Hell with the Lid Blown Off (Alafair Tucker Mysteries, Book 7)

Donis Casey

ISBN 10: 1483025187 ISBN 13: 9781483025186

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, 2014

Synopsis

[Read by Pam Ward and Stephen R. Thorne]

Some secrets can come back from the grave. - - In the summer of 1916, a big twister brings destruction to the land around Boynton, Oklahoma. Alafair Tucker's family and neighbors are not spared the ruin and grief spread by the storm. But no one is going to mourn for Jubal Beldon, who made it his business to know the ugly secrets of everyone in town. It doesn't matter if Jubal's insinuations are true or not. In a small town like Boynton, rumor is as damaging as fact. - - But as Mr. Lee, the undertaker, does his grim duty for the storm victims, he discovers that even in death Jubal isn't going to leave his neighbors in peace. He was already dead when the tornado carried his body to the middle of a fallow field. Had he died in an accident, or had he been murdered by someone whose secret he had threatened to expose? There are dozens of people who would have been happy to do the deed, including members of Jubal's own family. - - As Sheriff Scott Tucker and his deputy Trenton Calder investigate the circumstances surrounding Jubal's demise, it begins to look like the prime suspect may be someone very dear to the widow Beckie MacKenzie, the beloved music teacher and mentor of Alafair's daughter Ruth. Ruth fears that the secrets exposed by the investigation are going to cause more damage to her friend's life than did the tornado. Alafair has her own suspicions about how Jubal Beldon came to die, and the reason may hit very close to home.

About this title

About the Author:

Donis Casey is a third-generation Oklahoman. She and her siblings grew up among their extended family on farms and in small towns. She earned degrees from the University of Tulsa and Oklahoma University and has worked as a teacher and academic librarian. She now lives with her husband in Arizona.

From Booklist:

After a devastating tornado in Boynton, Oklahoma, in 1916, Alafair Tucker and her extended family try to evaluate the damage. Then the body of bully Jubal Beldon is found, and it is determined that his death came from wounds delivered before the storm. As Deputy Sheriff Trenton Calder sorts through alibis and time lines, friends protect each other as fast as secrets come to light. The search for suspects leads surprisingly to music teacher Miz Beckie McKenzie, mentor to Alafair’s daughter, Ruth. As WWI looms, Alafair watches members of her family and friends grow up and deal with serious problems at home. The many characters and changing points of view are at times mildly confusing, but this edgy historical mystery works as a powerful picture of the times. --Amy Alessio

About this edition

• Publisher: Blackstone Audio
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1483025187
• ISBN 13: 9781483025186
• Binding: Audio CD
• Number of pages: 1