The Prairie Grass Murders
by Patricia Stoltey
Published by Thomason Gale
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Reviewed by Lawrence Mc Micking
"At the edge of the pile, near the ground, a black shape poked through the green and brown vegetation. Willie ignored the buzzard and climbed further up the bank to get a better look. He finds a shoe, a man's black leather shoe!"
Willie, our protagonist's brother, visiting near his home town in Illinois for a vacation, is taken by a deputy to a mental hospital for evaluation after Willie finds a dead body. He calls his sister, Circuit Judge Sylvia Thorn, in Florida, who immediately flies to Illinois to aid her brother and to find out what has occurred. She arrives to find, what looks like a cover-up by a deputy in the sheriff's department.
Willie is released from the hospital and when he and his sister return to the original location, they are unable to find the body in the newly plowed under soil.
She appeals to the sheriff, only to find out that he is an old crush from her high school days, which adds to her tension and excitement. He promises to investigate his deputy, the missing body and keep her and her brother posted.
What transpires is a series of events to keep you very eager to read what might happen next.
They discover that there is a missing businessman who was involved in property sales in the area--and they put two and two together. What follows is a stimulating story that contains kidnapping, shots fired, assaults and the discovery that the sheriff is not all that he should be.
The author's first book is an enjoyable, challenging, topical novel. Although you might have figured out early who the evildoers are, you will, no doubt, continue on to discover the real purpose behind the crimes committed.
Patricia Stoltey's book is an enjoyable tale of intended land-grabs, murder and intrigue, and, perhaps, a pleasant diversion from you own trials and tribulations.
Author's Web site: http://www.patriciastoltey.com