Before she soared to massive popularity with her New York Times best-selling Sookie Stackhouse novels, Charlaine Harris launched her career with this critically acclaimed mystery. Suspicious of the "accident" that killed her parents, Catherine Linton returns to her Mississippi home for answers. When her father's longtime nurse is found murdered, Catherine realizes she's in grave danger.
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"Wow...I was so into this book I couldn't put it down...right up to the ending. The ending was too much of a let down....it just stopped....then nothing. I felt like I had been left out there at the end. This isn't part of any series that I know of so I think thats why I was so let down with the end...Otherwise it was a flipping awesome book. I was kept guessing right up until the very end of the book so I guess I have to say GJ CH!"
— Andrea (4 out of 5 stars)
" This is not what I expected from Charlaine Harris. In one paragraph, you would be reading first person and then a sentence later you would be reading in the third person. I was difficult to follow along with the characters. However, I was not able to figure out who the murderer was. "
— Tasha, 2/6/2014" More like 3.5 stars. I thought for her first novel, it was written pretty well. Although, the reason for the killer to do his crimes seemed a little farfetched but regardless it was interesting book. One funny thing though that shows how dated it is, is when Catherine finds the body in the beginning and I remember thinking well, why didn't she just use her cellphone and call the police instead of driving there. And then it hit me, Duh it's 1981. lol "
— Sara, 1/10/2014" Little strange so far... I'll let you know when I'm done. "
— Carley, 12/17/2013" This was okay, but I thought the murderer's motive was totally unbelievable. "
— Elaine, 12/6/2013" another good read, strong female character. "
— Colleen, 11/12/2013" Charlaine Harris' books are really like crack to me and this one was no exception. Once I start one, I can't put it down. This novel was very different from some of her others, but amazing none-the-less! :) "
— Morgan, 11/10/2013" Very good stand alone, her debut. And wicked good. "
— Vickie, 9/4/2013" Well, this certainly no Sookie Stackhouse book. I was starting to think Harris had lost her touch when I noticed the copyright was from 1981. So I guess it's okay that the book wasn't too impressive "
— Rebecca, 7/28/2013" I can always tell how genuine a "Southern" story is by how strongly my SC accent returns while I'm reading it. Flew through this little book in a few days, but I was twangin' the whole time. Interesting to see Charlaine Harris' early voice as I'm so much more familiar with the Sookie novels. "
— Sheri, 7/26/2013" Very good mystery book by Charlaine Harris (True Blood series). This book jumped in with a serial killer plot. "
— Luanne, 4/5/2013" A predictably enjoyable read from one of my favourite authors. "
— Carol, 3/27/2013" Not too sure about this one. I can certainly tell that this is her first book. The growth of her writing is noted and appreciated. "
— Roseann, 6/19/2012" Too backwoods racist missippi for my tastes "
— Lisa, 5/17/2012" This book was ok. Some of the characters were added too quickly and I didn't have the character development behind them to care about who they were or what happened to them. When the killer was discovered, it was like, so what!? Dumb motive for killing four people. "
— Jacquelyn, 4/13/2012" i didn't really like this book. not sure why, but i didn't enjoy it as much as her others. "
— Sawaj75, 10/8/2011" You can definitely tell this was her first. It's still good, though, just not as enjoyable as her later books. "
— Camilla, 10/2/2011" Read this in one day. It was a a good mystery with engaging characters. "
— DeeAnn, 7/22/2011" This was a quick read, it was ok. Not sure if I would read any more of the author's book. "
— Paula, 7/1/2011" The story was entertaining, but not that suspenseful. Also, I did not find myself in love with any of the characters. "
— Denise, 6/15/2011" Well, this certainly no Sookie Stackhouse book. I was starting to think Harris had lost her touch when I noticed the copyright was from 1981. So I guess it's okay that the book wasn't too impressive "
— Rebecca, 5/31/2011" She definitely got better since 1981. "
— Brooke, 5/28/2011" Too brief. Mystery gets wrapped up too quickly. Anti_climactic but quick read.<br/>Characters are one dimensional. Typos, grammatical errors. Can tell it's one of Harris' first books. "
— Lovescaleb, 5/27/2011" A very good story, non-supernatural but gripping all the same. "
— Fran, 5/27/2011" This is not what I expected from Charlaine Harris. In one paragraph, you would be reading first person and then a sentence later you would be reading in the third person. I was difficult to follow along with the characters. However, I was not able to figure out who the murderer was. "
— Tasha, 5/23/2011" I liked the book, but didn't love it. But I did like reading something different from Charlaine Harris from the Sookie "southern vamp" series. Set in south, and the book takes places over the course of a few days. "
— Rebecca, 5/20/2011" As with all her other books, I loved the pace and characters. I wish this was a series because I'd love to know where the characters go next. "
— Kate, 5/11/2011" Meh. I thought the ending was so silly. THAT'S why all those people were killed. Really? "
— Amy, 5/10/2011" Was a brilliant story and I think from the original publishing date that it was Charlaine's first book she wrote. A definite read for anyone who has enjoyed her other series. "
— Chad, 5/7/2011" I read this in one afternoon so its reads very quickly.So far I'm not real keen on this book.I'm not exactly sure why but it was okay. "
— Cynde, 5/1/2011" Did enjoy but I felt the ending was a bit rushed, it was all over in about 2 pages. "
— Deanne, 4/30/2011" A fun murder mystery. A quick read. Definitely enjoyable. "
— Alesha, 4/17/2011" It was interesting to read a book by Charlaine Harris that wasn't part of a series. It was a good read but I thought the ending was too abrupt. Plus, some of the characters could have been more involved/developed in the story. "
— Rebecca, 4/10/2011" I really didn't know what hit me with this one. I absolutely did not suspect the murderer. It was not my favorite Charlaine book, but it was engaging. "
— Laura, 3/1/2011Charlaine Harris is a New York Times bestselling author who has written four series and two stand-alone novels, in addition to numerous short stories, novellas, and graphic novels cowritten with Christopher Golden. Her Sookie Stackhouse books have appeared in twenty-five different languages and on many bestseller lists and are the basis of the HBO series True Blood.
Suzy Jackson is an Earphones Award–winning audiobook narrator whose readings include several novels by Charlane Harris, Jodi Picoult, and M. L. N. Hanover. She was co-winner of an Audie Award in 2018 for Best Multi-Voiced Performance.