Customer Reviews

Bryson City Secrets: Even More Tales of a Small-Town Doctor in the Smoky Mountains

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This is the third book of a trilogy by Dr. Walt Larimore who writes about his memories as a young husband, father, and doctor in the small town of Bryson City in the beautiful Smoky Mountains. As in the first two books, this one contains a lot of self-deprecating humor, such as when Dr. Larimore is coerced into being a bridesmaid in a "womanless wedding", a local fundraiser. There are humorous moments when Walt is called on to be a vet rather than a doctor, touching times of treating a blind man and his seeing-eye dog, and amazing incidents such as the first birth of triplets in the county. At the end, the story turns darker and the Larimores are faced with a difficult decision which they make through prayer and good advice from friends. This book and the other ones in the series are highly recommended reading.

If you've followed the story of Dr. Walt Larimore's medical practice in the Smoky Mountains from BRYSON CITY TALES to BRYSON CITY SEASONS, you won't want to miss BRYSON CITY SECRETS. This latest installment continues Larimore's enjoyable stories of small-town rural medical practice, and explains why he and his family mysteriously left the small town they loved to move to another state.

In BRYSON CITY SEASONS, we left the Larimore family as they made the decision to leave the Smoky Mountains for a practice in Florida. Here, Larimore sets up his book well by leading off with a phone call from his 24-year-old daughter Kate, who has remembered a terrible incident from her past and wants to be reassured it was just a bad dream. There is just enough information for the reader to guess at what happened --- and what will be revealed in the coming chapters --- without giving it away until the end of the book. This keeps the pages turning, as the book opens with some of the usual Bryson tales.

And they are vintage Larimore: earthy, nostalgic, and often funny. The first three chapters find the doctor called to a murder scene, where a woman is suspected of brutally killing her husband with a butcher knife. Larimore, however, has his doubts when he examines the corpse and then the woman, who is hospitalized and unable to communicate. As the short story comes to its conclusion, he reflects on the darkness of all human hearts and the forgiveness available to everyone through Christ.

He's not Pollyannaish, however, but honest. "Frankly, even though I had prayed for the handyman the night of the crime, part of me didn't want to accept the premise that the Creator of the universe would and could love a murderer as much as he would love anyone else. Why wouldn't God want this man to suffer for the suffering he had inflicted and the life he had taken? Isn't there a certain amount of evil that cannot be forgiven -- that should not be forgiven?" This is a nice foreshadowing of the bigger event to come --- one that will challenge Larimore to forgive beyond what he may find possible.

There's plenty going on in Bryson City besides the occasional murder. Seven-year-old Tommy Shoap shows up in the emergency room near death, but his parents are reluctant to have much medical treatment given. They rely on herbal medicine and backwoods remedies, and don't put much stock in modern doctoring. Blind Dan McGill makes an appointment to see the doctor, but it turns out it's for his guide dog Samson, a golden retriever. He's hoping Larimore will give his pooch a checkup.

One thing that's enjoyable about the series is that Larimore is not afraid to be specific about some of the personal aspects of his cases. One humorous chapter deals with an 18-year-old who is married, pregnant and has a yeast infection. She tells him that she usually treats it with a backwoods remedy, yogurt douches, which work perfectly. However, when Larimore suggests the remedy to another female patient, she uses strawberry yogurt instead of plain yogurt, with interesting results. "One of the reasons they call my profession 'the practice of medicine' is that a doctor's education never ends," writes Larimore.

Although, as Larimore says, "death, despair, and disappointment are the unwelcome callers that come with every physician's battle with disorder and disease," what differentiates this book from his previous installments in the series is the dark backdrop of occult activity going on around Bryson City. The reader will feel the tension unfolding throughout the book right up until the climax, where we discover the "secret" that led Larimore to leave his practice. Readers may have differing opinions about how the difficult situation upon which the story turns was handled, but there's no doubt that Larimore is engagingly vulnerable about sharing what happened to his family with his readers. His willingness to share his family's "secret" may help some readers be more open about their own past "secrets" and find healing.

Just as in the previous books, the stories Larimore spins usually have a devotional-style ending, where a spiritual point is made. The way he sets up his chapters (usually each with its own short story, sometimes spread across a few short readings) makes this book easy to pick up and read short bits at a time. If you haven't read the first two Bryson City books, it's best to do so in order. You'll want to read all three.


--- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby. Contact Cindy at phrelanzer@aol.com.

