. Billy is shocked to discover he has a very personal connection to the victim. When the attorney’s death exposes illegal practices at her family’s prestigious law firm, the scandal is enough to rock the southern city’s social world.
In a tale of the remnants of Old South aristocracy and entitlement, twisted by greed and vengeance, Billy must confront the secrets of his own past to have any chance at solving the murder of the girl he once knew. But as he seeks the truth, he’s drawn closer to an embittered killer bent on revenge—and eliminating the threat Billy poses.
The heart can be an assassin. Detective Billy Able knows that from experience.
Fresh from solving Memphis’ most sensational murder case, Homicide Detective Billy Able and his ambitious new partner Frankie Malone are called to a bizarre crime scene on the outskirts of town. A high society attorney has been murdered while dressed in a wedding gown. Billy is shocked to discover he has a very personal connection to the victim. When the attorney’s death exposes illegal practices at her family’s prestigious law firm, the scandal is enough to rock the southern city’s social world.
In a tale of the remnants of Old South aristocracy and entitlement, twisted by greed and vengeance, Billy must confront the secrets of his own past to have any chance at solving the murder of the girl he once knew. But as he seeks the truth, he’s drawn closer to an embittered killer bent on revenge—and eliminating the threat Billy poses.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 27, 2016
134 people are currently reading
1067 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
September 28, 2016
Devil Sent the Rain by Lisa Turner is a 2016 William Morrow Paperback publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This is book three in the Billy Able detective series, but it can read as a stand alone. However, now that I’ve read this one, I am hoping to squeeze the first book into my reading schedule.
When Caroline Lee, an attorney who ditched her fiancé, is found dead in her car, still wearing her wedding dress, it soon becomes apparent she is a homicide victim. Billy Able must determine who would want Caroline dead, and why.
Well, I have to say, I am impressed with this mystery and found I really like Billy Able, the southern atmosphere, and the Gothic tones, which are NOT supernatural, but are pure in the sense that the book features delusional and damaged characters- and that’s putting it mildly.
When Caroline Lee, a lawyer and member of a prominent southern family is found dead in her car after calling off her wedding, the suspects pile up in a hurry, giving detective Billy Able a lot to work on. As the saga unfolds, he discovers a personal connection to the case and the family. But, as he digs deeper he uncovers a world of shady dealings and the closer he comes to unmasking the killer, the closer he comes to putting himself in grave danger.
This story is a twisted family saga and crime story that perfectly captures the tones and overlays of the south, which always appeals to me. I love those deep roots, family secrets and lies, competition, revenge, backstabbing, the melodrama and desperation that usually suck a reader into its lethal steaming pot of poison, but add in a good murder mystery, a complex detective, shocking twists and mind blowing revelations, you the makings of, not only a good detective story, but good literary novel as well.
While the story is certainly dark and pretty heavy, it’s not packed with graphic violence, but instead is character driven, focusing on the scheming, various crimes and motives, and has more of psychological edge, which is another plus in my book.
I can see this series becoming a favorite of mine, so I will catch up with the first book, which will hopefully keep me pacified while I impatiently wait for the third release.
4 stars
This is book three in the Billy Able detective series, but it can read as a stand alone. However, now that I’ve read this one, I am hoping to squeeze the first book into my reading schedule.
When Caroline Lee, an attorney who ditched her fiancé, is found dead in her car, still wearing her wedding dress, it soon becomes apparent she is a homicide victim. Billy Able must determine who would want Caroline dead, and why.
Well, I have to say, I am impressed with this mystery and found I really like Billy Able, the southern atmosphere, and the Gothic tones, which are NOT supernatural, but are pure in the sense that the book features delusional and damaged characters- and that’s putting it mildly.
When Caroline Lee, a lawyer and member of a prominent southern family is found dead in her car after calling off her wedding, the suspects pile up in a hurry, giving detective Billy Able a lot to work on. As the saga unfolds, he discovers a personal connection to the case and the family. But, as he digs deeper he uncovers a world of shady dealings and the closer he comes to unmasking the killer, the closer he comes to putting himself in grave danger.
