Customer Reviews

Murder by Serpents (Five Star First Edition Mystery)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
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A word of comfort to anyone freaked out by snakes: if you've made it this far, you can read and enjoy this book!

This novel has plenty of twists and turns and it kept me guessing. The main story line flows well and there are quirky and funny sub-plots that really round it out. Graham has included pattern clues for a mystery quilt as an added bonus for quilters.

When I finished this mystery, I wanted more. I hope Graham will come out with subsequent books about Tony, a sheriff in fictional Silersville TN; and his wife Theo, an avid quilter. The characters are extremely well drawn and developed, giving this reader crystal clear mental images of all the players. The 'bad guys' are especially despicable or repugnant, yet the author shows this without going into descriptions or language that itself might be offensive - she strikes the perfect balance; at the same time she avoids slipping into stereotypes. The book also provides a distinct sense of place, as Graham's descriptions of the Smoky Mountains area rings true.

Sheriff Tony Abernathy left the big city to move to the small Eastern Tennessee town of Silervsille in Park County; a place where serious crime just never takes place. That is until now. Tony is called to the parking lot of Ruby's Café where he finds the bloated body of a man handcuffed to the steering wheel with a rattlesnake and a copperhead loose inside the vehicle. A driver's license identifies the victim as John Mize, who is a shirttail relation to local Quentin Mize, a part-time resident of Tony's jail.

The victim turns out not to be a choir boy having a record as long as the nearby mountains. John also preached at an abandoned motel; insisting he found Jesus in prison. He used snakes to affirm his faith in the Lord. However, Tony finds the cages contain false bottoms filled with Oxycontin and plenty of money. He also believes that the deceased is really Harold Usher Brown, John's cellmate in prison, who had a connection with Ruby; now that he is dead she believes she will never know the location of what he took from her. This not the only homicide Tony investigates; body parts have been all over town making identification extremely difficult. Tony knows the eccentric townsfolk break the law all the time, but their crimes are so minor law enforcement doesn't even blink, just ignores them for the most part. However, someone has turned to MURDER BY SERPENT and more but who remains a mystery.

Anyone who enjoys reading a different kind of police procedural will appreciate this fine regional murder mystery filled with quirky characters like a man in love with a vending machine and the mom and aunt of the protagonist driving him crazy with their secrets. The cast makes MURDER BY SERPENT entertaining besides those already mentioned; there is the hero's wife ready to help him because she worries about him getting hurt; her quilters ready to stitch the clues together at her command, and the deputy who compromises crime scenes by puking. Barbara Graham provides an entertaining Tennessee tale with one question not answered - any ties to Johnny "the Big Cat" Mize?

Harriet Klausner

Barbara Graham's Murder by Serpents starts with a riveting scene, one that makes the reader both horrified and fascinated. As the story goes on, we meet colorful small town characters who each have a story. Those of us who live in small towns can certainly relate to that!

The murder and other crimes that are the book's focus are believable and well-crafted, so we are drawn through the clues along with Tony and Theo and subject to the same diversions and red herrings. It all comes together well in the end, and another riveting scene made my skin crawl at the prospect of facing what Tony faced.

To add to the well-crafted mystery and the intriguing characters, Ms Graham has a fine turn of phrase, so the novel rises above others of its type (cozy/crafting mysteries). She often captures a character or a nuance of feeling with a few well-chosen words so the reader knows exactly what she means.

I recommend this book not only for quilters, but for anyone who likes small-town murder mysteries. I am waiting anxiously for Book #2, which I hear is due soon, also from Five Star.

This book reminds me of "Fried Green Tomatoes" coupled with a side order of murder.

The author, a quilting enthusiast, has populated her mythical, evocatively-described Tennessee town of Silersville with a crazy quilt of well-drawn, quirky characters.

As the title implies, there has been a venomous and lethal attack by snakes unleashed on the victim. This sparks a sleuthing effort by the genial, long-suffering, Tum-popping sheriff who, along with his quilting impresario wife, inhabit an island of normalcy in a town of slightly off-kilter but likable folks. And, much like a quilting bee, it seems that each one of them has a scrap of information to contribute that may or may not lead to the perpetrator.

I enjoyed the book immensely and look forward to a return visit to Silersville.

Great book! Barbara is going to sign a copy and donate it for the MS Quilt Show and fundraiser in May. I think it will be a popular item!