Play Audiobook Sample
The Old Buzzard Had It Coming: An Alafair Tucker Mystery Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.10) - 212 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
Alafair Tucker is a strong woman and the core of her family's life on a farm in Oklahoma where backbreaking work and the daily logistics of caring for her husband and their nine children, and of being a good neighbor, requires determination and a clear head. She's also a woman of strong opinions, and it is her opinion that her neighbor, Harley Day, is a drunkard and a reprobate. So, when Harley's body is discovered frozen in a snowdrift one January day in 1912, she isn't surprised that his long-suffering family isn't particularly broken up.
When Alafair helps Harley's wife prepare the body for burial, she discovers that Harley's demise was anything but natural: there is a bullet lodged behind his ear. And when she hears that Harley's son, John Lee, is the prime suspect in his father's murder, she grows concerned—her seventeen-year-old daughter Phoebe is in love with the boy. At first, Alafair's only fear is that Phoebe is in for a broken heart, but as she begins to unravel the events that led to Harley's death, she discovers that Phoebe might be more than just John Lee's sweetheart: she may be his accomplice in murder. But a man like Harley turns many people against him, and whoever said there are some things even a mother can't fix never met Alafair Tucker.
Pitch-perfect for the Oklahoma frontier, Donis Casey's first novel in the Alafair Tucker mystery series is both a compelling mystery and a remarkable evocation of the hard work and family joys of life one hundred years ago.
Download and start listening now!
"Alafair Tucker is an early 1900s country farm wife/mother who finds herself involved in solving the murder of a drunken reprobate who no one in town is sorry to see dead. This was a light read and I had trouble putting it down because I couldn't wait to see who did it. I can usually figure out who the murderer is early on in a mystery, but Donis Casey does a good job of throwing in red herrings, and the ending caught me by surprise. It was a funny, warm, and clean read with a couple of pleasant surprises at the end (including recipes of all the food mentioned in the story)."
— Diane (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“Donis Casey…gives us a tale full of wit, humor, sorrow, and, more important, the truth. Her Alafair Tucker deserves to stand beside Ma Joad in literature’s gallery of heroic ladies.”
— Tony Hillerman, New York Times bestselling author -
“As vivid and unforgettable as a crimson Oklahoma sunset.”
— Carolyn Hart, New York Times bestselling author -
“Under Donis Casey’s gifted hand and shrewd historic eye, Tucker adds solving a mystery to her busy schedule. It all could easily have gone soft and cute, especially the many long visits to the Tuckers’ fellow farmers. But by avoiding all the built-in traps, Casey has produced a sharp and suspenseful first novel.”
— Chicago Tribune -
“Casey’s sweet-tempered debut manages to make readers nostalgic for simpler times…The appealingly homey world Casey creates rings true.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Set in 1912 Oklahoma, this first novel, which was named the Best Unpublished Mystery of 2004 by the Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, should please even the most demanding fans of historicals with its authentic situations, fully drawn characters, and clever plotting.”
— Library Journal -
“This first of the Alafair Tucker mysteries introduces an engaging new heroine to treasure…Casey’s novel brims with wit, humor, and the occasional devastating sorrow…A welcome touch of magical realism saves the novel from sentimentality. A deep pleasure to read.”
— Historical Mystery Society -
“Ward’s first-rate narration make this an American pleasure.”
— AudioFile -
“This debut novel is a remarkably tactile historical mystery…A lot of writers of historical mysteries tell us about the places their stories are set in; Casey actually takes us there.”
