Cynthia A. Graham

I did not realize that this book was the third in a series. Truth be told I did not know this until after I had finished the book - that shows you just how well it stands alone. I do remember thinking while reading it that I'd like to read more books featuring the protagonist so maybe my subconscious knew? I suppose that also lets you know that I really enjoyed the book.

Perhaps enjoyed is the wrong word. It's always hard with books that tackle difficult topics to call the reading experience enjoyment. It was definitely thought provoking and the issues brought up involving race are certainly still, to some degree under discussion today. Despite the whole Civil Rights Act and our supposed enlightenment people of color are still being treated as second class citizens.

But off of my soapbox and back to the book. Ms. Graham has a deceptively simple writing style - it is brilliant in its simplicity. She provides only the words that are needed without any flowery extras. Often a mood in a book is ruined when an author tries too hard - that doesn't happen here. The perfect atmosphere is there for whatever is happening whether the hero is trying to let his wife know he loves her but just doesn't have the words or the young black boy unjustly imprisoned just goes with the flow.

What you are reading is a tale of good versus evil in the form of two men - sheriffs from neighboring towns. Evil comes in the form of Sheriff Brewster, a man who controls his town by intimidation and blackmail. Good is the hero, Hick Blackburn, a family man returned from the war with memories he can't shake. They have tangled before and Hick knows the lengths Brewster will go to in order to protect his fiefdom.

The hows and the whys of Brewster's need and obsession to pin the hit and run on the young black boy are the drivers of the plot. Hick is determined to prove that the young boy is not the killer but forces are against him as Brewster riles up the town against anyone who is not white. It all comes to a head with a visit of a gubernatorial candidate. Will Brewster be able to prove the young boy's innocence before a mob decides to provide some "local" justice?

I read this book on a car ride and I hardly felt time passing. The writing kept me engaged and the characters were unique and the kind you might want to meet - except for Sheriff Brewster of course. As I noted above I am very much looking forward to the next installment in the series. Ms. Graham is going to be another on the very small list of authors I will read even though they write murder mystery type novels.… (altro)

When there’s really bad news in a county, people have different ideas of what should be done. The remains of an infant were discovered by two twelve-year-old boys in a slough in post-WWII Cherokee Crossing, Arkansas. Horrifying! As Hick Blackburn, the local sheriff begins to investigate, he’s told by the coroner, Jake Prescott, that it appeared to be a homicide as opposed to a stillborn infant. All they know for sure about the ID of the infant was that she was a girl. Hick knows he has to investigate but he begins wondering what will be solved by finding the girl … the mother. He’s of the opinion that the baby should be allowed to ‘rest in peace.’ He tells Jake, “…if there is someone out there who didn’t want the child … some woman who was in a bind … what good will come out of locking her up?”

The beginning of this was startling and unsettling. Once you begin reading, there’s little chance of getting anything else done until you flesh it out and find out more. I loved the author’s proficiency with presenting very realistic dialect the characters would have spoken. Even though the novel centers on such injustice, readers feel drawn to the place and time. Having served in WWII, Hick was an interesting but broken character. I felt a connection and sympathy for him even though I disagreed with him. I love mystery and historical fiction and this novel fits the bill on both accounts. Rating: 4.5 out of 5.… (altro)

When the badly decomposed and headless body of a baby is found in the swamp, Sheriff Blackburn is, at first, reluctant to investigate. He suspects the perpetrator was probably a frightened teen and no good will be served by finding them. Since returning from duty in WWII, Hick has been trying to leave his past behind including giving up the woman he loves. And this baby has brought back memories of those days, memories he has been trying very hard to forget.

But it becomes clear that he must find justice for this baby and, as he digs deeper into the crime, he begins to realize that he must confront not only his own past but the secrets lurking just under the surface of this small southern town.

Beneath Still Waters by author Cynthia A Graham is much more than a simple murder mystery. It a beautifully drawn portrait of a post-war southern town as well as the stress returning soldiers experienced as they tried to reintegrate into civilian life after the trauma of combat. The characters are well-drawn and complex and, for the most part, very sympathetic. Graham makes you care about them, to feel you know them or want to and you care about the outcome, not only of the murder but of many of the other people in this small town who have been touched by it if only peripherally. This is a story about secrets and deceits, yes, but also about love and healing and community and it keeps the reader engaged from the first sentence to the last.… (altro)