Monday, August 24, 2015

Dark Places: A Red River Mystery - Reavis Z. Wortham

Dark Places: A Red River Mystery
Reavis Z. Wortham
Poisoned Pen, Sep 1 2015, $26.95
ISBN 9781464204241

In 1967 Center Springs, Texas, bored fourteen year old Pepper Parker persuades Cale Westlake to run away with her and join the Flower Children on the road to California.  At the same time her slightly older “twin” cousin Top Parker struggles with being a local misfit.

On a deadly night someone kills two businessmen and a hit and run leaves a farmer dead.  Instead of investigating the three homicides, Constable Ned Parker travels Route 66 to bring home his daughter Pepper and her companion.  Leading the murder inquiries, Sheriff Cody Parker hires Anna Sloan as a deputy to work the cases.  Her honed instincts lead Anna to the killers; but her gut fails to keep her safe from these predators on their Dark Places home turf.

The fifth Red River historical mystery (see The Right Side Of Wrong and Vengeance Is Mine) is a terrific suspense thriller that transports grateful fans to 1967 small-town Texas and Route 66.  The Parker brood has their hands filled between corralling the runaways, and capturing a vehicular homicide killer and the businessmen murderers.  Aptly named Dark Places, this is a superb period piece.


Harriet Klausner

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