"Wonderfully fast-moving mystery!"
Wanda Nell and Jack Culpepper's two-week honeymoon is now
at an end. This is the last day of Wanda Nell's vacation
from the Kountry Kitchen, where she works as a waitress.
When she gets up in the morning, she finds Jack has already
left their trailer for his run at the high school track. As
she's finishing her breakfast, Jack comes home. See, Jack
has already written two books and is looking for an idea
for a third. Well, he got one while at the high school. The
old janitor there told Jack about a girl found dead on the
track thirty years ago, and not only that, but she was
naked as well. The poor girl was never identified. That got
Jack's muse engaged and when Wanda Nell hears the story,
she feels so sorry for the poor girl, she wants to help
Jack solve the mystery. First stop is to the sheriff, who pulls the file and comes
to the conclusion that the whole thing was covered up since
there isn't much in it. And so Wanda Nell and Jack, their
family and friends all begin digging to find out what they
can about this poor girl. One thing leads to another and eventually, they find a name
for the girl, Jenna Rae Howell. There's also the matter of
the poor boy who was held as a suspect in the murder so
long ago. Eventually they track him down and determine to
go talk with him. Will Wanda Nell and Jack ever solve this mystery? Who
actually killed Jenna Rae Howell so long ago? Why was the
whole matter hushed up? LEFTOVER DEAD is a wonderful mystery about two ordinary
people who care. Jimmie Ruth Evans does a wonderful job of
bringing the Southern culture to life in this story as the
newlyweds solve a thirty-year-old mystery. This highly
entertaining story shows Southern life and its hospitality
at its finest and worst as Wanda Nell and Jack deal with
being newlyweds, Wanda Nell's children and their jobs. Have
to say, I loved the secondary character, Miss Lydia. The
plot moves right along and kept me engaged from the very
first page until the last. And the ending is the best and
totally unexpected. If you're looking for a read both
entertaining and fast moving, don't miss this one. I highly
recommend it to all lovers of down-home culture.
Reviewed by Chere Gruver
Posted January 19, 2009
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