A killing at Cotton Hill : a Samuel Craddock mystery

Format:

Book

Title:

A killing at Cotton Hill : a Samuel Craddock mystery

Author:

Shames, Terry.

ISBN:

9781616147990

Publication:

Amherst, New York : Seventh Street Books, an imprint of Prometheus Books, 2013.

Physical Description:

235 pages ; 21 cm

Series title(s):

Samuel Craddock mystery.

Summary:

"The chief of police of Jarrett Creek, Texas, doubles as the town drunk. So when Dora Lee Parjeter is murdered, her old friend and former police chief Samuel Craddock steps in. He discovers that a lot of people had it in for Dora Lee. Will Craddock have what it takes to find the killer?"-- Provided by publisher.

Subject(s):

Ex-police officers -- Fiction.

Women -- Crimes against -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

Genre:

Detective and mystery fiction

Fiction

Detective and mystery stories.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Stayton Public Library	M SHAMES	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Salem Main Library	MYSTERY Shames, T.	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Silver Falls Library	MYS SHAMES	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

In this award-winning debut mystery novel, the chief of police of a small town is also an unreliable drunk. So when Dora Lee Parjeter is murdered, her old friend and former police chief Samuel Craddock steps in to investigate. He discovers that a lot of people may have had it in for Dora Lee - the conniving rascals on the farm next door, her estranged daughter, and her live-in grandson. And then there's that stranger Dora Lee claimed was spying on her. As Craddock digs to find the identity of the killer, the human foibles of Jarrett Creek's residents - their pettiness and generosity, their secret vices and true virtues - are also revealed.

Author Notes

Terry Shames is the author of the Samuel Craddock series and the coeditor of Fire in the Hills, a book of stories, poems, and photographs about the 1991 Oakland Hills Fire.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Shames's promising debut, the first in a series, introduces retired police chief Samuel Craddock of Jarrett Creek, Tex., a strong-minded, fairly able-bodied, and firmly decent man in his 60s. After the fatal stabbing of widow Dora Lee Parjeter, Samuel feels compelled to solve her murder, having told her not to be too concerned about someone lurking around her ranch house. When the drunken fool who's the current police chief decides to pin the crime on Dora Lee's prickly but artistically gifted grandson, Greg, Samuel identifies other suspects, including a land-greedy neighbor, an envious art teacher, the victim's slick nephew, and her seductive daughter. Real estate shenanigans, arson, and art theft further complicate the case. Readers will want to see more of the likable main character, who compassionately but relentlessly sifts the evidence. Convincing smalltown atmosphere and a vivid supporting cast are a plus. Agent: Gail Fortune, Talbot Fortune Agency. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

Dora Lee Parjeter has been murdered. The night before the crime, retired police chief Samuel Craddock received a call from Dora Lee, who was sure someone was watching her. Craddock calmed her down, but she was right. That's one reason he heads to the Parjeter place as soon as he hears the bad news. The other is that the current police chief, Rodell, doubles as the town drunk. Craddock knows Rodell will take the easy way out, and, sure enough, he's decided to pin the murder on Dora Lee's grandson Greg, a gentle young artist who lives in a small outbuilding behind the main house. Craddock, with time on his hands and a sense of justice in his heart, mounts his own investigation. Craddock notices a painting is missing from Dora Lee's living room. Another factor possibly at play concerns a Houston development company's interest in building a racetrack in the area. The small-town southern mystery is becoming a genre all its own, with Shames capably joining Bill Crider and Steven Havill in chronicling the mayhem and hidden agendas in the region. A solid debut thriller.--Lukowsky, Wes Copyright 2010 Booklist