New Mercies

February 1, 2005
An unexpected inheritance comes with family secrets, a crumbling plantation, and emotional solace for heiress Nora Bondurant, who arrives in Natchez, Mississippi, in 1933, to settle her heretofore-unknown aunt's estate. The feisty, practical Denverite is alternately aghast and charmed with the thoroughly quirky southern community as townsfolk hint politely at the murder-suicide of Aunt Amalia (known as the "goat lady") and the neighboring plantation owner, a spurned beau. To escape a painful divorce, Nora investigates her newfound family's history and learns some unpleasant home truths, but the whole truth lies with the family's freed slaves, Aunt Polly and Ezra, who won't say a word against their beloved former mistress. Old fans will recognize Dallas' trademark leisurely pace in a new setting, a gothic-tinted South instead of the wide-open Midwest, and be pleasantly surprised. The languid pacing will not keep readers from eagerly turning pages to discover why Amalia was murdered and the reasons behind Nora's failed marriage. Dallas has crafted a honey-and-Spanish-moss-tinged tale certain to please gentle fiction readers who don't mind a little mystery.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)