Disturbing
the Dead
A Tom Bridger and Rachel Goddard Mystery
Sandra Parshall
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-378-7 (1590583787)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-378-4 (9780580583784)
Publication Date: March 2007
List Price: $24.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): Tom Bridger, who is half Melungeon, thought he had
escaped his Virginia mountain
community's lingering prejudice against the mixed-race group when he
left to join the Richmond
Police Department. Tom was moving up the detective ranks when a family
tragedy brought him back home and moved him into his father's job as
chief deputy in the Mason County Sheriff's Department. Now the bones of
a Melungeon woman who disappeared ten years ago have surfaced on a
remote mountaintop, and all evidence points to murder. Violence
escalates as the victim's poor family and the wealthy white family she
married into scramble to protect their secrets from Tom's scrutiny. As
he probes into his father's investigation of the case, he finds his
father was not the man he idolized.
The woman Tom is falling in love with, Rachel Goddard, is struggling to
start a new life in a place that holds no memories for her. She puts
herself in danger when she befriends the dead Melungeon woman's teenage
niece, Holly. As a child, the girl witnessed something that could
implicate her aunt's killer, but she is too terrified to tell anyone
what she knows. While Rachel is determined to keep Holly safe and help
her piece together past events, the guilty are equally determined to
silence the girl -- and Rachel too, if necessary.
Will this murder investigation be Tom's and Rachel's undoing or will it
free them to look to the future?
Review:
Disturbing the Dead,
Sandra Parshall's second mystery, takes place in a small town in the
foothills of the Virginia mountains. The crime is a 10-year old
“cold-case” murder, and the hatred, fears and
jealousies that were present then are still prevalent today.
It’s a story of a mixed race people, the Melugeons, dark in
color with black hair and dark eyes. The Caucasians of the town believe
they are a mixed race of American Indian, black and white trash. Tom
Bridger is such a man. He left his home town for Richmond where he
became a part of the Virginia Police Force but had to return
when his father, the deputy sheriff, died unexpectedly. Tom took over
his dad’s post.
A skull and bones have been found in the mountain above the
small town. They are the remains of Pauline Turner who vanished ten
years ago. Pauline, a Melungeon, had fallen in love and married very
wealthy Adam McCauley, a Caucasian, who adored her. Adam’s family, two brothers and their wives never accepted
Pauline. Adam’s mother finally became somewhat friendly when
Pauline presented her with her first grandchild. Now that Pauline's
remains have been located, the lies, deceit and anger begin again. Both
Pauline’s family and Adam’s family have secrets
that they refuse to share with anyone, even each other.
Sandra Parshall portrays her characters in such a way that readers will
think they really know who are the good guys and who are the bad guys.
But in all likelihood, they will be wrong. She takes us to the little
town in the foothills and describes the lone, grimy café,
and the broken-down wooden homes where the impoverished live. One can
almost get claustrophobic reading about them. We see their old cars and
trucks. Then we go to the city, away from the foothills where the elite
live in mansions with servants and big beautiful cars. When she writes
about the snow falling so beautifully, you can look out the window
and almost see it.
This is a good mystery. It stays suspenseful until the very end. The
reader can associate with the characters and can feel the mountain breeze in the same way they do.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty for contributing her review of Disturbing the Dead
and to Poisoned Pen Press for providing
an ARC for this review.
Review Copyright © 2007, Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, All
Rights Reserved.
Mysteries in this series ...
The Heat of the Moon
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), 2006
ISBN-10: 159058256X (159058256X)
Disturbing the Dead
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), 2007
ISBN-10: 1-59058-378-7 (1590583787)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-378-4 (9780580583784)
Omnimystery keywords for Disturbing the Dead
...
Location(s) referenced: Virginia, Richmond.
