Synopses & Reviews
Barry Clayton has left the Charlotte police force to manage his ailing father's funeral home in the peace and quiet of the Appalachian mountains. But Buryin' Barry is an undertaker with a problem he keeps finding unwanted business.
Moving a grave on a snowy mountainside should be routine. No funeral, no procession, no grieving widow to console. Routine until Barry unearths an unexpected intruder, a skeleton lying atop the original occupant. A bullet hole in the skull piques his ex-cop curiosity; the photograph of his girlfriend Susan Miller in the murdered man's wallet makes the case very personal. Suddenly, Barry's life is turned upside down, as Susan becomes the prime suspect.
Joining forces with his pal Sheriff Tommy Lee Wadkins, Barry sets out to find the real killer. But a terrible secret had been buried in that mountain grave and one murder is only the down payment someone is willing to pay to keep it hidden. Barry is torn between discovering the solution to the crime and uncovering a part of Susan's past that could destroy their relationship.
When the killer strikes again, Barry learns that even more is at stake. In a duel of deceit and misdirection, one thing becomes crystal clear. Barry's grave undertaking could very well lead to his own funeral.
Review
Morticians are hot, both in print and on screen....
A well-written debut featuring an engaging buddy
team and a picturesque setting."
- Booklist
Review
It's not every day that the second entry in a series trumps the debut but de Castrique accomplishes just that with this follow-up to Dangerous Undertaking. Set in the Appalachian mountain country of North Carolina, the novel again stars undertaker Barry Clayton, who left his police career in Charlotte to help run the family funeral home. With his dad suffering from Alzheimer's, more of the responsibility for the business falls to Barry. Then trouble develops with his girlfriend, Dr. Susan Miller, when the skeleton of one of her ex-boyfriends is discovered with a bullet hole through its head and a photo of Susan in a pants' pocket. The plot is nicely layered with suspense and will certainly hold readers' interest on its own, but what really stands out about this series is de Castrique's rich yet respectful portrait of life in the Appalachians. Add to that his poignant take on how Alzheimer's' affects a family, and you have a first-rate installment in an excellent series. -- Jenny McLarin, Booklist (6/01/2004)
Synopsis
A cop-turned-undertaker unearths a murder mystery in the Appalachian mountains and is torn between discovering the solution to the crime and uncovering a part of his girlfriend's past that could destroy their relationship and put him in danger.