Tangled Vines by John Glatt

June 16, 2024

Tangled Vines by John Glatt

The Murdaugh family of South Carolina were a celebrated dynasty often compared to the Kennedys. They ruled local politics, society, and the SC legal system for decades. But underneath their glossy exterior lay the truth: they engaged in illegal acts, deliberately bilked their legal clients out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in settlements, and even committed murder. 

At the risk of sounding cold and callous, it's hard to feel sorry for any of the Murdaugh clan. They engaged in so many nefarious acts, cheated and stole from people who trusted them, and used their connections to avoid paying for their crimes, believing they were above the law. They reminded me of the Borgias. Alec was convicted of murdering his wife and son Paul, while older son Buster (what kind of a grown man goes by the name Buster?) was suspected of murdering a gay classmate that he had a liaison with, while Paul (yeah, the one Alec killed) crashed his boat while drunk, killing a friend on board. Paul may also have killed the family's housekeeper. And yet local law enforcement and prosecutors were hesitant to go after any of them. Recommended for fans of true crime and despicable families.

The Murdaughs, a few years before Alec killed Maggie and younger son Paul

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

December 11, 2022

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

Louise and her brother Mark have never gotten along. When their parents are killed in a car accident, they leave a controversial will that gives Mark the house, furnishings, and money, while leaving Louise with her mother's "artwork." After some bickering, they agree to sell the house but first they have to clean out all their mother's junk: dolls, puppets, puppets that look like clowns, paint by number pictures, string art, even a set of stuffed squirrels from when their mother took a taxidermy class. There are strange noises coming from the attic, and the dolls and puppets appear to be moving around. At first, Louise and Mark suspect that the other one is screwing with them (because that's what siblings do). But when a realtor does a preliminary walk-through, she tells them that the house has weird vibes and that they need to do a spiritual cleansing to get rid of the negative energy if they ever want to attract a buyer.

This is a really creepy book that has a cohesive storyline. Horror fans should really enjoy it but they'll probably want to read it in the daytime with the lights on.

(For me, dolls and puppets are in the same category as clowns, monkeys and mimes, when it comes to creepiness. I was creeped out before the actual horror even started. I would have packed it all up in trash bags and driven to Indiana (or maybe Ohio, since Indiana might not be far enough) to get rid of everything.)

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

The television in the novel keeps coming on by itself, and it's always playing the Home Shopping Network selling dolls

The Last Dreamwalker by Rita Woods

August 29, 2022

The Last Dreamwalker by Rita Woods

Layla Hurley and her mother Elinor never got along. From childhood, Layla was plagued by strange and destructive dreams that her mother choses to ignore. After a final argument, Layla and her mother hadn't spoken for' a long time. Then Elinor died suddenly, and Layla regretted never having resolved their conflict. Her mother's two sister (who Elinor was also estranged from) show up at the funeral, bringing Layla an unexpected inheritance, an old rice plantation called Ainsli Green, on an island off the coast of South Carolina. The envelope also contains information about the family "gift," the ability to invade other people's dreams. As Layla looks through the information, she recognized a picture of a woman who is the same one who haunts her dreams. She resists accepting the truth, until one of her brothers also begins experiencing the same type of destructive dreams.

Meh. Needed a good editor (one of my favorite criticisms) since there are a lot of scenes that don't advance the plot or the characters, and the book could have been at least 50 pages shorter. Scenes are repeated sometimes more than once. The narrative flips back and forth between two time periods and two narrators. Layla spends a lot of time wandering around in a fog and vomiting. Too many dreams, too much drama. Might appeal to YA readers.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC.

Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd

February 10, 2021

Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd

At the age of 16, Eliza Lucas' father left her in charge of the family's three South Carolina plantation while he went to pursue his dreams of military glory. As her father drains the family's funds, Eliza realizes that it's up to her to save the family. When she learns how much the French are willing to pay for indigo dye, she decides that growing indigo is the way to salvation. But no planters will share the secrets of growing indigo, so Eliza is forced to find other allies. Her most dangerous alliance is with a slave who is willing to teach her the process in return for Eliza teaching the slaves to read.

I enjoy historical fiction where I learn about something that I didn't know. Indigo Girl is based on historical documents, including Eliza's own letters. Eliza's dye proved much superior to English indigo and indigo dye became one of the South's largest exports and was the foundation for many Southern families' fortunes.