This story is a twisted family saga and crime story that perfectly captures the tones and overlays of the south, which always appeals to me. I love those deep roots, family secrets and lies, competition, revenge, backstabbing, the melodrama and desperation that usually suck a reader into its lethal steaming pot of poison, but add in a good murder mystery, a complex detective, shocking twists and mind blowing revelations, you the makings of, not only a good detective story, but good literary novel as well.
While the story is certainly dark and pretty heavy, it’s not packed with graphic violence, but instead is character driven, focusing on the scheming, various crimes and motives, and has more of psychological edge, which is another plus in my book.
I can see this series becoming a favorite of mine, so I will catch up with the first book, which will hopefully keep me pacified while I impatiently wait for the third release.
4 stars
July 22, 2017
This time Billie Able ends up across the border in the Delta. Mississippi plantation country and home for him. His victim is his first love, Caroline Lee, and Billie's emotions are riding high. Rainy country days and cool Memphis nights take me back home and Lisa Turner turns in another good Memphis mystery. I may just spend the weekend cooking cornbread and greens and watching movies with steamboats going up and downriver!
April 1, 2018
Devil Sent the Rain is the third book in the Detective Billy Able series, but reading this one without having read the previous two was no problem. Honestly, I was so thrilled with this book that I'm glad that I have book two to read as well.
As a big fan of books with a story that takes place in the American South was I instantly hooked with this story about a young woman in a wedding dress that is found murdered in a car. For Billy Able is this case a real shocker, the women in question, Caroline Lee, was his old sweetheart from when he was young. The typical Romeo and Juliet romance, a poor boy meets a rich girl. Now he must solve her murder.
I found Devil Sent the Rain to the kind of book that is hard to put down and the investigation into Caroline Lee's life. She recently left her fiance, so why was she dressed in a wedding dress? And the members of her family is acting odd, from her cold-hearted mother to the crazy aunt who never got over the disappearance of her son Finn. Billy and his new partner Frankie Malone has to really dig to find the answers.
I really liked this book and I can't wait to read more books in this series!
I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through Edelweiss for an honest review!
As a big fan of books with a story that takes place in the American South was I instantly hooked with this story about a young woman in a wedding dress that is found murdered in a car. For Billy Able is this case a real shocker, the women in question, Caroline Lee, was his old sweetheart from when he was young. The typical Romeo and Juliet romance, a poor boy meets a rich girl. Now he must solve her murder.
I found Devil Sent the Rain to the kind of book that is hard to put down and the investigation into Caroline Lee's life. She recently left her fiance, so why was she dressed in a wedding dress? And the members of her family is acting odd, from her cold-hearted mother to the crazy aunt who never got over the disappearance of her son Finn. Billy and his new partner Frankie Malone has to really dig to find the answers.
I really liked this book and I can't wait to read more books in this series!
I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through Edelweiss for an honest review!
June 7, 2025
[Frankie] lowered her voice. "By the way, what's with Mrs. Lee? We told her that her daughter had been murdered, and she barely flinched. We work murders all the time. We don't see that kind of disregard."
"It looks like indifference, but it's not. Rosalyn Lee is Mississippi old school. She was raised to tough it out in public. If she decides Sharma murdered her daughter, we'll find his hide nailed to a fence post."
~~Bison graze in the fields of Shelby Farms Park, on the outskirts of Memphis, Tennessee. Their tranquility is interrupted late one night when a high-society attorney and socialite, Caroline Lee, drives her Camaro into the field while fighting for her life. A passerby notices her car in the field, stops to investigate, and finds her dead in the driver's seat--dressed in a wedding gown. Unfortunately for him, he also attracts the attention of a large bull, and has to climb onto the roof of the car in an attempt to escape. Detective Billy Able and his partner, Frankie, are tasked with finding Caroline's killer--quickly--before her prestigious family takes matters into their own hands. There's just one small problem. Caroline was Billy's first love. Will he be able to set those feelings aside and remain objective while sorting through this muddy case?
First two sentences: The radio was playing "Blue Skies" when the gun went off. She'd been the one driving.