"As I stood to go inside, a loud clap of thunder boomed across Bryson City. I looked over my shoulder. A storm was moving toward me faster than I could have imagined." With that bit of foreshadowing, so ends Bryson City Seasons, the second book in Walt Larimore's Bryson City trilogy. When Bryson City Secrets, the final book in the series, begins, that storm has long since passed, but a tearful, long distance phone call and a heartbreaking, if mysterious (to the reader) question from Kate, Larimore's now grown daughter, hints at the damage it left behind.

"`Can you have nightmares during the day?' Kate asks her dad. `Yes, I thought to myself, you can have a nightmare during the day. And another one had just begun for the Larimores.'" Coming at the end of the prologue, those ominous words, along with the title itself, presage the horror to come and establish the book's disquieting tone.

As did the previous two books, this one includes humorous stories, like those about the womanless wedding Larimore was coerced into participating in and the moonshiner and the "T-man" who end up as buddies in the same nursing home. But interspersed with these are more sinister ones about a handyman brutally murdering his employer; satanic rituals going on in the forest; a young, pregnant, woman giving birth while under demonic attack; and a little boy dying of cancer who talks to angels. As the book reaches its climax, it's clear that the serpent still lurks even in the idyllic, Eden-like setting of Bryson City, North Carolina.

But despite its dark undertones, the principle theme of Bryson City Secrets is a positive one, illustrating the truth of Romans 8:28, "that all things work together for good to them that love God." As Bryson City Secrets draws to a close and readers discover what the Larimores' "nightmare" is all about, they'll be confronted with the knowledge that no place is safe from the danger and evil that plague our world. At the same time, they'll be comforted with the knowledge that wherever danger and evil abide, so, too, do God's presence and His love. - Linda Whitlock, Christian Book Previews.com

This is a delightful mixture of tales by a young doctor living in the south. I love this family. Some stories are funny, some are almost frightening. The overall theme of the book is that of survival. I enjoyed it a lot!

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I had previously read the first 2 books of Dr. Larimore, Bryson City Tales and Bryson City Seasons, and I enjoyed this book.

I have read all of his books and they were most enjoyable. I have visited in that area many times and feel I knew places he was talking about. I also have enjoyed Deep Creek with my family. He is an excellent writer. I couldn't put the book down, couldn't wait to see what would happen next. Many sad things took place, but ended with a good satisfying ending, knowing all those involved would come through in being honest.

I did not enjoy this book as much as the first two that Dr. Larimore wrote, possibly because much of it was material from the first two books. His insight as a Christian is wonderful though, and his response to problems faced by us all was uplifting and insightful. The book just seemed to be somewhat of a let down with regard to the story line.

I have been a long time fan of Dr. Larimore's books. The Bryson City books are very well written, informative, fun, sad; real life! It makes one feel like they are right there with the Larimore family and the characters are so life-like that we feel like we actually know them. The part of each book that I enjoy the most is the Spiritual aspect that is so much a part of Dr. Larimore and his calling to be a Doctor. He is very open about the huge part in his skills, patient relationships and healing the Holy Spirit is involved in. I hope that this won't be the last in this series of books, I look forward to getting to know this area, people and his wonderful family even better!

Great book. Read all 3 Bryson City Tales in the series for more enjoyment. If you have ever been to the Smoky Mountains or to Bryson City you will be able to relate to the different personalities.

Even as I was waiting to receive the final book in the Bryson City triology, I was anticipating more exciting adventures told by the multitalented Dr. Larimore. Book three opens with a mystery surrounding his daughter Kate, now grown and starting a successful career in speechwriting. Kate has defied the odds and by God's grace she is a walking, talking miracle. But there is a piece of her life that remains hidden to the reader as Bryson City Secrets opens. From then on, the reader is carried along through Dr. Larimore's experiences in his medical practice and family life much the same way as in the first two volumes. Bryson City Tales: Stories of a Doctor's First Year of Practice in the Smoky Mountains, Bryson City Seasons. Yet, the back story is always emerging. Finally, the mystery is revealed, as well as the fact that the time has come for change in the Larimore family.
Bryson City Secrets leaves its readers wanting more, praising God for the miracles in the lives of those we've met in Bryson City and, of course, wishing only the best future for the Larimore family.
Bravo to Walt Larimore, MD for such inspirational, humorous and spiritual writing that encourages all who read to never give up.