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Elizabeth MacPherson #2
Lovely in Her Bones
"Who but Sharyn McCrumb can make a skull with a bullet hole funny? Those who like sardonic wit, slightly bent characters, and good fun will love Lovely in Her Bones."—Tony HillermanWhen an Appalachian dig to determine if an obscure Indian tribe in North Carolina can lay legal claim to the land they live on is stopped on account of murder, Elizabeth MacPherson—eager student of the rites of the past and mysteries of the present—starts digging deep. And when she mixes a little modern know-how with some old-fashioned suspicions, Elizabeth comes up with a batch of answers that surprise even the experts. . . .
226 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1985
213 people are currently reading
523 people want to read
About the author
Sharyn McCrumb
115 books1,131 followers
Sharyn McCrumb, an award-winning Southern writer, is best known for her Appalachian “Ballad” novels, including the New York Times best sellers The Ballad of Tom Dooley, The Ballad of Frankie Silver, and The Songcatcher. Ghost Riders, which won the Wilma Dykeman Award for Literature from the East Tennessee Historical Society and the national Audie Award for Best Recorded Books. The Unquiet Grave, a well-researched novel about West Virginia's Greenbrier Ghost, will be published in September by Atria, a division of Simon &Schuster.
Sharyn McCrumb, named a Virginia Woman of History by the Library of Virginia and a Woman of the Arts by the national Daughters of the American Revolution, was awarded the Mary Hobson Prize for Arts & Letters in 2014. Her books have been named New York Times and Los Angeles Times Notable Books. In addition to presenting programs at universities, libraries, and other organizations throughout the US, Sharyn McCrumb has taught a writers workshop in Paris, and served as writer-in-residence at King University in Tennessee, and at the Chautauqua Institute in western New York.
Sharyn McCrumb, an award-winning Southern writer, is best known for her Appalachian “Ballad” novels, including the New York Times best sellers The Ballad of Tom Dooley, The Ballad of Frankie Silver, and The Songcatcher. Ghost Riders, which won the Wilma Dykeman Award for Literature from the East Tennessee Historical Society and the national Audie Award for Best Recorded Books. The Unquiet Grave, a well-researched novel about West Virginia's Greenbrier Ghost, will be published in September by Atria, a division of Simon &Schuster.
Sharyn McCrumb, named a Virginia Woman of History by the Library of Virginia and a Woman of the Arts by the national Daughters of the American Revolution, was awarded the Mary Hobson Prize for Arts & Letters in 2014. Her books have been named New York Times and Los Angeles Times Notable Books. In addition to presenting programs at universities, libraries, and other organizations throughout the US, Sharyn McCrumb has taught a writers workshop in Paris, and served as writer-in-residence at King University in Tennessee, and at the Chautauqua Institute in western New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
May 21, 2018
tl;dr: No
The longer version:
TW: Racism (specifically toward Native Americans and Black people), racist science, sexism, fat hatred, murder, toxic masculinity, cheating
I had very low expectations of this book when I picked it up, but it was $0.25 at my local used book store and I have a dream that someday I will collect books with "bone" in the title (because I already have three books and they are good).
Plot: Anthropology students go on a dig in Appalachia in order to help a Native American tribe prove their historical ties to the area and apply to be a reservation. Then there's a murder. It's noted in the preface that the tribe in the book is fictional.
What I liked: It was short, surprisingly readable, detective story centered around an anthropology dig. Actually, there was a lot more anthropology content than murder/detective content, no matter what the title will tell you. It was also written in 1985, so there's some fun retro tech happening. The book also had a sense of fun which probably earned it the second star.
What I disliked: This book's subject matter is race issues but the white writer handled it poorly. You can tell that Sharyn McCrumb like, did a little research on Native Americans and understood some issues (A man corrects a white guy calling him chief, a white guy who appropriates Native cultures is endlessly satirized, white historical land grabbing is presented as negative, modern white corporate land grabbing is presented as negative, the Trail of Tears is briefly mentioned).
However, even the positive aspects largely feel like white people touring Native America. The main cast is white, with the tribe characters largely appearing only for plot purposes, exposition, or to be suspects. The token person of color in the main cast, Jake, is described as appearing "Spanish or Italian" and revealed to be Cherokee in the book's last few pages. He explains to one of the other main characters, Elizabeth, that he sometimes allows people to perceive him as white in order to avoid racism, which I accept, but treating his race as a twist is a really gross move by the author. Like, seriously. Elizabeth figured out who the murderer is because of something he says while they talk about his race.