Vital statistics: Author's home: Born in Memphis, she now splits her time between the South and Nova Scotia.
Year written: 2016
Length: 337 pages
Setting: Predominantly set in Memphis, but parts of the story also include the Mississippi delta region.
Genre: Police procedural mystery with minimal gore or thrilling danger.
Read if: You enjoy the twisted intrigue of old South families.
My two cents: I don't have many cents to give this week because I've spent much of my time outside or working on a project for work. Turner could have easily given us a 4 star novel (and it will be 4 stars to many people). She knows the South well, and paints a vivid description of the landscape and people. The background, prose, and dialogue are all quite well done. I just had a hard time buying the mystery. It actually wasn't much of one in that there wasn't a whole lot to figure out. Given 3 stars or a rating of "Good." Recommended as a library checkout if you like novels that take place down South.
Other favorite quotes: At the Mississippi-Tennessee state line, the bluff dropped off seventy feet. The temperature cooled ten degrees, and the land began to flatten to miles of pancake fields punctuated only by telephone poles and tarpaper shacks. This had been the landscape of his childhood--land flat as the bottom of the ocean, hot green fields where kudzu grew six inches in a day, and poverty and racism that exhausted all hope.
~~Everyone touched by murder becomes its casualty. The longer a case drags on, the deeper the wound.
~~Blue bent down to look at him, "You keeping this tomcat?"
"You don't keep a cat. The cat keeps you."
~~The four o'clock Illinois Central rumbled across the back of the property. He remembered how much he liked this life, the translucent haze above the plowed fields at dawn. The distance the eye can take across a pasture that rises and dips and ends in a line of sycamore trees and river birches. He liked mules. He liked their strength and how no one really owns them. They agree to work until they don't agree then nothing can make them move. The last thing you want in this world is a mule that's mad at you.
Kind of like a homicide cop.
He went inside to stoke the fire just as the rain turned to snow.
Further Reading: A link to Shelby Farm's website, which includes fun facts about bison. https://www.shelbyfarmspark.org/blog/...
"It looks like indifference, but it's not. Rosalyn Lee is Mississippi old school. She was raised to tough it out in public. If she decides Sharma murdered her daughter, we'll find his hide nailed to a fence post."
~~Bison graze in the fields of Shelby Farms Park, on the outskirts of Memphis, Tennessee. Their tranquility is interrupted late one night when a high-society attorney and socialite, Caroline Lee, drives her Camaro into the field while fighting for her life. A passerby notices her car in the field, stops to investigate, and finds her dead in the driver's seat--dressed in a wedding gown. Unfortunately for him, he also attracts the attention of a large bull, and has to climb onto the roof of the car in an attempt to escape. Detective Billy Able and his partner, Frankie, are tasked with finding Caroline's killer--quickly--before her prestigious family takes matters into their own hands. There's just one small problem. Caroline was Billy's first love. Will he be able to set those feelings aside and remain objective while sorting through this muddy case?
First two sentences: The radio was playing "Blue Skies" when the gun went off. She'd been the one driving.
Vital statistics: Author's home: Born in Memphis, she now splits her time between the South and Nova Scotia.
Year written: 2016
Length: 337 pages
Setting: Predominantly set in Memphis, but parts of the story also include the Mississippi delta region.
Genre: Police procedural mystery with minimal gore or thrilling danger.
Read if: You enjoy the twisted intrigue of old South families.
My two cents: I don't have many cents to give this week because I've spent much of my time outside or working on a project for work. Turner could have easily given us a 4 star novel (and it will be 4 stars to many people). She knows the South well, and paints a vivid description of the landscape and people. The background, prose, and dialogue are all quite well done. I just had a hard time buying the mystery. It actually wasn't much of one in that there wasn't a whole lot to figure out. Given 3 stars or a rating of "Good." Recommended as a library checkout if you like novels that take place down South.
Other favorite quotes: At the Mississippi-Tennessee state line, the bluff dropped off seventy feet. The temperature cooled ten degrees, and the land began to flatten to miles of pancake fields punctuated only by telephone poles and tarpaper shacks. This had been the landscape of his childhood--land flat as the bottom of the ocean, hot green fields where kudzu grew six inches in a day, and poverty and racism that exhausted all hope.