— Booklist -
“The Oklahoma winter of 1912 is only a shade tougher than sleuthing farm wife Alafair Tucker…A promising debut, with homespun Alafair starring as a countrified Miss Marple.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
-
Winner of the Arizona Book Publishing Association’s Awardfor Best Mystery/Suspense Novel
-
Finalist for the 2006Benjamin Franklin Award
-
Finalist for the 2006Oklahoma Book Award for Literature
The Old Buzzard Had It Coming Listener Reviews
-
" This was a fun read. I loved the setting and it appealed to my G nature. No grizzly murder scene just a great murder mystery. I would let my kids read this book. "
— Samantha97, 2/17/2014 -
" this was a good read "
— Jessica, 2/7/2014 -
" Why did I wait so long to read this? The engaging protagonist is the mother of eleven children, an Oklahoma farm wife, and a bit nosey. Besides reading a good mystery, this period piece whisked me back me into early 1900s Oklahoma. The dialogue, laced with rural vocabulary, made me feel like I could sit right down at the kitchen table and jaw a bit with the family. "
— Cynthia, 2/6/2014 -
" A cute little cozy mystery set in 1912 about the murder of a disagreeable "buzzard" that almost everyone in the small town had a motive to get rid of. A welcome break if you want something light and easy to read. As a bonus, there is much cooking and eating of yummy things from that era for which the recipes are provided after the book ends. "
— Glenda, 2/3/2014 -
" Great title! Good read too. "
— Fiona, 1/26/2014 -
" I enjoyed this book a lot. It seemed to have a bit of everything in it. Mystery, family, love, history.... Great characters. "
— Brenda, 1/10/2014 -
" awesome book. characters were well developed. book came to life. "
— Brenda, 12/1/2013 -
" Thank you to several people on DorothyL for talking about the books of Donis Casey. Alafair Tucker is a most memorable character and the Oklahoma setting is so vividly potrayed. "
— Ann, 11/15/2013 -
" Both my mom and I loved this! What a fantastic family to follow through the mysteries! "
— Eileen, 11/9/2013 -
" liked the book. Good story, little predictable. "
— Cindy, 11/7/2013 -
" Title is what drew me to this book. The characters are very interesting. A fast read and is not boring at all "
— Jacqueline, 10/25/2013 -
" I liked this first in the series. The rest are pretty much the same as the first (Each child is featured in the subsequent books.....) Lost interest. "
— Lici, 9/18/2013 -
" I really enjoyed the story line and the characters felt real. "
— Sharyl, 9/12/2013 -
" An excellent mystery set in 1930's Oklahoma that has twists and turns to keep you guessing. The victim is one of those people everyone was happy to find dead and we get to explore why from many different perspectives. A great read. "
— Patty, 7/20/2013 -
" Good book. Easy, fast read. It is a mystery set in the early 1900s, a simpler time. Good, old-fashion, clean...has some good recipes at the end of the book too...be sure to read through them, there is a bit of humor scattered throughout! "
— Jenny, 6/22/2013 -
" A pleasant little read with a likable heroine. It is as much about daily farm and family life in early 20th-century Oklahoma as it is about "who did the deed." "
— Michele, 4/19/2013 -
" Enjoyable enough to get the next in the series "
— Janine, 4/1/2013 -
" A nice first outing with characters you feel comfortable with. "
— Christy, 3/1/2013 -
" Alafair Tucker, the "detective", is a mother of nine in 1912 Oklahoma. A little pollyannaish about her life but well-written. Turns out detecting takes longer when there's literally a whole day devoted to laundry and something called "bluing". "
— Katy, 1/23/2013 -
" I felt as tho I was getting a little bit of a history lesson in what life was like in that time. You can't help liking the characters' honesty and work ethic. It was a nice trip to a long ago time in our country. "
— Kathy, 1/14/2013 -
" Cute story. I'd love to read some more of these. Very quick read. "
— Kori, 12/29/2012
About Donis Casey
Donis Casey is a third-generation Oklahoman. She and her siblings grew up among their extended family on farms and in small towns. She earned degrees from the University of Tulsa and Oklahoma University and has worked as a teacher and academic librarian. She now lives with her husband in Arizona.
About Pam Ward
Pam Ward, an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator, found her true calling reading books for the blind and physically handicapped for the Library of Congress’ Talking Books program. The fact that she can work with Blackstone Audio from the beauty of the mountains of Southern Oregon is an unexpected bonus.