Speaking of Elizabeth, she's a sociology student who's on this dig because her brother's roommate, an anthropology student named Milo, invited her. The first few chapters are Milo and Elizabeth (and the brother) spending time together, bantering, making jokes, and talking about Milo's work. Though these scenes could be platonic, Milo later invites Elizabeth on the dig because he's interested in her romantically, an interest that you later learn is mutual. That is very early on in the book, and that is the end of them having any positive interaction whatsoever. Milo's joking personality evaporates and he complains about her talking too much, wanting to spend time with him, and generally having emotions the rest of the book. At the end of the book, Milo sort-of-not-really apologizes and Elizabeth offers to "try again". It's gross.
When you look at it from the point of the author making choices, it becomes extra gross because while Milo is off whining and being sexist, Elizabeth spends a large amount of time with Jake. They have similar fun platonic interactions that Elizabeth had with Milo at the beginning of the book. In addition, Jake sympathizes with Elizabeth's struggles, a small amount of emotional labor that Milo never does in the entire book. I kept waiting for Elizabeth to mention an interest in Jake. Or prioritize her friendship with him over her inexplicable interest in Milo. This never happens. Why? I assume because the author finds Elizabeth making positive relationship choices incompatible with the goddamn race twist. After Jake explains that he's Cherokee, Milo fucking asks him if Elizabeth was COMFORTABLE BEING ALONE WITH HIM and this is treated as A LEGITIMATE QUESTION AETKHJ3LKJEG;H359OGJLKGJL;K
Speaking of which, I felt like there wasn't much tension in the book? And in retrospect, I realize a lot of the tension probably was supposed to come from the fact that the audience is supposed to be worried for white students hanging out in a Native American tribe?? Which is super gross??
Milo and Alex, his professor, both say similarly sexist things about the women around them. There's a lot of talk about whether or not individual women will work hard at the dig and talk about women "understanding" men they're in relationships with. The women, by the way, are similarly sexist creations who are prone to easily crying and having sudden emotional reactions. My "favorite" is this one:
Alex: I have an assignment for you.
Mary Clare: What is it?
Alex: [explains]
Mary Clare glared at him through tears. "I wish you were dead!"
Like, where the fuck did that come from??
There's a character named Victor who is characterized as lazy, a possible suspect, and a hypochondriac. This is all supposed to be a source of comedy. He's also fat and the protagonists we're supposed to sympathize with engage in fat hatred against him and they act super gross. He's the second murder victim and they struggle to be nice to him in death. Basically, everyone is the worst.
The dig is entirely about determining people's race based on their skulls. Is it related to ye olde super racist 19th century bunk "science" or does the story's science have basis in modern science? I have no idea because the book never acknowledges anthropology's racist history. (Anthropology as a science, is treated as Neutral and Good and the various harm it has done is never acknowledged in the book.) I found this Slate article which discusses race and skulls: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_an... tl;dr: race cannot be conclusively determined from a skeleton, esp. not one bone, but scientists can make educated guesses about a person's race. But even that is somewhat controversial.
There's another big race twist at the end where they reveal the Native American tribe is not Native American at all, but are mixed race people who are white and Black. WHICH. LIKE. LIKE, WHAT??? WHAT. What. WHAT. I don't even have the will to unpack that right now. This was the cause of the murders because someone was trying to prevent the anthropologists from determining that with their skull study. While pretty much no one in the tribe was aware, the guy who requested the study was aware?? But he thought it wouldn't matter because no one would READ THE STUDY?? I just, it makes no sense.
Oh yeah, and the cops say super gross racist things about the tribe. Like saying they commit terrible murders that go unpunished, every man in the tribe has spent time in jail, that they're drunks, and the cops even make scalping jokes. It's gross and it's not contradicted. After it's revealed that the tribe is ACTUALLY BLACK, NOW instead of the jokes being about Natives being violent drunk criminals these are about Black people being violent drunk criminals. Also these parts are enormously oblivious to police violence against Black people and Native people?????????
Oh, by the way, remember that guy who I mentioned is satirized for appropriating Native cultures? He hangs out with the cops because of hijinks but he's inept at helping them BUT THEN he gets promoted to be the deputy of the alleged Native tribe, a role that the tribe members LITERALLY FOUGHT FOR. It pretty much undoes any slight good that satirizing his appropriation could have done. WHITE MEDIOCRITY AT ITS FINEST.
Okay, my hand is bothering me and I need to stop typing, lol, but I think I covered the worst of it. Don't read this book.
The longer version:
TW: Racism (specifically toward Native Americans and Black people), racist science, sexism, fat hatred, murder, toxic masculinity, cheating
I had very low expectations of this book when I picked it up, but it was $0.25 at my local used book store and I have a dream that someday I will collect books with "bone" in the title (because I already have three books and they are good).
Plot: Anthropology students go on a dig in Appalachia in order to help a Native American tribe prove their historical ties to the area and apply to be a reservation. Then there's a murder. It's noted in the preface that the tribe in the book is fictional.
What I liked: It was short, surprisingly readable, detective story centered around an anthropology dig. Actually, there was a lot more anthropology content than murder/detective content, no matter what the title will tell you. It was also written in 1985, so there's some fun retro tech happening. The book also had a sense of fun which probably earned it the second star.
What I disliked: This book's subject matter is race issues but the white writer handled it poorly. You can tell that Sharyn McCrumb like, did a little research on Native Americans and understood some issues (A man corrects a white guy calling him chief, a white guy who appropriates Native cultures is endlessly satirized, white historical land grabbing is presented as negative, modern white corporate land grabbing is presented as negative, the Trail of Tears is briefly mentioned).
However, even the positive aspects largely feel like white people touring Native America. The main cast is white, with the tribe characters largely appearing only for plot purposes, exposition, or to be suspects. The token person of color in the main cast, Jake, is described as appearing "Spanish or Italian" and revealed to be Cherokee in the book's last few pages. He explains to one of the other main characters, Elizabeth, that he sometimes allows people to perceive him as white in order to avoid racism, which I accept, but treating his race as a twist is a really gross move by the author. Like, seriously. Elizabeth figured out who the murderer is because of something he says while they talk about his race.
Speaking of Elizabeth, she's a sociology student who's on this dig because her brother's roommate, an anthropology student named Milo, invited her. The first few chapters are Milo and Elizabeth (and the brother) spending time together, bantering, making jokes, and talking about Milo's work. Though these scenes could be platonic, Milo later invites Elizabeth on the dig because he's interested in her romantically, an interest that you later learn is mutual. That is very early on in the book, and that is the end of them having any positive interaction whatsoever. Milo's joking personality evaporates and he complains about her talking too much, wanting to spend time with him, and generally having emotions the rest of the book. At the end of the book, Milo sort-of-not-really apologizes and Elizabeth offers to "try again". It's gross.
When you look at it from the point of the author making choices, it becomes extra gross because while Milo is off whining and being sexist, Elizabeth spends a large amount of time with Jake. They have similar fun platonic interactions that Elizabeth had with Milo at the beginning of the book. In addition, Jake sympathizes with Elizabeth's struggles, a small amount of emotional labor that Milo never does in the entire book. I kept waiting for Elizabeth to mention an interest in Jake. Or prioritize her friendship with him over her inexplicable interest in Milo. This never happens. Why? I assume because the author finds Elizabeth making positive relationship choices incompatible with the goddamn race twist. After Jake explains that he's Cherokee, Milo fucking asks him if Elizabeth was COMFORTABLE BEING ALONE WITH HIM and this is treated as A LEGITIMATE QUESTION AETKHJ3LKJEG;H359OGJLKGJL;K
Speaking of which, I felt like there wasn't much tension in the book? And in retrospect, I realize a lot of the tension probably was supposed to come from the fact that the audience is supposed to be worried for white students hanging out in a Native American tribe?? Which is super gross??
Milo and Alex, his professor, both say similarly sexist things about the women around them. There's a lot of talk about whether or not individual women will work hard at the dig and talk about women "understanding" men they're in relationships with. The women, by the way, are similarly sexist creations who are prone to easily crying and having sudden emotional reactions. My "favorite" is this one:
Alex: I have an assignment for you.
Mary Clare: What is it?
Alex: [explains]
Mary Clare glared at him through tears. "I wish you were dead!"
Like, where the fuck did that come from??
