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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Mystery, Rich in Historical Detail, January 17, 2009
No other mystery author brings the American past to life for me as Donis Casey does. Her new book, The Sky Took Him, is the fourth in the fascinating Alafair Tucker series. Her books are always intriguing, and this one is particularly complicated, but it's what she does with everyday life in Oklahoma in the early twentieth century that continues to draw me back. When the story opens, Alafair and two of her daughters, her oldest, Martha, and her youngest, Grace, are on the train to Enid, Oklahoma. Alafair's younger sister, Ruth Ann, asked her to come because Ruth Ann's husband, Lester, is dying. When they arrive, they find that Lester is as bad off as everyone said, but there are other family problems. Ruth Ann's son-in-law, Kenneth, has disappeared on a business trip just when his wife, Olivia, and the family, need him the most. Ruth Ann and Olivia are confident he'll be back shortly, but the longer Alafair stays, the more she learns about Kenneth's business problems, and his dealings with a ruthless man in town, the more concerned she grows. And, she and little Grace seem to share some troubling dreams. As usual, Casey provides mystery readers with a complicated story. But, she also tells the story of life in the early twentieth century. Martha is a modern working woman, proud of her job, and unwilling to give it up for marriage. Casey tells of the changing role of women, the Oklahoma oil fields, and, in this book, the story of the run for land in Oklahoma. It's hard to believe that at the time of the book, 1915, Enid was just celebrating twenty-two years as a city with a Founder's Day Jubilee. The Sky Took Him has mystery, a little romance, history, recipes, and Founder's Day. The book contains fine details of daily life, and family life, in 1915, as well as the foreshadowing of war. It's hard to believe it's just two weeks in Alafair Tucker's life because The Sky Took Him is so rich in detail. Donis Casey continues to grow as an author of fascinating historical mysteries.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent Oklahoma historical amateur sleuth, January 10, 2009
In 1915 her sister Ruth Ann Yeager informs Alafair Tucker that her husband Lester is dying. To pay her respects to Lester and be there for her sibling, Alafair accompanied by her two daughters Martha and three years old Grace takes the train from Muskogee to Enid, Oklahoma. Upon arrival in Enid, instead of being there for her already grieving sister while Martha watches Grace, Alafair who learned from the letter she received re Lester's pending death that her niece Olivia's foolish husband, Kenneth vanished even as local ruthless businessman Buck Collins is looking for him. Apparently foolish Kenneth had a deal with Buck that failed to pan out; most locals assume Buck took care of business his way, but Alafair thinks otherwise and with her oldest daughter assisting her begins to investigate the disappearance of her niece's moronic husband The latest Oklahoma historical amateur sleuth story (see THE DROP EDGE OF YONDER, HORNSWOGGLED and THE OLD BUZZARD HAD IT COMING) is a fabulous entry in one of the best continuing WWI era sagas. The story line as always gives the audience a sense of place and time as for instance the events in Serbia last year seem so removed from the current events in Oklahoma. The mystery of the vanishing in-law is filled with twists that stun the mother and daughter detectives as the links go back to the last decade of the previous century. Fans will fully appreciate this strong story while thinking the sooner Donis Casey writes her next Tucker tale the better. Harriet Klausner
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A Fascinating Mystery, July 17, 2011
Ms Casey has woven another fascinating mystery story, entwined with the history of twentieth-century, Oklahoma. The author touches on the changing role of women in America's pre-war period. Casey's ability to tell a compelling, believable tale of a simple farm family and wrap it around historical facts, is nothing short of brilliant. It is September of 1915 and Alafair Tucker along with two of her daughters, Martha, the eldest and three-year-old Grace, are on a train heading for Enid, Oklahoma. Alafair's long ailing, brother-in-law is dying and her sister, Ruth Ann has requested her presence. Ruth Ann's son-in-law, Kenneth seems to have taken a business trip just when he is needed most, Leaving his wife, Olivia to handle her family's business. After their arrival in Enid, Alafair realizes there's a lot about Kenneth and his business dealings that just don't add up. When Kenneth doesn't return and Olivia has had no word from him, Alafair and Martha begin to investigate. Casey introduces many characters, lots of twists and turns, romance, a touch of the paranormal, and of course... mystery. The Sky Took Him is a superb addition to The Alafair Tucker series. The Sky Took Him (Alafair Tucker Mysteries (Hardcover))
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