Broken Places

Starred review from November 30, 2009
Near the start of Parshall's excellent third Rachel Goddard mystery (after 2007's Disturbing the Dead
), the Mason County, Va., veterinarian witnesses an argument between newspaper publisher Cam Taylor, who's desperate for money to save his paper, and popular cartoonist Ben Hern (aka Cuban-American artist Benicio Hernandez), who won't give him any, at Ben's mansion. On the drive home, Rachel spots Cam's abandoned car in the road, pulls over, hears gunshots, and finds Cam dead in the woods. Later, Cam's house burns down with a woman's bullet-ridden body inside, initially identified as Cam's wife. Another shooting victim; the arrival of the clingy ex-girlfriend of Rachel's love interest, deputy sheriff Tom Bridger; and the disappearance of Ben's mother raise the stakes. Rachel and her vet assistant, Holly Turner, must take care not to become a frantic killer's next victims in a suspenseful tale distinguished by its sharp prose.

November 15, 2009
Suspicion and jealousy threaten veterinarian Rachel Goddard's romance with Captain Tom Bridger.

Now that she's moved to Mason County, Va., to escape the problems of her past (Disturbing of the Dead, 2007, etc.), Rachel is involved in a nasty murder spree that also has roots in bygone events. While treating the dog of celebrated cartoonist Ben Hern, a childhood friend, Rachel and her helper witness an unpleasant encounter between Ben and local newspaper owner Cam Taylor, who's been badgering and threatening a number of people for money to help keep his paper afloat. On their way home, they come upon Taylor's abandoned car and then his dead body in the woods. When Tom and another sheriff's deputy go to inform Taylor's wife Meredith, they find the house aflame and later discover a body in the ruins. The Taylors came to Mason County as antipoverty workers back in the 1960s, and Hern's mother, who vanished after the crimes, was one of their group. The shooting of the Taylors' nosy neighbor makes it clear that the killer plans to leave no witnesses. There are a number of likely candidates for the murders. Taylor's daughter Lindsay, a former lover scheming to get Tom back, accuses Hern, driving a wedge between Tom and Rachel, whose efforts to protect her old friend almost set her up as the next victim.

Rachel's third is a tense, well-written combination of mystery and romance that will keep readers guessing.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

Starred review from December 15, 2009
When the owners of the local newspaper in Mason County, VA, are murdered, Deputy Sheriff Tom Bridger is put in the awkward position of having to tell his ex-girlfriend her parents are dead. The Taylors had arrived in the 1960s as volunteers in the War on Poverty and stayed on, making friendsand enemies. Veterinarian Rachel Goddard, the sheriff's current lady love, gets involved when a childhood friend is targeted as the prime suspect. VERDICT This third Rachel Goddard mystery (after "The Heat of the Moon" and "Disturbing the Dead") grips readers from the opening page with a suspenseful plot that will leave them breathless. The tension between Tom and Rachel adds to the thrill of the hunt for a clever murderer who has covered all the bases. Fans of Margaret Maron's Deborah Knott mysteries will enjoy. [See Prepub Mystery, "LJ" 10/1/09; large-print ed. ISBN 978-1-59058-654-9.]

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.