There's a character named Victor who is characterized as lazy, a possible suspect, and a hypochondriac. This is all supposed to be a source of comedy. He's also fat and the protagonists we're supposed to sympathize with engage in fat hatred against him and they act super gross. He's the second murder victim and they struggle to be nice to him in death. Basically, everyone is the worst.
The dig is entirely about determining people's race based on their skulls. Is it related to ye olde super racist 19th century bunk "science" or does the story's science have basis in modern science? I have no idea because the book never acknowledges anthropology's racist history. (Anthropology as a science, is treated as Neutral and Good and the various harm it has done is never acknowledged in the book.) I found this Slate article which discusses race and skulls: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_an... tl;dr: race cannot be conclusively determined from a skeleton, esp. not one bone, but scientists can make educated guesses about a person's race. But even that is somewhat controversial.
There's another big race twist at the end where they reveal the Native American tribe is not Native American at all, but are mixed race people who are white and Black. WHICH. LIKE. LIKE, WHAT??? WHAT. What. WHAT. I don't even have the will to unpack that right now. This was the cause of the murders because someone was trying to prevent the anthropologists from determining that with their skull study. While pretty much no one in the tribe was aware, the guy who requested the study was aware?? But he thought it wouldn't matter because no one would READ THE STUDY?? I just, it makes no sense.
Oh yeah, and the cops say super gross racist things about the tribe. Like saying they commit terrible murders that go unpunished, every man in the tribe has spent time in jail, that they're drunks, and the cops even make scalping jokes. It's gross and it's not contradicted. After it's revealed that the tribe is ACTUALLY BLACK, NOW instead of the jokes being about Natives being violent drunk criminals these are about Black people being violent drunk criminals. Also these parts are enormously oblivious to police violence against Black people and Native people?????????
Oh, by the way, remember that guy who I mentioned is satirized for appropriating Native cultures? He hangs out with the cops because of hijinks but he's inept at helping them BUT THEN he gets promoted to be the deputy of the alleged Native tribe, a role that the tribe members LITERALLY FOUGHT FOR. It pretty much undoes any slight good that satirizing his appropriation could have done. WHITE MEDIOCRITY AT ITS FINEST.
Okay, my hand is bothering me and I need to stop typing, lol, but I think I covered the worst of it. Don't read this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2011
I've had an itch to read mystery novels lately, and was hoping this series would scratch that. I've had to conclude that it will not. Elizabeth is a strangely vague character for a series lead; she doesn't have enough personality to carry a series, let alone an individual novel, and the rest of the story elements here (plot, writing, setting, etc) aren't enough to make up for that.
May 11, 2021
Aunque tiene toques/situaciones bastante machistas (qué se le puede pedir a un libro escrito en 1985), a medida que lo iba leyendo me ha ido enganchando más y me ha sorprendido el desenlace, cosa que cuesta que me pase.
La versión que tengo yo está traducida un poco regulín, y hay alguna falta tipográfica... además un tal Tony Hillerman dice "Sólo Sharyn McCrumb es capaz de hacer que una calavera resulte desternillante"... este hombre debe ser de risa fácil como para calificarlo de desternillante.
En fin, que me ha gustado y me han enganchado hasta el punto de ir leyendo por la calle corriendo el riesgo de ser atropellada.
La versión que tengo yo está traducida un poco regulín, y hay alguna falta tipográfica... además un tal Tony Hillerman dice "Sólo Sharyn McCrumb es capaz de hacer que una calavera resulte desternillante"... este hombre debe ser de risa fácil como para calificarlo de desternillante.
En fin, que me ha gustado y me han enganchado hasta el punto de ir leyendo por la calle corriendo el riesgo de ser atropellada.
August 11, 2021
This is not my favorite series by this author, but it's a quick light read. I think my major complaint is that although it's set up for Elizabeth to be the amateur detective, she doesn't really do much investigating, but figures the murderer out almost by accident. On the other hand, the characters are fun and the setting on an archeological dig works for me.
November 25, 2013
'Lovely in Her Bones' is funny and charming. It's also shallow and lightweight, where characterization and depth are always sacrificed for the gag, bit or joke. Not that that is bad, it is what it is; a humorous cozy following an addled, clueless young woman who gets involved in deadly events, even though she has a college Sociology degree. Her number one character flaw is a terrifying obliviousness to murderous intentions. This does not make her one of the particularly odd persons that are in this novel - the characters McCrumb peoples her series with are, I suspect, intentionally cookie-cutter, recognizable from thousands of comedies - satiric, family-friendly, romantic - but Elizabeth ends up being one of the 'normal' stock players (teenage 'dumb blonde' being closest, maybe) in comparison. Whatever. She wouldn't recognize Evil if the Devil showed up oozing badness from every pore, but she has a knack for wrong-headed and unwise decisions which lead her straight into traps all the while thinking she will fix it, so heroic men hurriedly rescue her and solve the crime.
Elizabeth is actually trying to catch a particular man, her brother Bill's roommate Milo, a forensic anthropology student still at college. Because she is creating opportunities to hang around him for a possible hookup, she volunteers to help out on a dig looking for the bones of Native Americans buried in a valley 'run' in the Appalachians. The 'natives' want to stop strip mining, so they are looking to provide official research clarifying their tribal status with the Federal Government. They ask Professor Alex Lerche to come and examine their ancestor's bones. Milo is his assistant, so he is rustling up fellow students to dig. Elizabeth volunteers even though she finds bones gross. The other students, who are also straight out of central casting, are only necessary for the comic skits and stage routines which run riot in this plot, consisting mostly of insult repartee. In the midst of various squabbles and verbal jousting, a murder is committed. The weapon is a plastic tomahawk, sold by the quasi-natives to tourists. Needless to say, there will be no Great Revelation about the Human Soul, or Something New. This is all for pure fun, comfortable as a pair of wool socks.
This is the second book in the Elizabeth MacPherson 'mysteries' and it is much much much better than the first one, 'Sick of Shadows' (these titles are truly hilarious, so far; they are like satiric titles for a joke Romance or Mystery novel - a clue, maybe as to intent?). If you've only read the first book, I don't blame you for never touching another novel by Sharyn McCrumb. (However, that would be sad because she can write excellent stories, some quite serious and full of soul.) 'Lovely in Her Bones' starts off as awful as 'Sick of Shadows' was in its entirety, but the unfunny joking and the clumsy dialogue with incomprehensible emotional responses are shaken off by chapter four. Sexual situations are G rated, blood and gore exists for a single second in passing and the gags are familiar to family sitcom fans. To me, it strongly reminded me of TV shows from the 1960's, like Gidget, Dobie Gillis, the Patty Duke Show, or more recently, the 1995 movie 'Clueless', but without the romancing as the objective. Being entertained by sparring comedic characters who are involved in almost forgotten, peripheral murder mysteries is clearly the reason to pick this series up.
A real mystery is the obligatory theme-setting quote from a famous writer, so often placed at the beginning of many novels, is not left out of this one either, but in this context, why? http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/...
While McCrumb hasn't quite polished up her intended style yet that I can guess for Elizabeth's future in the series, so far it's shaping into a gentle satire.
Elizabeth is actually trying to catch a particular man, her brother Bill's roommate Milo, a forensic anthropology student still at college. Because she is creating opportunities to hang around him for a possible hookup, she volunteers to help out on a dig looking for the bones of Native Americans buried in a valley 'run' in the Appalachians. The 'natives' want to stop strip mining, so they are looking to provide official research clarifying their tribal status with the Federal Government. They ask Professor Alex Lerche to come and examine their ancestor's bones. Milo is his assistant, so he is rustling up fellow students to dig. Elizabeth volunteers even though she finds bones gross. The other students, who are also straight out of central casting, are only necessary for the comic skits and stage routines which run riot in this plot, consisting mostly of insult repartee. In the midst of various squabbles and verbal jousting, a murder is committed. The weapon is a plastic tomahawk, sold by the quasi-natives to tourists. Needless to say, there will be no Great Revelation about the Human Soul, or Something New. This is all for pure fun, comfortable as a pair of wool socks.
This is the second book in the Elizabeth MacPherson 'mysteries' and it is much much much better than the first one, 'Sick of Shadows' (these titles are truly hilarious, so far; they are like satiric titles for a joke Romance or Mystery novel - a clue, maybe as to intent?). If you've only read the first book, I don't blame you for never touching another novel by Sharyn McCrumb. (However, that would be sad because she can write excellent stories, some quite serious and full of soul.) 'Lovely in Her Bones' starts off as awful as 'Sick of Shadows' was in its entirety, but the unfunny joking and the clumsy dialogue with incomprehensible emotional responses are shaken off by chapter four. Sexual situations are G rated, blood and gore exists for a single second in passing and the gags are familiar to family sitcom fans. To me, it strongly reminded me of TV shows from the 1960's, like Gidget, Dobie Gillis, the Patty Duke Show, or more recently, the 1995 movie 'Clueless', but without the romancing as the objective. Being entertained by sparring comedic characters who are involved in almost forgotten, peripheral murder mysteries is clearly the reason to pick this series up.