~~Everyone touched by murder becomes its casualty. The longer a case drags on, the deeper the wound.
~~Blue bent down to look at him, "You keeping this tomcat?"
"You don't keep a cat. The cat keeps you."
~~The four o'clock Illinois Central rumbled across the back of the property. He remembered how much he liked this life, the translucent haze above the plowed fields at dawn. The distance the eye can take across a pasture that rises and dips and ends in a line of sycamore trees and river birches. He liked mules. He liked their strength and how no one really owns them. They agree to work until they don't agree then nothing can make them move. The last thing you want in this world is a mule that's mad at you.
Kind of like a homicide cop.
He went inside to stoke the fire just as the rain turned to snow.
Further Reading: A link to Shelby Farm's website, which includes fun facts about bison. https://www.shelbyfarmspark.org/blog/...
February 21, 2018
First 50 pages of this mystery zipped along, and then the final 30 moved fairly quickly because I wanted to find out whodunit and be done with it. The middle slogged along as barely a week's worth of time in the plot seemed like a couple of months. During that week-plus, Detective Billy Able is ready to pin the murder of his onetime squeeze Caroline Lee on two different people (really, a third too). So how good a detective is he? Then, near the end of the book, he suddenly has feelings for his partner that are never explored throughout the narrative. And then there's the spelling throughout the book of the word "sherriff." Really?
January 9, 2021
I listened to this book. The first part was interesting, but the plot dragged on. Each suspect seemed improbable, and the ending was a little unbelievable.
September 25, 2016
This is a solid mystery but with a couple of faults. A woman attorney, Caroline Saunders is murdered in the suburbs of Memphis while driving her car. Who was the passenger and what are the reasons for this dreaded end of life. Homicide Detective Billy Able is assigned to get some answers. Working with his partner, Frankie Malone, they attempt to put a complicated puzzle together.
The problems arise for me are the pace of the story and the large amount of characters ,making it difficult at times to follow the plot. There several persons , male and female who might be the killer and there are several reasons for Caroline's demise. At times the plot gets a little too confusing and so do the reasons for the murder. As is sometimes said at an athletic event, it is difficult to keep track without a scorecard !
In time all the pieces fall into place and there is a satisfactory resolution for all the main characters.
The problems arise for me are the pace of the story and the large amount of characters ,making it difficult at times to follow the plot. There several persons , male and female who might be the killer and there are several reasons for Caroline's demise. At times the plot gets a little too confusing and so do the reasons for the murder. As is sometimes said at an athletic event, it is difficult to keep track without a scorecard !
In time all the pieces fall into place and there is a satisfactory resolution for all the main characters.
December 21, 2016
This is a well written story, but...I can't really care about Billy or Frankie. They are a little 2 dimensional. I kept reading hoping to get involved with the characters but if they had both been shot halfway through I don't know if it would have made a difference for me. In some books I cringe and worry about the players and in 2 cases had a hard time reading the author's books following the murder of a person I cared about. I would try one more as the background and especially Martin and Rosalyn ( I truly hated them) seemed so sinister.
September 21, 2016
Received in exchange for a review.
I really liked the book and the story was well paced. While my copy was an uncorrected proof, I saw no glaring flaws.
It is the story of Caroline's murder. A former high school summer love is the lead detective on the case and he has lots of suspects to investigate.
I will read other books by the author
I really liked the book and the story was well paced. While my copy was an uncorrected proof, I saw no glaring flaws.
It is the story of Caroline's murder. A former high school summer love is the lead detective on the case and he has lots of suspects to investigate.
I will read other books by the author
June 9, 2017
I enjoyed the fact that the novel takes place in Memphis. Many places familiar to me were part of the storyline. I would have given the book 3 1/2 stars if that were an option. I wouldn't give it 4 stars because it lacked something in the character development. It was a good quick read anyhow.
