Where is Kent Heyward? The twenty-three-year-old heiress from one of Charleston’s oldest families vanished a month ago. When her father hires private investigator Liz Talbot, Liz suspects the most difficult part of her job will be convincing the patriarch his daughter tired of his overbearing nature and left town. That’s what the Charleston Police Department believes.
But behind the garden walls South of Broad, family secrets pop up like weeds in the azaleas. The neighbors recollect violent arguments between Kent and her parents. Eccentric twin uncles and a gaggle of cousins covet the family fortune. And the lingering spirit of a Civil-War-era debutante may know something if Colleen, Liz’s dead best friend, can get her to talk.
Liz juggles her case, the partner she’s in love with, and the family she adores. But the closer she gets to what has become of Kent, the closer Liz dances to her own grave.
Review
Liz Talbot is called in a month after Kent goes missing. The police have decided that Kent is not missing, but rather left of her own accord. As Liz asks questions and uncovers some family secrets, Liz isn't so sure. Colleen, a ghost is also prompting her along the way. Liz has to be sure to have her ear buds in so if she responds to Colleen and someone hears her, the assumption will be she is talking to a real person not crazy. Amidst the mystery is the relationship between Liz and Nate, neither of which wants to leave their roots, and in Liz's case, Colleen. Despite personal issues, Nate helps with the case and the whodunit is wrapped up nicely. In case the reader missed a clue along the way, Liz and Nate debrief at the end.
This is the third in the series, following LOWCOUNTRY BOIL and LOWCOUNTRY BOMBSHELL. For the story of Kent and the relationship between Nate and Liz, this LOWCOUNTRY BONEYARD can easily be read as a stand alone. I haven't read the first two but I gathered from the descriptions and reviews, that Colleen's history and her draw for Liz are set out in these first two books. That said, you might want to start at the beginning with this series.Susan M. Boyer is the author of the USA TODAY bestselling Liz Talbot mystery series. Her debut novel, Lowcountry Boil, won the 2012 Agatha Award for Best First Novel, the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense, and garnered several other award nominations. Susan loves beaches, Southern food, and small towns where everyone knows everyone, and everyone has crazy relatives. You’ll find all of the above in her novels.
Susan lives in Greenville, SC, with her husband and an inordinate number of houseplants.
Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Christa! Thank you so much for having Liz and me on the blog today! :)
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure!
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