A real mystery is the obligatory theme-setting quote from a famous writer, so often placed at the beginning of many novels, is not left out of this one either, but in this context, why? http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/...
While McCrumb hasn't quite polished up her intended style yet that I can guess for Elizabeth's future in the series, so far it's shaping into a gentle satire.
November 16, 2011
I was really disappointed in this book. I've read one of McCrumb's Ballad series and found it to be an enjoyable read, and my husband, a big fan of hers, handed me this book with an earnest expression on his face and said "I think you'll like it." I wanted to like it, but wanting does not make it so.
First of all, as another reviewer noted, this book comes off as a little dated. It was written in 1985, and technology has advanced in leaps and bounds since then. While the outdated equipment doesn't have a major effect on the storyline, it does jar the reader when it appears. I certainly felt like rolling my eyes a time or two.
Secondly, I found the characters one-dimensional. Perhaps their transparency is somewhat a function of the novel's short length, but I've read short stories that created characters with more depth than these. Elizabeth "Elle" MacPherson, the main character, is just plain "blah," and the other characters hardly move beyond the first impressions you get of them.
And lastly, I was very disappointed in the story's resolution. I think the reader is supposed to sympathize with the guilty party, but I find it difficult to forgive someone who committed a cold-blooded murder, and certainly not one committed for the reasons given in the storyline. The whole thing left me with a bad taste in my mouth, and I felt like throwing the book into the air with disgust.
As a resident of the Appalachian region, I did enjoy the local lore the book provided--the references to local flora and the region's history--, but I still can't really recommend this title. A reviewer on Amazon indicated that this was the weakest book in this series, but based on what I've seen here, it would take a lot to redeem the other titles. Think I'll pass on the rest of the Elle MacPherson books, but I may read another one from the Ballad series.
First of all, as another reviewer noted, this book comes off as a little dated. It was written in 1985, and technology has advanced in leaps and bounds since then. While the outdated equipment doesn't have a major effect on the storyline, it does jar the reader when it appears. I certainly felt like rolling my eyes a time or two.
Secondly, I found the characters one-dimensional. Perhaps their transparency is somewhat a function of the novel's short length, but I've read short stories that created characters with more depth than these. Elizabeth "Elle" MacPherson, the main character, is just plain "blah," and the other characters hardly move beyond the first impressions you get of them.
And lastly, I was very disappointed in the story's resolution. I think the reader is supposed to sympathize with the guilty party, but I find it difficult to forgive someone who committed a cold-blooded murder, and certainly not one committed for the reasons given in the storyline. The whole thing left me with a bad taste in my mouth, and I felt like throwing the book into the air with disgust.
As a resident of the Appalachian region, I did enjoy the local lore the book provided--the references to local flora and the region's history--, but I still can't really recommend this title. A reviewer on Amazon indicated that this was the weakest book in this series, but based on what I've seen here, it would take a lot to redeem the other titles. Think I'll pass on the rest of the Elle MacPherson books, but I may read another one from the Ballad series.
September 6, 2011
I read this book quickly, in just a few hours. I have read several books by Sharyn McCrumb. This was not my favorite, but it was still a good read. I found my self distracted by the dated references to technology. The characters were constantly searching for a phone, and having to drive to different locations to find one. In a time when everyone has cel phones, this seemed old fashioned. Also the computer was using floppy discs. I know for the time it was written, it was probably cutting edge technology. But the book is over 20 years old.
The heroine Elizabeth is likable, but seems a little too eager to confront the murderer without thinking it through. She was also very insecure in her relationship with Milo. I was also disappointed in Milo, because he showed no faith in Elizabeth's work. Still, the mystery was interesting. It was set on an archeological dig, which I always find fascinating. I also learned a little about the Cherokees that I didn't know before.
