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Summary
Summary
Though Roe has proven she can handle just about anything, this part-time librarian may not be ready for the full-time crises that comes her way in the sixth Aurora Teagarden mystery...
Roe's life finally seems to have settled into a comfortable pattern. Her marriage to Martin is going well, she's back at work at the Lawrenceton library--and she hasn't found a dead body in quite a while. But then one afternoon her handyman goes crazy in her front yard. Roe suspects this is a sign of more bad things to come. And she is right.
Soon Martin's niece, Regina, shows up with a baby that no one knew she had. Then she disappears, leaving behind the child--and a murdered husband. To find her, Roe and Martin retrace her steps from sunny Georgia back to snowy Ohio, where they will uncover dark family secrets--at their own peril...
DON'T MISS THE AURORA TEAGARDEN MYSTERIES ON HALLMARK MOVIES & MYSTERIES!
Author Notes
Charlaine Harris was born in Tunica, Mississippi on November 25, 1951. She attended Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. She wrote poetry and plays before beginning to publish mysteries set in the American South. She is the author of the Aurora Teagarden Mystery series, the Lily Bard Mystery series, the Harper Connelly series, and the Sookie Stackhouse series. In 2001, the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, Dead until Dark, won an Anthony Award for Best Paperback Mystery. The series was adapted as a TV show on HBO called True Blood.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
This latest in the Aurora "Roe" Teagarden series (Dead Over Heels, etc.) features the sleuthing Southern librarian in a gripping tale that explores the lengths to which people will go to obtain what they desire. Roe and her new husband, Martin, receive a surprise when Martin's niece Regina arrives on their doorstep with the new baby no one knew she was expecting. Several hours later, after a dinner party, Roe and Martin return home to discover Regina's husband, Craig, murdered in their yard, Regina missing and baby Hayden hidden under a bed. Roe, unable to have children, finds herself burdened with Hayden's care as she and Martin attempt to track down Regina after coming across a wad of money in the diaper bag. Along for the ride is Rory Brown, a friend of Craig and Regina's who is suspiciously interested in Hayden. Harris's story is fast paced and peopled with tragically frustrated characters. Roe, who understands the length to which people might go to have children of their own, is horrified at what she discovers. When Martin, Roe and Hayden arrive at Martin's little-used country house, several other characters, including neighbors Margaret and Luke Granberry, enter the tale. A murder occurs, with tragic consequences for Regina. While all the loose ends are tied up, the heartbreaking solution provides comfort for no one. Harris mixes elements of a cozy and her darker themes with skill and panache. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
As winter settles on Lawrencetown, Georgia, Aurora "Roe" Teagarden sees neighbors behaving outlandishly after a dose of a mystery drug. Then Regina, the feckless niece of Aurora's husband, Martin, arrives with a newborn and disappears the night of a murder. With the baby in tow, Roe and Martin rush to Regina's Ohio hometown to find her and solve the murder before Regina is accused. This second Roe Teagarden mystery is capably written and accurately captures the varied landscapes of Georgia and Ohio. Although the tale starts out like an endearing cozy with a southern accent, Harris ambushes the reader with a stunning ending that carries the impact of Sherlock Holmes falling into the Reichenbach Falls. Readers who like mysteries starring strong, witty, southern women--Linda Barry's Death and the Easter Bunny [BKL Ap 15 98] or Sara Shakman's Digging Up Momma [BKL Ja 1 & 15 98]--will like this one, too, but they had better be prepared for a surprise. --John Rowen
Kirkus Review
Aurora (Roe) Teagarden (Dead Over Heels, 1996, etc.) is enjoying newlywed life with businessman Martin Bartell in Lawrencetown, Georgia, when Martin's niece Regina from Ohio suddenly appears, accompanied by an infant named Hayden. Within the next 24 hours, Regina has disappeared, with her car but without her clothes or her baby; and her ne'er-do-well husband Craig has been found, a hatchet through his head, on the stairs leading to their garage apartment. Then his best friend and former jailmate Rory also turns up, appearing stunned by Craig's death. It's soon decided that Hayden will have to be brought back to Corinth, Ohio, where Martin grew up and where there are relatives who might take the baby in. Martin owns an old, refurbished farmhouse on the outskirts of town where Craig and Regina had been living. Now, he and Roe can stay there until matters are settled. Once arrived, Roe struggles with the complex details of child care as she and Martin try to find the reason for Regina's disappearance and a permanent home for the baby. Their neighbors Margaret and Luke Granberry try to be helpful, but Martin's sister Barby is off on a cruise and other possibilities for Hayden's care seem nonexistent. Then all hell breaks loose: Regina reappears; heroics abound, and heroism too, as the convoluted plot comes to its end. Gossipy, blithe, often funny'with a wind-up that's fierce, shocking, and poignant. A winner for Harris this time out.
Library Journal Review
Aurora Teagarden, part-time librarian and series sleuth (A Bone To Pick), has a horrible day. First, the man who delivers her firewood inexplicably dances naked in her yard. Next, her husband's niece and new baby turn up unannounced. Then, several hours later, she discovers the niece's husband dead, his parolee buddy asleep behind the couch, and the niece missing. Left holding the baby and facing the onus of a murder suspect in the family, Aurora and hubby are desperate for the truth. Live-wire action, small-town antics, unexpected plot ramifications, and a humorous tone make for fine reading. For all collections. [This is part of St. Martin's new crime imprint, MinotaurÄEd.] (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