October 13, 2016
Detective Billy Able and his new partner Frankie Malone are assigned to an unusual case of a would-be bride found dead dressed in her wedding gown at an isolated animal refuge. If this isn't strange enough, the case gets even more complicated when Billy discovers he has a personal connection to the victim, high-society attorney Caroline Lee. Although Billy had known Caroline and her family for years, he tries to remain objective while seeking justice for Caroline. Frankie is just as determined to solve the case even though she didn't know Caroline, but she does have hopes that doing a good job on the investigation will help advance her career. The two detectives must learn to trust each other while solving a difficult, high-profile case involving the secrets of a wealthy, powerful Memphis family.
This is the first time I've read anything by author Lisa Turner, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I found the book to be well-written and intriguing. I enjoyed the Memphis setting and getting a glimpse of modern society there and seeing how the old South still plays a part of what goes on in that area. The characters have depth and the plot is more complex than it originally appears, as the victim’s personal and professional life come to play in the case. While the investigation moves forward at a steady pace throughout the book, the central questions of the investigation, why was Caroline wearing her wedding gown and who murdered her, remain unanswered until the end. This keeps the tension level high until the very end. When the killer is finally revealed, it isn't who I was expecting and I enjoyed being surprised.
I like both Billy and Frankie as main characters. They have different backgrounds and are at different stages in their careers, but both are good people and good detectives, and their partnership works. In the beginning, I thought Billy could have given more credit to Frankie, but I was glad to see he seems to appreciate her more by the end of the book and could see how good of a team they could be. The characters, plot, and steady pace combine for an interesting novel that will appeal to a wide range of readers. I would definitely love to read more by this author.
This review was originally written for Smitten by Books site and blog. (4.5 stars) The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first time I've read anything by author Lisa Turner, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I found the book to be well-written and intriguing. I enjoyed the Memphis setting and getting a glimpse of modern society there and seeing how the old South still plays a part of what goes on in that area. The characters have depth and the plot is more complex than it originally appears, as the victim’s personal and professional life come to play in the case. While the investigation moves forward at a steady pace throughout the book, the central questions of the investigation, why was Caroline wearing her wedding gown and who murdered her, remain unanswered until the end. This keeps the tension level high until the very end. When the killer is finally revealed, it isn't who I was expecting and I enjoyed being surprised.
I like both Billy and Frankie as main characters. They have different backgrounds and are at different stages in their careers, but both are good people and good detectives, and their partnership works. In the beginning, I thought Billy could have given more credit to Frankie, but I was glad to see he seems to appreciate her more by the end of the book and could see how good of a team they could be. The characters, plot, and steady pace combine for an interesting novel that will appeal to a wide range of readers. I would definitely love to read more by this author.
This review was originally written for Smitten by Books site and blog. (4.5 stars) The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
June 28, 2024
I grabbed this book because I was going on a trip and wanted a mystery to get sucked into. Sucked in I got. I read this over a long weekend and read it every chance I got. Not only did I like the storyline but it also made me really want to visit Memphis. She made the setting come alive and now I'm fascinated by the history.
I've always been very bad and guessing whodunit. The true villain was my third guess and let's be honest, it was so close to the end that I was essentially being spoon-fed the perpetrator. Why am I so bad at this?
I've always been very bad and guessing whodunit. The true villain was my third guess and let's be honest, it was so close to the end that I was essentially being spoon-fed the perpetrator. Why am I so bad at this?
June 24, 2021
Liked It
I've read Bosch Davenport Flower and about a half dozen other detective series. I grabbed this book because it was available. I'm glad I did. It had great lead characters and a good story line. It was a little hard to follow in some places but that didn't take away from the plot. If you like good detectives and murder mysteries you will like this book. Didn't know it was the third in the series. Will try to get the others.
I've read Bosch Davenport Flower and about a half dozen other detective series. I grabbed this book because it was available. I'm glad I did. It had great lead characters and a good story line. It was a little hard to follow in some places but that didn't take away from the plot. If you like good detectives and murder mysteries you will like this book. Didn't know it was the third in the series. Will try to get the others.
