Donis Casey

The books in this series are not exactly cosies, but they do center on a family whose love and generosity provide an antidote to today's self-centered culture.

The title refers to a tornado that hits farms and other establishments outside of a small town in Oklahoma. As we have seen on the news, tornados can do terrible damage, and we follow the Tucker family as they protect themselves from the blasts and repair what damage they can to homes and farms. Before the tornado, we meet a nasty piece of work named Jubal as begin to see what damage he can do to a small community with the 'standards' of that time just before World War I. After the tornado, we see the damages it caused, and the dead discovered. All in all a very satisfying read, probably the best I've read so far in this series.… (altro)

This, the seventh book in the Alifair Tucker series, is another winner. In 1916 a big damaging tornado actually did hit Oklahoma, and this book is set around this event. When the book opens Alifair is managing two of her married daughters who are expecting within a few days of each other. It's a hot and muggy June and everyone is trying to cope with the heat and humidity. Alifair's family of 10 are growing up and a few of them have married and moved out. Her two sons and her younger four daughters are still living at home. It all keeps Alifair happy and busy, and that's just what she wants. There are some nasty undercurrents in and around the town of Boynton, but these do not really involve Alifair and her family. But, even so, she is drawn into a mysterious death which appears to be as a result of the big storm. Alifair's home had been damaged by the storm, but she and her family did not fare as badly as others in the neighbourhood. As everyone is helping every one else by rebuilding and repairs, and providing food for those who were more badly hit, the investigation into the mysterious death continues. Before it is finished people near and dear to Alifair and her family are dealing with some long-buried secrets that seem to be connected to the death.. I love these books. They are so heartwarming and comforting, and depict the era and the setting so well that the Tucker clan soon becomes like members of the reader's family. I listened to this one on audiobook, and I find that a great way to enjoy the folksiness, and the comfort as if visiting old friends. I love down-to-earth Alifair. But don't let her warmhearted personality fool you. She is one smart cookie, and as busy as she is, she will find that killer.… (altro)

Author Donis Casey always spins a great story for her readers, as this novel illustrates. George Washington Tucker, AKA Gee Dub, has returned home from fighting in The Great War. He is home, but his mother, Alafair, knows that something is not quite right with him. She is the only one who realizes this, and she decides to give him some time, until he is perhaps ready to talk. He moves into his old bunkhouse quarters on the homestead, but he is restless. One rainy day, he meets bedraggled young woman on the road. She is looking for her husband who never returned from the war to their home in Maine, and she is traveling to Oklahoma to his parent’s place in the hopes of finding him. Gee Dub and his family help her, but it leads to a whole passel of trouble for Gee Dub. This story is intriguing not only for the mystery that slowly unfolds, but also for the way the author presents PTSD long before it was called that. With sensitivity and understanding, Gee Dub’s problems are finally dealt with. These continuing characters are all interesting, but Alafair is by far the kindest and most thoughtful. The setting in Oklahoma, the very rural aspect, and the time period all add greatly to the enjoyment of this series.… (altro)