The Laying Out of Gussie Hoot (Signed)

When Gussie Hoot, an irascible Texas miser, is found murdered, it is up to Sheriff J.D. Killion to find her murderer

YA-- A collection of well-delineated characters and vivid descriptions. In this beguiling blend of tragedy and humor, tough-as-nails Gussie counts her money like clockwork every day. The old woman's violent death and mysterious disappearance of her hoarded cash set in motion a manhunt unheard of in the small Texas town. The lack of clues and an absence of suspects leave the police baffled. After a series of dead-end investigations, the killer is caught through a most unlikely sequence of events. At first glance, the book is just a simple detective story, but there is another level. Readers first see the characters as their peers do, but then Fraser delves deeper to find the real people. The narrative is peppered with satirical and just plain funny scenes, but there is an overriding sense of sadness that comes from the hidden fears, disappointments, and lost dreams of the characters. YAs will be challenged to look beneath the surface to find the truth of the situation.

Phillip J. Clark, R. E. Lee High Sch . , Springfield, VA

Copyright 1991 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Fraser puts her experience as a juvenile probation officer to droll, insightful and thoroughly enjoyable use in her first novel. Every morning in her kitchen, 72-year-old Gussie Hoot (Augusta Houghton) counts the cash--profits of her Texas cattle ranch--she keeps in her dead husband's fishing tackle box. Then one day in May, her son Bubba comes home for lunch to find Gussie dead, with a wound in her neck, and the money gone. After the funeral, with the townspeople in an uproar, the sheriff is led by Gussie's "brand"--a Lone Star on each bill--to 16-year-old Jewell Ray Cantwell, who swears he hit Gussie in self-defense. Creating sympathy for both Cantwell and those out to avenge Gussie's death, Fraser gives us colorful, endearing characters doing their best to muddle through the routine and the extraordinary in daily life. Witnesses' testimony reveals a fuller account of Gussie's eccentricity and love of her money, "the only thing which had never let her down, the only thing she could rely on . . . everything else in her life had turned out to be a disappointment." A brisk pace, humor and a sympathetic account of small-town life contribute to the impressive debut of this Southern writer.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.