August 24, 2025
Started out great, I was excited that I found an interesting book to read. That lasted for about 50 pages. It became dull and hard to stay interested. I'm really not interested in a book about a police investigation that only includes interviews. Seriously, nothing plot at all. I was hoping the book would be about the family and their dirty laundry. Nope. Just cops asking questions and summarizing their feelings. I stopped reading it half way in. Life is too short for boring books.
August 24, 2019
Great Southern Mystery
I have to confess that I'm from Memphis and enjoyed being familiar with the setting . However. the characters and story were excellent . The traditions and cultural of the South were as much a part of the story as the characters. I'm happy I have always lived in the South so it made perfect sense . I plan to read more from the author.
I have to confess that I'm from Memphis and enjoyed being familiar with the setting . However. the characters and story were excellent . The traditions and cultural of the South were as much a part of the story as the characters. I'm happy I have always lived in the South so it made perfect sense . I plan to read more from the author.
June 21, 2017
A very complicated murder mystery with the killer being mentally unstable.
Would have liked to have more romance included and a heroine who played a more important role. A good book.
Would have liked to have more romance included and a heroine who played a more important role. A good book.
April 1, 2018
Another Good Able/Malone Mystery
The third story in the Billy Able series may be the best one yet. Lotsa atmosphere, good complex characters, and a clever but fairly played-out plot.
The third story in the Billy Able series may be the best one yet. Lotsa atmosphere, good complex characters, and a clever but fairly played-out plot.
August 24, 2019
Good characters but no gun on the mantel
I really enjoyed the characters and setting. That was the best part of the book. I was disappointed when she revealed who done it. The plot suffered at the end.
I really enjoyed the characters and setting. That was the best part of the book. I was disappointed when she revealed who done it. The plot suffered at the end.
April 22, 2021
Well crafted Whodunnit in "New" Old South
Complex but believable plot, likable protagonists, strong representation of place, millieux, tradition. Also a reminder that most families are dysfunctional, some murdeously so.
Complex but believable plot, likable protagonists, strong representation of place, millieux, tradition. Also a reminder that most families are dysfunctional, some murdeously so.
May 7, 2021
Couldn’t put it down
This book is a real page turner. I could not put it down. The suspects kept jumping out at each turn of the page. First one, then another. I was right all along, but of course, the true killer couldn’t be exposed until the end.
This book is a real page turner. I could not put it down. The suspects kept jumping out at each turn of the page. First one, then another. I was right all along, but of course, the true killer couldn’t be exposed until the end.
October 14, 2016
‘Devil Sent the Rain’ is Tricky
By Arelya J. Mitchell
“Billy drove away from the diner thinking detective work was fairly basic: ask smart questions, take good notes, and follow the trail to the end. The tricky part was hearing what wasn’t being said.”
The above is from the first paragraph of Chapter 35, but I appreciated it because it sums up this whodunit by Lisa Turner set in Memphis and the ‘Mid-South’, an area which consists of West Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas—or some call it the Tri-State area. But whatever term you prefer, if you’re from the area you know that the author uses real places to move both characters and plots along to solve this murder mystery in a Post Antebellum 21st Century Memphis-Mississippi-rooted scenario. The family plantation is not Tara but Airlee, with the ‘lee’ portion denoting an Old South Lee family.
The ‘Billy’ is Billy Able who is a detective in the Memphis police department. He is the main protagonist with his own checkered history where he was born in the right family on his mother’s side but landed on the wrong side of the tracks on his father’s side and after some ‘S-happens’ he ends up living with his uncle and growing up working in his uncle’s diner until he goes off to college. But he still has a pedigree which legitimizes his involvement with prominent Lee family members.
The author writes: “His mother had taught him about sugar shells, pickle forks, and asparagus servers. He knew the proper placement of the fish knife, a pastry fork, and dessert spoon. The afternoons she’d been sober, she would lay out the family’s sterling flatware and instruct him on its proper placement for formal meals…”
Turner harshly defines Billy’s socio-economic dilemma: “The poor whites bought acreage from struggling plantations. They started their farms but couldn’t compete with the big planters who still had cheap labor from sharecroppers. Most of the poor whites lost their farms. They had to go into government work or sell burial insurance to the blacks. They ended up living in tenant houses or trailers. That’s where the term ‘trailer trash’ comes from…” Okay, so this is a bit of side history but it plays into the storyline in defining other characters and landscape; it further defines what Billy is up against in this southern whodunit.
