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| Pecan grove in midwinter -- no blossoms yet, but (please note) no snow, either. |
A Tough Nut to Kill, by Elizabeth Lee
NY: Berkley Prime Crime, 2014
Paper, $7.99
It’s always a happy day when
a Michigan writer comes out with something new, and our own Elizabeth Buzzelli,
now writing under the name Elizabeth Lee, gives us additional joy this winter
with A Tough Nut to Kill. The
first book in a new series, Tough Nut
spirits away from Up North mountains of snow, sub-zero temperatures, and
treacherous road conditions, taking us into the Southern life of Lindy
Blanchard, third-generation member of a Texas pecan ranching family.
The season is summer. The
temperature is hot! And when Linda
discovers the body of her uncle Amos, lying dead on the floor of her greenhouse
with a plant stake through his chest, surrounded by viciously destroyed trees, the search
for the killer begins!
As readers we can’t help
suspecting just about everyone in sight, and the author doesn’t simplify our
task. Lindy’s brother, Justin, muddies the waters further by insisting that
Amos may be the killer’s second
victim. You see, Justin never accepted his father death three years before as
an accident. Amos made plenty of enemies, but who could have wanted to Jake
dead? Are other family members in danger?
And why would anyone want to
destroy Lindy’s project, research into developing a strain of drought- and
disease-resistant pecan trees to benefit all the ranchers in the region? Church
ladies, wild hogs, competition over who bakes the best pecan pie – you know
you’re somewhere else, and you’re darned glad to be there, chasing down clues
with Linda and her Meemaw, the redoubtable, people-smart Miss Amelia. Great
fun!
Happy Valentine's Day!
2 comments:
Makes me homesick for Alabama, though that was never really my home. We have pecan orchards just like this! :)
All through Elizabeth's book, set in Texas, I was imagining myself in Georgia. I think that's okay, don't you, Dawn? Alabama, Georgia, Texas -- those gracious groves, so lovely and inviting!
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