Closer Than the Bones

Deep South Mystery #2

by Dean A. James

Recently retired from teaching high school English for nearly forty years, Ernestine Carpenter freely admits that she's more than a bit nosy. She is also good at solving problems, and she's let it be known, amongst her many friends and relatives, that she's willing to take on interesting jobs.Mary Tucker McElroy, well known as a patron of the arts in Southern literary circles, hires Ernie (as she is called by her nearest and dearest) to help her figure out which of her circle might have murdered one of their own. The group had gathered for the Christmas festivities at Idlewild, Miss McElroy's ancestral home in north central Mississippi, and one guest, writer Sukey Lytton, turned up dead in the pond one day, an apparent suicide.Six months afterwards, Miss McElroy is convinced that Sukey Lytton was murdered, and she wants Ernie to help her figure out the guilty party. Was it Lurleen Landry, best-selling author of Southern women's fiction? Did Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Russell Bertram kill her? Or was it his nasty, vindictive wife Alice? Maybe it was literary enfant terrible Brett Doran, who seems to have more than one secret to hide. Could Sukey Lytton's missing manuscript be the motive? Ernie finds danger lurking in unexpected places at Idlewild, as the killer continues to strike.

202 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Sue Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mystery and the characters it involved were interesting, but I couldn't warm up to the main character, Ernestine Carpenter. I'm a retired English teacher myself, and she reminded me of one of my former colleagues with whom I had a rather "fraught" relationship. I found Ernestine to be judgmental with a lot of anger and hostility that kept coming out in her thoughts about the other characters.

The only link I can find between this book and the first one is that Ms. Carpenter is a cousin of the main characters from the first book. The third book in the series seems to go back to the characters from the first book, so I will definitely read it.

[Carol Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic mystery! I highly recommend this book.

[Lavender Dreamer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave it 2 stars because I read it all the way through so it must have kept my interest somewhat. Not a fav though.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder to a physco

Dean James is a new author for me. It was surprise to me on who the murderer was, but I could see why he did if. Enjoyed it..

[Pat Beard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real page turner.