This review could be riddled with spoiler alerts, so I am going to be very, very careful as I thread through this minefield of an entertaining and well-written whodunit. Yes, as I like to do with any mystery novel I am reading, I had pen and paper in hand to write down clues and make a list of the ‘usual suspects’. I figured this one out midpoint, but all the while I was leaning to where I was leaning I was hoping Turner wouldn’t go there, but she did. But it was still fun getting there through the detective work of Billy Able, his fellow female detective partner, Frankie Malone, and the rigmarole of other characters, leads, dead-end twists, and subplots. Turner also presents the reader with comprehensive inner workings of what goes on in detective work, and, more importantly, she hones in on the political mechanizations inside a police department when dealing with a high profile case and a filthy rich family.
Among the suspects are the victim’s nutty avant-garde cousin Zelda; the would be humiliated former DA Highsmith; the nervous breakdown driven aunt; the sickly but southern gentlemanly ala Rhett Butler-like father; the weak but manipulative greedy gay brother; the domineering politically astute strong-will equally manipulative bitchy mother Rosalyn Lee; the bedraggled grieving obstinate cousin; and the Middle-Eastern hot-headed doctor whose status is fixated on saving face; the Italian housekeeper; a two-bit career criminal; the ambulance chasing lawyer—and a few others thrown in maybe for the heck of it to rattle your brainwaves.
What I would like to see are some of these characters, especially Rosalyn Lee, exploited more extensively in another novel, because I am a strong believer that when characters are exploited deeper you go up another level as a writer whether you want to or not and that presents even more complicated problems for both author and reader to solve. This was a good, fast read, but Turner knew when and where to slow it to bring in more of the suspects’ back stories and/or idiosyncrasies.
Notice I did not reveal who the victim was. I did not because even though it doesn’t take you long to find out who it is, Turner has written it so artfully that if I were to reveal it, it becomes a quasi-mini spoiler alert.
The novel gets its title from the following passage: “This crazy-looking woman in line got in my face and whispered, ‘The devil sent the rain’. Then she crossed herself. It was creepy.”
The rain is symbolic and serves as a vehicle for clues. Turner further uses the symbol of ‘rain’ to effectively define Detective Billy Able’s history, his character, his rebellion.
This one is that proverbial page ‘turner’, and let’s hope the ‘Turner’ who wrote it will revisit these characters in another book.
END
By Arelya J. Mitchell
“Billy drove away from the diner thinking detective work was fairly basic: ask smart questions, take good notes, and follow the trail to the end. The tricky part was hearing what wasn’t being said.”
The above is from the first paragraph of Chapter 35, but I appreciated it because it sums up this whodunit by Lisa Turner set in Memphis and the ‘Mid-South’, an area which consists of West Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas—or some call it the Tri-State area. But whatever term you prefer, if you’re from the area you know that the author uses real places to move both characters and plots along to solve this murder mystery in a Post Antebellum 21st Century Memphis-Mississippi-rooted scenario. The family plantation is not Tara but Airlee, with the ‘lee’ portion denoting an Old South Lee family.
The ‘Billy’ is Billy Able who is a detective in the Memphis police department. He is the main protagonist with his own checkered history where he was born in the right family on his mother’s side but landed on the wrong side of the tracks on his father’s side and after some ‘S-happens’ he ends up living with his uncle and growing up working in his uncle’s diner until he goes off to college. But he still has a pedigree which legitimizes his involvement with prominent Lee family members.
The author writes: “His mother had taught him about sugar shells, pickle forks, and asparagus servers. He knew the proper placement of the fish knife, a pastry fork, and dessert spoon. The afternoons she’d been sober, she would lay out the family’s sterling flatware and instruct him on its proper placement for formal meals…”
Turner harshly defines Billy’s socio-economic dilemma: “The poor whites bought acreage from struggling plantations. They started their farms but couldn’t compete with the big planters who still had cheap labor from sharecroppers. Most of the poor whites lost their farms. They had to go into government work or sell burial insurance to the blacks. They ended up living in tenant houses or trailers. That’s where the term ‘trailer trash’ comes from…” Okay, so this is a bit of side history but it plays into the storyline in defining other characters and landscape; it further defines what Billy is up against in this southern whodunit.