The heroine Elizabeth is likable, but seems a little too eager to confront the murderer without thinking it through. She was also very insecure in her relationship with Milo. I was also disappointed in Milo, because he showed no faith in Elizabeth's work. Still, the mystery was interesting. It was set on an archeological dig, which I always find fascinating. I also learned a little about the Cherokees that I didn't know before.
December 5, 2007
story told from the point of view of a child murdered and now residing in heaven.
June 11, 2021
I haven't read any McCrumb for awhile, aside from the lovely posts on FB about the raccoons & various animals she feeds on her porch--mostly because I've read the majority of her books, though they are very worthy of being re-read, but I could never find enough of her Elizabeth MacPherson books. I have remedied that lack & read this #2 book of the series & remembered why I enjoy her books so much. She writes with such humor and such history which makes reading her a pleasure. In this adventure, Elizabeth expresses an interest in joining an archaeology dig to her brother's roommate, an anthropology assistant at the college. Elizabeth herself is taking a course on plants & herbs & their history & uses. Milo just so happens to be going on a dig with his professor to unearth the bodies in a graveyard in the isolated valley in the mountains where a purported Indian tribe is trying to get federal permission to retain the land on which they've lived for generations by proving their status as Native Americans. A strip-mining company wants to obtain the land to work it & wants to buy out the valley which would force the tribe to vacate. The professor & his crew will do studies on the ancestral bones to gather proof that the Cullowhees are indeed Indians & have a right to their land. All starts out well. Elizabeth is doubly thrilled to join them as one of the tribe members is a famous herbalist wise woman which will give her an opportunity to gather information for her plant course. But personal issues soon disrupt the dig--the professor is having a temporary fling with his attractive graduate assistant & his wife has discovered this fact; one of the dig members is an obnoxious braggart constantly demanding attention by telling lies about his accomplishments & doing little work; Elizabeth has developed a romantic interest in Milo who, though he feels the same, has difficulty relating to living people; the faction interested in selling their land to the strip-mining company aren't happy about the dig. Soon there are acts of vandalism meant to disrupt the dig & discourage the crew from completing the study . . . and then murder. This was a very good book which I really enjoyed & am looking forward to reading more in the series.
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February 25, 2020Elizabeth McPherson is a sociology student as the book opens. She is fascinated with herbal healing methods, and when a close friend of hers offers to find a place for her on an archaeological dig that will place her near an aging woman who has studied herbal cures all her life, Elizabeth is eager to go.
The purpose of the dig is to help a small group of North Carolinians prove to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs that they are indeed a legitimate tribe and deserve the protections afforded to the much larger and more prominent Cherokee nation. Indeed, if the group cannot prove its native American heritage, the land it holds will inevitably be sold to a strip-mining venture.
But the dig is jinxed from the get-go. Its director has a super-brief affair with his graduate student, whom he subsequently dispatches to a nearby library to do menial research as part of the dig.
Things get increasingly ugly when the director is murdered, a small-town deputy refuses to investigate seriously because he favors the strip mine project, and his replacement isn’t particularly competent. It’s up to Elizabeth to track down the killer. I enjoy this series. Elizabeth is highly likable, and McCrumb’s writing style is easy to read.
The purpose of the dig is to help a small group of North Carolinians prove to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs that they are indeed a legitimate tribe and deserve the protections afforded to the much larger and more prominent Cherokee nation. Indeed, if the group cannot prove its native American heritage, the land it holds will inevitably be sold to a strip-mining venture.
But the dig is jinxed from the get-go. Its director has a super-brief affair with his graduate student, whom he subsequently dispatches to a nearby library to do menial research as part of the dig.
Things get increasingly ugly when the director is murdered, a small-town deputy refuses to investigate seriously because he favors the strip mine project, and his replacement isn’t particularly competent. It’s up to Elizabeth to track down the killer. I enjoy this series. Elizabeth is highly likable, and McCrumb’s writing style is easy to read.
May 1, 2018
Elizabeth MacPherson is invited to go along with Milo (her brother Bill's roommate) on an archaeological dig in the Appalachians to help prove that some people living in a small valley belong to an Indian tribe so they can lay legal claim to their land and save it from being strip-mined. She has developed an interest in herbal healing after taking a college course in it. One of the experts happens to be a member of the Cullowhees tribe who the anthropologists are assisting. When she gets some time away from measuring skulls, Elizabeth hikes up the mountain to meet the "wise woman". The dig is almost called off when a member of their group is found murdered. People in the community have strong feelings both for and against the possible strip-mining coming to their area. But who would go so far as to commit murder?
