Burrows

Starred review from May 14, 2012
Wortham’s outstanding sequel to The Rock Hole (2011), likewise set in 1964 East Texas, finds Ned Parker uncomfortably adjusting to being merely a retired constable. Ned’s nephew, Cody, is settling into the job of new constable, while Ned’s grandson, Top, and great-niece, Pepper, are enjoying being bright, inquisitive 11-year-olds. Rural life isn’t exactly easy, but it’s predictable; people know themselves and what to expect of each other. The discovery of a headless corpse in the Red River and a butchered farm family nearby, the handiwork of an escaped lunatic, shoves the Parkers into a vortex of insanity that culminates in Cody and Dep. John Washington getting trapped in boobytrapped tunnels burrowed through the junk, including leftover bales of cotton, that fills the huge Cotton Exchange warehouse. Wortham combines the gonzo sensibility of Joe R. Lansdale and the elegiac mood of To Kill a Mockingbird to strike just the right balance between childhood innocence and adult horror. Author tour. Agent: Jeanie Pantelakis, Sullivan Maxx Literary Agency.

Traber Burns's warm, raspy voice is the perfect vehicle for this deftly plotted mystery involving retired constable Ned Parker and his grandson, Top, plus, of course, several dead bodies. Set in 1964, in Center Springs, Texas, and filled with charming characters, this mystery builds to a confrontation at the abandoned and booby-trapped Cotton Exchange building. Burns expertly builds tension to increase the story's drama and enhance the listener's apprehension as Cody confronts the dangerous situation. Burns's evocative reading, along with the story's likable characters, makes this an enjoyable listening experience. S.C.A. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine