When Jade Eby Isn't Writing...

Originally posted on my blog Chasing Empty Pavements

This was exactly the type of book I needed to get back in the swing of things...even if it was a little rocky to start with. Murder. Mystery. The South. Do I need to say much more? I was SUPER excited to start this one since the last murder mystery novel I'd read was Gone Girl and that sort of broke my heart a little. I was being vengeful by boycotting murder mysteries for a while. Anyways, this one restored my faith.

What I loved about this novel was how true to the south it felt. Through the descriptions, dialogue and writing, I truly felt like I was in Amaryllis, Mississippi drinking sweet tea with Cherrie Mae, Tully and Deena. At first, I wasn't sure I'd enjoy this novel because it started off a little confusing. It's told in alternating POV's from Cherrie Mae, Tully and Deena--3 women in Amaryllis. After the sixth murder in their little town, all three women believe they know who the killer is. This is what makes the novel confusing at first--but ultimately, it's what makes this novel so interesting. You see the town and it's people through 3 different lenses and you wonder about all 3 men the women suspect is the killer. It really keeps you turning the page which is the most important thing in a novel like this. I loved the way their lives and the mystery intersected and even though I guessed who the killer was (I was right!), it wasn't until almost the end which is acceptable to me. Really, this was just a good, enjoyable read for me. I liked Collins voice and writing style throughout the novel and she's an author I'd like to read more from.


A couple of things irritated me about this novel as much as I liked it. Firstly, in Cherrie Mae's POV... she uses dialect that makes it apparent that Cherrie is an African-American woman. Like instead of the word "door" she uses "doh." But at the same time...it wasn't like her entire dialect was like this...just bits and pieces and it just rubbed me the wrong way. It was like, contradictory of the character and I wished she would have either used it consistently throughout or not at all. I think there were other ways to convey what she wanted without making Cherrie Mae sound like the stereotypical black southerner you see in movies/books. The other major thing that irritated me was when the identity of the killer was involved... it was like so anti-climatic. Even though it was *supposed* to feel like a big deal...I was like...hmm. okay. moving on. Just didn't hit the right climatic spots to shine. And the reasons for killing the woman were just plain stupid. Like...it's really hard for me to believe someone would kill for the reasons explained in the novel.

3.5/5

Overall, I had a good time reading this novel and I would recommend it for a quick, enjoyable read. If you're a hardcore murder mystery fan, this one might be a little too light for you.

**I received this book free from the publisher through www.netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.