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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cemetery Silk to die for, January 31, 2002
Cemetery Silk is the first novel in E. Joan Sims delightful new series featuring Paisley Sterling, an author of children's books (the Bartholomew, the Blue-Eyed Cricket series), her college-student daughter Cassie and her genteel mother Anna.When William, the husband of Anna's late cousin Abigail dies, Paisley, and Cassie return home to Kentucky to attend the funeral. Anticipating no more than her grandmother's table, Paisley's mother is surprised to learn that the bulk of William's estate, including the table, is going to the Dibbers - neighbors to whom William granted power of attorney just two weeks before his death. Equally surprising to everyone is the disclosure that he left a legacy of over 3 million dollars. When her agent is unable to sell Paisley's latest "cute little blue-eyed crickets with charming mousy friends" book, she suggests Paisley try her hand at "a nice juicy crime novel". Paisley, her mother and Cassie begin devising a plot for a mystery based on William's death and the newfound wealth of the Dibbers. They find themselves in great danger when they realize they might have come too close to the truth. The greatest charm in Cemetery Silk stems from the relationship among the three generations of women. Anna is the "true Southern women" who is unfailingly polite, perfectly coifed and dressed at all times and able to "look years younger after a good night's sleep." Paisley is sassy, down-to-earth, and resilient in the face of misfortune and Cassie, with an in-your-face attitude and natural intelligence is a delightful and refreshing change from the super genius youth portrayed in so many novels today. They are all different yet they love each other and they like each other. This really makes this story work. Some very interesting side characters are introduced early on in the book but Sims then drops them and they never reappear. Hopefully some of them will return later in the series. The most significant stumble is the Remington Steele-like invention of Paisley's co-author Leonard Paisley who starts to take on a life of his own as the novel progresses. His existence could distract from the winning appeal of the three main characters. Sims writing is brisk and the whole time you think she is taking the plot in a predictable direction, Sims adds enough twists to keep the pages turning and make the resolution gratifying. Cemetery Silk heralds the beginning of a satisfying and long running series and a fine new addition to the mystery genre.
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