Customer Reviews

Sick of Shadows (Severn House Historical Romance Series)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While lying in bed last weekend, moaning under the weight of a killer headache, I tossed aside the book I had been reading because it required too much concentration. The constant brow-furrowing and synapse-firing was exacerbating my mal-du-tete, so I sought something lighter. Something funny. Something that wouldn't hurt my enfeebled head.

I found it in Sharyn McCrumb's "Sick of Shadows", a novel of characters in which the mystery is incidental. Each character is original, fun and lively, with quirks that may have seemed quirkier years ago when this book was written, but now seem as normal as any American family. The main character is Elizabeth McPherson, recent college graduate, who goes on to figure in many more of McCrumb's novels (McCrumb seems to have fallen in love with her Appalachian cycle, so Ms. McPherson's fate is uncertain, at best).

Her mad cousin, Eileen, is about to be married and has invited Elizabeth to be a bridesmaid. Cousin Geoffrey is a Shakespeare-spouting layabout, Cousin Alban is a history buff who built a castle on his property and Charles is a hippie physicist. McCrumb gives Elizabeth a wry matter-of-fact delivery that occasionally made me laugh out loud, and her favorite device is revealing her impressions of the family in frequent letters to her brother, Bill, who is unable to attend the wedding. The murder, when it finally happens, is shocking and sad, yet McCrumb doesn't allow it to weigh the book down with sorrow.

All in all, "Sick of Shadows" was just what I needed to get me through a miserable day. Of course, I was cheating, as I had read it years ago and was only now rereading it, so I knew it would be perfect, but that shouldn't steer you away from this book or the series. I plan to reread them all.

Having read most of the Ballad series and a couple of later MacPherson's, I finally found a copy of McCrumb's first book, Sick of Shadows. While it lacks the polish and originality of her later efforts, I found it an enjoyable read.

Elizabeth is a new college graduate, clueless as to her future. She's drafted to be the bridesmaid for her cousin who attended a mental hospital for her "finishing school." Much of the book is devoted to the eccentricities of the Chandler family - a cousin who lives at the physicist's commune, an overbearing aunt and the cousin who built his home in the style of Neuswanstein (spelling?) - the Disneyland castle. It takes half the book for the murder to occur. The local cops are terrific characters. The solution is a bit improbable but I still enjoyed to book overall.

I was disappointed in this, the first Elizabeth MacPherson book, having found McCrumb's Bimbos and Zombies books so delightful. Perhaps she was feeling her way around a new protagonist with a less broad style. In any case, I found the plot far-fetched, what with Alban's "castle" in the middle of nowhere. Eccentric is one thing, but this I found beyond credibility. I'm wary of investing more time in the McPherson mysteries, and will probably stick to McCrumb's masterful Appallachian novels, in which the writing is simply superb.

Eileen Chandler is getting married and Elizabeth MacPherson is the family representative at the occasion. A recent college graduate, Elizabeth has agreed to be a bridesmaid for her cousin even though they haven't seen each other in years. When Elizabeth arrives early, she finds the family propensity for eccentricity hasn't slowed down a bit. But reconnecting with family takes a dangerous turn when a body is discovered. When the death is ruled murder, no one in the house is above suspicion.

I'd heard good things about Sharyn's books, so picked this up with much anticipation. I was very disappointed in it, however. This is really more a cultural farce then a mystery, but not being from the South, I didn't get it. The mystery proceeds through fits and starts, with very little several pieces being left dangling at the end. And the characters were too over the top to be believable.

I've heard that this author's books improve as she progresses, so I might give her another try in the future. But, based on this book, I'm not going to rush out to do so.

I started the Elizabeth books in the middle and had to find all of them as I went. I had read all of them in topsy-turvey order, so knew who the killer really was. You know the author is incrediable if she can keep you glued to the pages without eating or sleeping even when you know who the killer is. With a huge inheritence in the balance, anyone could have been the killer. I finished the whole novel in just 3 hours. I highly recommend it to any fan of the mystery genre!!!

Well, I just love everything Sharon McCrumb has written. "Sick of Shadows" is one of the Elizabeth McPherson books. Elizabeth gets involved in murders everywhere she turns-- my life is so boring! I've read all of these she's written except "Windsor Knot"-- which I can't find. Her other books are located in upper-east Tennessee. As a Georgia girl living in Kansas I love reading about places and folklore I'm familiar with. The other stories are kinda ghosty. Read 'em you'll love 'em

I found this book enyoyable until I guessed who did it fairly early on. I liked the character who narrated the story and would try another book by this author.

The Sharon McCrumb series is hailed as Elizabeth McPherson series and that is a severe misnomer. The character named here is not always the main character in the series and is actually never right in her deductions until book eight If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him. Saying that, I still recommend the series as enjoyable reads. Her male characters in fact usually have the best lines. I love cousin Geofrey, brother Bill is not bad and in a couple of the books is more the main character than Elizabeth. The books are often good historical novels and hopefully you enjoy British,Scottish and Confederacy trivia for it abounds. It does not distract much from the mysteries and often aids it. I have not gotten the last one written The PMS Outlaws in part due to the poor reviews and in part because the death of Cameron was depressing even for me. He was not such a major influence or deterrent in the stories that his demise was necessary and I feel it has overshadowed what little there was of Elizabeth in the stories to begin with. Still books 1- 8 were enjoyable cozy mysteries. And if you are a reader looking for Temperance Brennan stop now, this southern woman is not even close.

I started the series with Highland Laddie Gone. "Sick of Shadows" answers a lot of questions about relationships between Elizabeth, Aunt Amanda, Cousin Geoffrey and Cousin Charles. The letters between Elizabeth and her brother, Bill, are really funny and set the tone for the entire series. I highly recommend reading this book if you've read any of the others in the series, and if this is your first one, go ahead and read Highland Laddie Gone. By the time you finish that one, you should be hooked! Although these are all technically mystery novels, I enjoyed the character development and travelog-type descriptions of locations in this series.

I read this back when it was new -- and so was I -- and loved it. Re-reading it recently left me a bit nostalgic for some of the cleverer books about Elizabeth MacPherson, and I will have to get back on that journey as they are released on Kindle. Still, this is a pleasant enough book which draws amazing word pictures to describe a very peculiar setting in the modern south. Elizabeth and her brother are compelling characters, and the rest of the wacky family are -- well, no spoilers! A light, easy and fun read, and the must-read intro into the other MacPherson tales.