Saturday, August 20, 2011

Stolen Hearts-Jane Tesh

Stolen Hearts
Jane Tesh
Poisoned Pen, Oct 4 2011, $24.95
ISBN 9781590589373

In Parkland, North Carolina, the death of his beloved daughter in a car accident has left twice divorced David Randall in a permanent state of grief. He quits his job at a detective agency to open his own private investigative practice. His office and home is his car until his best friend Camden takes him into his boarding house.

Melanie Gentry hires Randall to prove that her great-grandmother Laura was the only composer of the classic Appalachian folksong collection the Patchwork Melodies. His client believes John Ashford is not Laura’s music partner but a thief and killer who murdered her late talenteds ancestor who drowned. Now PBS is filming a documentary on early American folk music and Melanie wants him exposed. Randall finds death and theft as he makes inquiries. Someone is murdering people to conceal something. As he wonders if Melanie hides information from him, Randall turns for help to Camden the psychic and his alleged murderous spirit who demands the sleuth proves his innocence of a homicide six decades cold.

This is an engaging paranormal regional mystery with an intriguing full circle karma twist. David is a complicated individual who is at his best on the case or in his grief’ when he falls in love with another boarder he seems fickle and out of character. Still readers will enjoy Stolen Hearts while singing “Oh! Susanna”.

Harriet Klausner

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