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Book Review: Dance On His Grave

Reviewed By: Pat Reid - RAM


[5 stars]

Dance On His Grave     Amazon US TPB Amazon Canada TPB
Sylvia Dickey Smith
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Woman Main Character   Private Investigator
L & L Dreamspell, 2007, 252 pps.

What horrors can a parent force a child to endure that could make that child hate so much that the parent is despised? How can a newly divorced minister’s wife help with tracing years old memories and solve a cold case?

When Sidra Smart arrives in town to settle her brother’s estate, she finds she has inherited his detective agency. Her first client is Jewell Stone. Sid explains that she isn’t a detective and is just in the office of The Third Eye Detective Agency to settle her brother’s affairs. Jewell is not one to take no for an answer and Sid is intrigued by the story Jewell tells of her memories of a woman’s murder that she witnessed as a child.

Sid has no training except that of the wife of a minister, a life she now despises. George Leger the only other detective in town convinces Sid to give herself a chance at making The Third Eye a success. Sid’s Aunt Annie turns up with an announcement that she has moved to town to act as Sid’s receptionist and help Sid run the business.

Sid is dealing with moving out of the parsonage where she has lived so long, finding a new place to live, and trying to reestablish her life. Jewel is trying to deal with all of the memories shared by her sister Emma who is in hiding outside of the country. Sid makes a trip to visit Emma as well as Nancy who is Jewell and Emma’s mother. The more Sid digs into the past the more convinced she is that Roy Manley, Jewell and Emma’s father, is indeed a very cruel man.

When Emma turns her information over to the police Chief Quad Burns is very interested and brings in Ben Hillerman, County Prosecutor. Ben is not only interested in the cold case but is very attracted to Sid as a woman.

Dance On His Grave is full of excitement and suspense. Sid becomes suspicious that her brother’s death may not have been accidental. She also begins to suspect that one of her ex-husband’s parishioner’s is involved in an illegal project and she takes Aunt Annie on a stakeout with her.

Once you finish Dance On His Grave, I don’t think you will want to miss Deadly Sins Deadly Secrets the second book in the Sidra Smart series.

Pat Reid - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Pat Reid - RAM

Please Note: Books reviewed are usually provided by the publisher, author, or an agent. Reviewers usually get to keep the book.

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