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5.0 out of 5 stars
an easy, smooth read., October 24, 2006
eviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (10/06)
Marshall's Bayou Police Chief, Dassas Cormier, travels to Lake Charles to help his sister, Coralee, and her friend Colonel Jedidiah Gilmore. Gilmore is a renowned writer that spins tales that are most believable. He also is the only witness to a bank robbery and a murder.
During Gilmore's short stay in Marshall's Bayou, Dassas encounters mysterious happenings that seem to reflect around Gilmore. In the meantime Dassas also spends quality time with his family and deals with local issues. Dassas is well liked and respected in the community.
Colonel Gilmore, on the other hand, creates a following with his tales. The tales are of Gilmore's experiences, many being life or death encounters, and capture the attention of his listeners. Because of Gilmore's tales, Dassas questions in his mind whether or not the testimony is correct.
As the days went by, Dassas was convinced that Gilmore's account of the robbery was not correct; he decided to go to Lake Charles to do some research. As suspicions arise within some of the people Dassas spoke to, he encounters challenges. With determination to prove his suspicions of how the robbery really came down he proceeds to set up the suspect.
By the end of the story, Dassas's suspicions are founded and the real instigator of the bank robbery is apprehended. The question is: Who was the instigator? Was it the Colonel or was it Walters, a suspicious man that appeared in Marshall's Bayou?
"The Colonel's Tale" is an easy, smooth read. For anyone that likes to read a clean, historical mystery, this is the book for them. Baker created a plot that is easy to follow, yet intertwines the mystery that keeps you flipping pages wondering what will happen next.
Book received free of charge.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Cozy indeed in "The Colonel's Tale" by S. H. Baker, October 1, 2006
It is November 18, 1924 in Marshall's Bayou, Louisiana as this latest installment in the Dassas Cormier series opens. Being police chief if the absolute last thing on Cormier's mind. Thanksgiving is foremost in his thoughts and he is really looking forward to his first one since coming back home. He has strong positive Thanksgiving memories and is looking forward to another happy one. The problem is that sibling issues of childhood are never solved and rear up in unexpected ways in adulthood.
For Cormier, he loves his baby sister and really feels his love most when she is far away at her home in North Dakota with her husband Manny Johnson. Word comes via the mailboat that, according to Coralee, there has been a tragic accident and both her and her traveling companion will be delayed in Lake Charles for a few days. Long on drama but very short on specifics, it falls to Cormier on behalf of the family to journey to Lake Charles and find out what happened.
Not that Cormier really wants to go and deal with whatever baby sister is involved in this time, but he is bored out of his mind and he suspects that since the note was addressed to him specifically he is wanted for a reason. Leaving the rest of the family behind, Cormier sets out on the journey. On his arrival in Lake Charles, he finds Coralee is physically fine but her traveling companion Jedidah Gilmore is injured. Not only is he a famous newspaper writer of numerous accounts of his adventurous exploits around the world, he is a witness to a recent crime as well as crime victim himself. More is going on than it appears on the surface and before long Cormier is forced to work the cases as his own to help Gilmore as well as protect his own family.
At 152 pages this novel is a quick cozy style read full of atmosphere and setting. The characters are interesting as is the time period covered because the author is able in a quick span of pages to bring the novel to life. Author S. H. Baker moves readers into a world that one does not want to so quickly leave. For seasoned mystery readers, the case is fairly obvious. Even so, the read itself works well on all levels and provides an excellent way to pass the time.
Kevin R. Tipple (copyright) 2006
(way over 13)
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4.0 out of 5 stars
The Boy Who Cried Wolf, September 25, 2006
Colonel Jedidiah Gilmore was a journalist and a storyteller. When his 1924 trip to Marshall's Bayou, Louisiana was interrupted by a bank robbery and subsequent attack, Police Chief Dassas Cormier thought his story was a little farfetched. However, subsequent prowlers and attacks in Cormier's own backyard made him take a second look at the Colonel's story.
This is a warm mystery about family, trust, and listening. Dassas loves his brother, his younger sister, and their families, and the story of their relationships is an important part of the book. The bank robbers may be obvious to Dallas, but the mystery is only a slight part of the story. The emphasis in this enjoyable story is on family and its importance.
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