Old School Bones

Cape Island Mystery #3

by Randall Peffer

Winter in a New England prep school brings term papers, wet snow, and the suicide of a young black student. Except Liberty Baker's friends are convinced she couldn't have taken her own life, and Liberty's faculty advisor, Awasha Patterson, believes them. She is desperate to believe any theory that Liberty's death was suspicious--Awasha turned the girl away the night of her death. If Liberty had been suicidal, Awasha had missed the signs.But how to prove it? No one in the school wants to think that it could have been a racially-motivated crime; vague whispers of school-sanctioned secret societies are quickly stopped by the headmaster. Awasha can't let it rest, her guilt is consuming. So she seeks out help from a man she knows understands guilt--a man so sensitive, so compassionate to others, that it ruined his career as a defense attorney with one fateful case. Awasha finds Michael DeCastro on his father's fishing boat, and Michael knows from the moment he sees her that he's about to be haunted by another injustice. And he knows he'll give everything of himself until the spirits of the dead lie in peace.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2008

About the author

Randall Peffer is the author of over 300 travel-lifestyle features for magazines like National Geographic, Smithsonian, Reader's Digest, Travel Holiday, Islands and Sail; he teaches writing and literature at Philips Academy in Andover.

Reviews

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

PROTAGONIST: Michael Decastro, former public defender
SETTING: New England
SERIES: #3 of 3
RATING: 2.5

Awasha Patterson is the Director of Minority Affairs at a New England prep school. She is also the house mother for a group of girls who fit the minority designation. As such, she serves as an advisor, confidante and friend to the girls in her care. When Liberty Baker, a vivacious and talented black student, is found in a tub with her wrists slit, it is labeled a suicide. But the people who knew her best don't believe that is something that Liberty would do – is it possible that she was murdered?

Liberty and her friend Gracie had been looking into the existence of secret societies at the school. Although banned many years ago, it appears that Liberty may have found information that they still exist. What did she stumble upon that would have threatened someone enough to kill her? And are Gracie and the other people interested in uncovering what happened to Liberty in danger too?

Awasha seeks the help of a former public defender named Michael Decastro who used to rent rooms from her mother. Although Michael is currently working on a fishing boat with his father and brother, who depend on him, he has a fatal flaw—he is incapable of saying no when his heart is touched. So he, Awasha and Gracie embark on an investigation.

Although the book isn't badly written and I did like some of the characters (particularly Gracie), it didn't work at all for me. I felt it was developed on a very faulty premise. It was ridiculous to have three amateurs investigating Liberty's death. At times, Michael reached out to a cop friend of his for assistance; but the trio never actively involved the authorities, even when finding old bones in an attic. I also never understood what Liberty knew that was so threatening that someone would stoop to murder. And here we have three more people rattling all the skeletons, who are not killed but just roughed up a bit.

Perhaps those readers who are more accepting of amateur sleuths than I am would find this book appealing.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Old School Bones – 5 Paws
Randall Peffer
Bleak House, 2008, 396 pps.
ISBN No. 978-1-932557-85-5


Awasha Patterson is Dean of Minority Affairs and is in charge of the students at Hibernia House. Hibernia House is a residence at Tolchester-Coates, a New England prep school. Liberty Baker, a young black student, knocks on Awasha’s door and says she needs to see her but Awasha has company and turns Liberty away. Awasha does not get a chance to find out what Liberty needed because her fellow students find Liberty’s body in the bathtub. Liberty’s death is ruled a suicide but her friends refuse to believe that Liberty would take her own life.

Gracie Liu is from Hong Kong and is Liberty’s best friend. Gracie feels that Liberty’s death has to do with her race and the secret societies that she has been investigating. Tory and Justine, the other two girls at Hibernia House, have the same feelings.

Liberty had recently made some comments on her website referring to a secret society and had just received a threatening note. The girls convince Awasha that she should help them prove that Liberty was murdered. Awasha feels that if she had not turned Liberty away that the girl might still be alive. Awasha goes to Michael DeCastro and with the help of Gracie Liu convinces Michael to help them investigate.

Michael’s last case as a defense attorney did not turn out well and he has returned to the occupation of fishing with his father. Awasha and Gracie are very convincing and finally Michael agrees.

Awasha has her own demons to conquer. Awasha's brother Ronnie is drawn into the puzzle and the author tells in flashbacks about the woman from Ronnie's past that constantly haunts him.

Gracie Liu is very brave and puts herself in danger seeking proof of a secret society and something to prove that Liberty’s death was not at her own hand.

Old School Bones is a complicated book that will not fail to draw you in and make you fear for Awasha, Gracie and Michael.

[Carrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow--what a waste of a good premise. The author has an annoying habit of opening almost every chapter with the name and location of some Cape Cod-area eatery. I get it--he loves the Cape, but these intros are so clunkily written, and so numerous, that it's kind of a joke.

I'm more than halfway through the book, and it is going to be a chore to finish--in fact, I just decided I am not going to finish it. I was sucked in by the first 20 pages, but now I couldn't care less what happens to the three main characters. That's not good.

Also, I get really annoyed with typoes. They are all over this book, and it's distracting. Case in point--one of the lead characters scrapes the bottom of her "bowel" with a spoon. And, Toni Morrison isn't a dude, so don't spell it "Tony."

[dfchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a preppie alum and of the same school Peffer teaches at was half the fun of reading this. I think I read somewhere that the premise of this novel comes from one of Peffer's students at Andover who actually found evidence of this secret society stuff - definitely aroused my curiosity. However, the book just didn't read all that well for me - it tries a little too hard to be all reflective and brooding which felt awkward in the structural framework of what is essentially a summer breach thriller (very short chapters, a lot of shifts in place and time). And maybe I was trying too hard in my head to find correlates between the book and my own experience but a found myself thinking "really?" to a lot of the characterizations in the novel. Nevertheless, I was effectively drawn in and particularly if you're familiar with the area, it can be a fun read.

[Maryjo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Provincetown Follies so was disappointed in this book. Although I enjoyed the main story and the characters, Peffer's use of sub-texts takes away from the main theme. I think he uses them to deepen and explain the characters but all it does is take away from the momentum of the book. Don't think I will read any more Cape Islands mysteries if this becomes a series.

[Geraldine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed reading this book. I love to read mysteries and this one had me enthralled until the last page.

[Gabriele Bauman · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my high school English teachers wrote this book so I may be a bit impartial, but it was a very good mystery.