The Old Buzzard Had It Coming (Alafair Tucker Mysteries, 1) - Softcover

Casey, Donis

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1464208506 ISBN 13: 9781464208508

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, 2017

Synopsis

With an introduction by Donis Casey.

"A tale full of wit, humor, sorrow and, more important, the truth." ―TONY HILLERMAN, New York Times bestselling author

Alafair Tucker is a strong woman, the core of family life on a farm in Oklahoma where the back-breaking work and daily logistics of caring for her husband Shaw, their nine children, and being neighborly requires hard muscle and a clear head. She's also a woman of strong opinions, and it is her opinion that her neighbor, Harley Day, is a drunkard and a reprobate. So, when Harley's body is discovered frozen in a snowdrift one January day in 1912, she isn't surprised that his long-suffering family isn't, if not actually celebrating, much grieving.

When Alafair helps Harley's wife prepare the body for burial, she discovers that Harley's demise was anything but natural―there is a bullet lodged behind his ear. Alafair is concerned when she hears that Harley's son, John Lee, is the prime suspect in his father's murder, for Alafair's seventeen-year-old daughter Phoebe is in love with the boy. At first, Alafair's only fear is that Phoebe is in for a broken heart, but as she begins to unravel the events that led to Harley's death, she discovers that Phoebe might be more than just John Lee's sweetheart: she may be his accomplice in murder.

About this title

About the Author:

Donis Casey is the author of ten Alafair Tucker Mysteries. Donis has twice won the Arizona Book Award for her series, and been a finalist for the Willa Award and a seven-time finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award. Her first novel, The Old Buzzard Had It Coming, was named an Oklahoma Centennial Book in 2008. Donis is a former teacher, academic librarian, and entrepreneur. She lives in Tempe, Arizona.

Review:

''Under Donis Casey's gifted hand and shrewd historic eye, Tucker adds solving a mystery to her busy schedule. It all could easily have gone soft and cute, especially the many long visits to the Tuckers' fellow farmers. But by avoiding all the built-in traps, Casey has produced a sharp and suspenseful first novel.'' --Chicago Tribune

''Donis Casey . . . gives us a tale full of wit, humor, sorrow, and, more important, the truth. Her Alafair Tucker deserves to stand beside Ma Joad in literature's gallery of heroic ladies.'' --Tony Hillerman, New York Times bestselling author

''As vivid and unforgettable as a crimson Oklahoma sunset.'' --Carolyn Hart, multiple-award-winning mystery writer

''Casey's sweet-tempered debut manages to make readers nostalgic for simpler times . . .The appealingly homey world Casey creates rings true.'' --Publishers Weekly

''Set in 1912 Oklahoma, this first novel, which was named the Best Unpublished Mystery of 2004 by the Oklahoma Writers' Federation, should please even the most demanding fans of historicals with its authentic situations, fully drawn characters, and clever plotting.'' --Library Journal

''This first of the Alafair Tucker mysteries introduces an engaging new heroine to treasure . . . Casey's novel brims with wit, humor, and the occasional devastating sorrow . . . A welcome touch of magical realism saves the novel from sentimentality. A deep pleasure to read.'' --Historical Mystery Society

''As vivid and unforgettable as a crimson Oklahoma sunset.'' --Carolyn Hart, multiple-award-winning mystery writer

''Casey's sweet-tempered debut manages to make readers nostalgic for simpler times . . .The appealingly homey world Casey creates rings true.'' --Publishers Weekly

''Set in 1912 Oklahoma, this first novel, which was named the Best Unpublished Mystery of 2004 by the Oklahoma Writers' Federation, should please even the most demanding fans of historicals with its authentic situations, fully drawn characters, and clever plotting.'' --Library Journal

''This first of the Alafair Tucker mysteries introduces an engaging new heroine to treasure . . . Casey's novel brims with wit, humor, and the occasional devastating sorrow . . . A welcome touch of magical realism saves the novel from sentimentality. A deep pleasure to read.'' --Historical Mystery Society

''As vivid and unforgettable as a crimson Oklahoma sunset.'' --Carolyn Hart, multiple-award-winning mystery writer

''Casey's sweet-tempered debut manages to make readers nostalgic for simpler times . . .The appealingly homey world Casey creates rings true.'' --Publishers Weekly

''Set in 1912 Oklahoma, this first novel, which was named the Best Unpublished Mystery of 2004 by the Oklahoma Writers' Federation, should please even the most demanding fans of historicals with its authentic situations, fully drawn characters, and clever plotting.'' --Library Journal

''This first of the Alafair Tucker mysteries introduces an engaging new heroine to treasure . . . Casey's novel brims with wit, humor, and the occasional devastating sorrow . . . A welcome touch of magical realism saves the novel from sentimentality. A deep pleasure to read.'' --Historical Mystery Society

About this edition

• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1464208506
• ISBN 13: 9781464208508
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240