November 4, 2017
The plot is thin and not humourous. The characters were shallow and robotic. Elizabeth spends a lot of time mooning over potential beau Milo. She does no detective work, but figures out who the murderer is. Then she immediately runs to the murderer, expecting Milo will save her??? I want my detectives to be smart, strong and actively searching for the criminal. Or flawed, but self-aware and actively looking for a solution. Silly and stupid does not do it for me.
January 31, 2018
This is probably 2 1/2. I am doing a reread of the series, and I don't think I ever read this particular book before. The first book was so wonderful; this one falls short for me. I don't like Elizabeth's relationship with Milo; I miss Geoff (he can't be in all the books, but that is too too bad); I miss Bill. I didn't care that much about the murders, and the suspects weren't that interesting, and Elizabeth was really really stupid at the end of the book. Hmmm. I will keep reading though
October 20, 2021
This second book of the Elizabeth MacPherson series is a clincher from the word go. The story stats with the finding of a skull with a bullet hole in it. Solving that mystery is easy. Who killed the well-known Anthropologist (his wife or the student he is sleeping with)and a voluntary digger on a crusade to protect Native American land to prevent strip mining of the land is a little trickier. Finished it in one day. The murderer is a surprise at the end. Funny and smart
September 30, 2017
This is the second book in this series, and the third of Sharyn McCrumb's novels that I have read. I am always happy to crack open another. The Elizabeth MacPherson series leans toward cozy mysteries with a few chortles and a belly laugh included. I am going to be binge reading her for a bit - that's how much I am enjoying reading her.
August 7, 2019
I've always enjoyed McCrumb's writing (I wish she'd write another book in the Bimbos of the Death Sun series), but this Elizabeth McPherson character does little for me. We get multiple perspectives throughout the book and barely get into the mind or actions of Elizabeth. The story wasn't bad, but I'm not sure I'll read another book in this series.
June 5, 2022
I enjoy her Ballad books, the Elizabeth MacPherson series is weaker. I noticed in another review I said I wouldn't read anymore from this series, but a $1.99 sale caught me. This is like the others -- lightweight, and mildly entertaining. I probably should expect more for 3 stars, but I didn't dislike it.
October 4, 2021
An interesting look at an archaeological expedition in the Apalachian hills. Where a professor will try to prove a band of Indians are legeally eligable to hold on to their land. Much going on including two murders and the finding of a missing person ten years before. a good read.
June 1, 2022
Not much better than number one. Not a lot of mystery, detecting or action. Main character again is searching for something to do after college, is following a young man but has yet to let him know she is interested in him and just stumbles onto a solution to the crimes - again.
September 30, 2023
This was slow paced read with an interesting plot, proving through an archaeological dig that land belonged to an Indian tribe. The story seemed to drag but with a few curious tidbits of information and a twist in the final chapters.
November 15, 2016
A Good Read
Very creative storyline. Not one that has been overdone and very well played out from beginning to end for our heroine.
Very creative storyline. Not one that has been overdone and very well played out from beginning to end for our heroine.
December 8, 2017
I love Sharyn McCrumb's work. I have read many of her books. This one was not too bad.
June 8, 2018
It's an easy read, but the characters are all dimwits and there is a lot of jarring bigotry and really weird ideas about race.
July 30, 2018
very good
February 6, 2019
Will happily read this author's detective again. Fun story.
February 12, 2019
First time for this series and I liked it...the characters are great, I like forensic anthropology...will try another one
March 4, 2019
Entertaining read
Quick paced and entertaining. A good book to while away a frigid afternoon. I have to admit that I don't think Milo is right for Elizabeth.
Quick paced and entertaining. A good book to while away a frigid afternoon. I have to admit that I don't think Milo is right for Elizabeth.
Want to read
August 25, 2019paperback
I think there are 9 books in this series.
I think there are 9 books in this series.
May 13, 2020
Intriguing
Appalachia forensics strip mining, murders. It has it all. Me turning the pages the end is a surprise you won't guess.
Appalachia forensics strip mining, murders. It has it all. Me turning the pages the end is a surprise you won't guess.
June 20, 2020
Barely 3 stars
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