This review could be riddled with spoiler alerts, so I am going to be very, very careful as I thread through this minefield of an entertaining and well-written whodunit. Yes, as I like to do with any mystery novel I am reading, I had pen and paper in hand to write down clues and make a list of the ‘usual suspects’. I figured this one out midpoint, but all the while I was leaning to where I was leaning I was hoping Turner wouldn’t go there, but she did. But it was still fun getting there through the detective work of Billy Able, his fellow female detective partner, Frankie Malone, and the rigmarole of other characters, leads, dead-end twists, and subplots. Turner also presents the reader with comprehensive inner workings of what goes on in detective work, and, more importantly, she hones in on the political mechanizations inside a police department when dealing with a high profile case and a filthy rich family.
Among the suspects are the victim’s nutty avant-garde cousin Zelda; the would be humiliated former DA Highsmith; the nervous breakdown driven aunt; the sickly but southern gentlemanly ala Rhett Butler-like father; the weak but manipulative greedy gay brother; the domineering politically astute strong-will equally manipulative bitchy mother Rosalyn Lee; the bedraggled grieving obstinate cousin; and the Middle-Eastern hot-headed doctor whose status is fixated on saving face; the Italian housekeeper; a two-bit career criminal; the ambulance chasing lawyer—and a few others thrown in maybe for the heck of it to rattle your brainwaves.
What I would like to see are some of these characters, especially Rosalyn Lee, exploited more extensively in another novel, because I am a strong believer that when characters are exploited deeper you go up another level as a writer whether you want to or not and that presents even more complicated problems for both author and reader to solve. This was a good, fast read, but Turner knew when and where to slow it to bring in more of the suspects’ back stories and/or idiosyncrasies.
Notice I did not reveal who the victim was. I did not because even though it doesn’t take you long to find out who it is, Turner has written it so artfully that if I were to reveal it, it becomes a quasi-mini spoiler alert.
The novel gets its title from the following passage: “This crazy-looking woman in line got in my face and whispered, ‘The devil sent the rain’. Then she crossed herself. It was creepy.”
The rain is symbolic and serves as a vehicle for clues. Turner further uses the symbol of ‘rain’ to effectively define Detective Billy Able’s history, his character, his rebellion.
This one is that proverbial page ‘turner’, and let’s hope the ‘Turner’ who wrote it will revisit these characters in another book.
END
June 13, 2017
Above-average page-turning thriller
Finished it in 3 days. Lots of fun. Lisa Turner kept me guessing until the end. Excellent summer beach kind of read.
Finished it in 3 days. Lots of fun. Lisa Turner kept me guessing until the end. Excellent summer beach kind of read.
August 15, 2017
Good mystery
An interesting story line. I liked the hero and his partner. It gave a good picture of southern hierarchy and how evil can be below the surface.
An interesting story line. I liked the hero and his partner. It gave a good picture of southern hierarchy and how evil can be below the surface.
August 23, 2019
Excellent
This is an excellent police procedural set in Memphis with a twisting plot and complex characters. I've never read this author and I look forward to more.
This is an excellent police procedural set in Memphis with a twisting plot and complex characters. I've never read this author and I look forward to more.
September 8, 2019
Twisty and nicely written
I liked the characters and the easy flow of the story, a quick and fun read
I would recommend this book
I liked the characters and the easy flow of the story, a quick and fun read
I would recommend this book
June 18, 2021
Police procedural wrapped in a Southern soap opera.
February 7, 2022
Entertaining
January 7, 2024
Very good book
January 16, 2024
Great references to Memphis! Keeps you guessing.
December 30, 2024
3.7
Set in and around Memphis and the Delta.
A murder in a tightly wound family unwinds.
Set in and around Memphis and the Delta.
A murder in a tightly wound family unwinds.
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