Book Review: Hornswoggled

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Hornswoggled     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Donis Casey
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Historical   Woman Main Character   Amateur Sleuth
Series: Alafair Tucker # 2
Poisoned Pen, Sep 2006, $24.95

In 1913 Boynton, Oklahoma mother of eleven Alafair Tucker finds she is very concerned about Alice, one of her adult children. Alice wants barber widower Walter Kelley, a handsome man whom the woman adore. Alafair mistrusts the man because she believes he would not remain faithful to one woman as he seems to enjoy the female adulation.

However Alice refuses to change her mind insisting that the love of a good woman, her, will keep Walter from straying. To keep her mind off of Alice’s obsession, Alafair investigates the cold case homicide of Walter’s wife, Louise. Her body was found floating in a creek near the Tucker farm eight months ago.

HORNSWOGGLED is a fabulous early twentieth century Okalahoma historical amateur sleuth story that grips the audience from the start with its insight into time and place. The dialect used by the Tucker brood and their neighbors augments the strength of the plot by adding depth to the cast and the feel for the era. The whodunit investigation is fun, but the tale is more a period piece than a mystery as the investigation augments the period and locale. Fans will appreciate going down home to an Oklahoma less than a decade as a state escorted by delightful tour guide Alafair Tucker.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner