Dangerous Undertaking
A Barry Clayton Mystery
Mark de Castrique
Review: This debut mystery from television and film producer Mark de Castrique introduces Barry Clayton who has returned to his family's home and funeral business in rural North Carolina. de Castrique, a native of the mountains of North Carolina, does a fine job providing detailed descriptions of the area and sensitive portrayals of the local residents. The relationships between the principal characters are well defined yet have room to evolve in the future.
The mystery is fairly complex, but the author keeps the story moving forward by not straying too far from the primary plot outline. There is a nice scene towards the end involving the sheriff that is completely in character and provides a very satisfactory conclusion to the book.
Acknowledgment: Poisoned Pen Press provided an ARC of Dangerous Undertaking for this review.
Review Copyright © 2003 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Selected reviews of other mysteries by this author …
Final Undertaking
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), April 2007
ISBN-13: 9781590582299; ISBN-10: 1590582292
Location(s) referenced in Dangerous Undertaking: North Carolina
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Dangerous Undertaking by Mark de Castrique
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-10: 1-59058-055-9
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-055-4
Publication Date: May 2003
List Price: $24.95
Synopsis (from the publisher): Barry Clayton has a job he doesn't want. When his father is stricken with Alzheimer's, Barry leaves the Charlotte police force for the small mountain community of Gainesboro, North Carolina, where his family runs the local funeral home. "Buryin' Barry" reluctantly assumes the mantle of town undertaker, trying to fit his life into this somber profession.
Almost at once it turns deadly. At the graveside service for an elderly woman, a grieving grandson strides in like Clint Eastwood in a duster, rips out a shotgun, and murders his family. Then the shooter turns the weapon on Barry. "Take a message to my grandmother," Dallas Willard shouts. "Tell her they tried to take the land. Tell her I love her." The blast hits Barry in the shoulder.
Barry is not cut from the same black cloth as his father, and his irreverent wit and independence have already won him the friendship of the county sheriff, Vietnam War hero Tommy Lee Wadkins. Besides, Barry's a police pro. Though his wounds are in the hands of local surgeon Susan Miller, Barry begins search for both the killer and the reason for his crime. It isn't long before a second shooting occurs - but Dallas Willard's body is then discovered at the bottom of a quarry pond, indisputable evidence that someone else committed the second crime, someone who now has his sights set on Barry ...
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