Hell With the Lid Blown Off

Starred review from April 14, 2014
A huge tornado brings unexpected trouble to the people of Boynton, Okla., in Casey’s excellent seventh Alafair Tucker mystery (after 2012’s The Wrong Hill to Die On). One day in the summer of 1916, a twister blows Jubal Beldon’s body into a field, but no one is very sorry, since he was a most unpleasant man. When it’s discovered that Jubal was murdered before the tornado, suspicion falls on 17-year-old Ruth Tucker’s beloved music teacher, Beckie MacKenzie. Alafair, a farmer’s wife, uses her innate knowledge of human nature to help, while Sheriff Scott Tucker and his deputy, Trenton Calder, follow their own theories. As the action builds to a surprising denouement, Casey provides an engaging portrait of the close-knit society that was commonly found in the rural Midwest at the time. Alafair Tucker, her large family, and their friends are a pleasure to spend time with.

May 1, 2014
Bullying, blackmail and natural disaster: just another 1916 summer day in Boynton, Okla.Boynton and the surrounding areas are typical rural communities with many hardworking people and a small group of troublemakers. The hard workers include the family members of ever curious Alafair Tucker (Crying Blood, 2011, etc.). Alafair and her husband, Shaw, have 10 children, a farm and little time for much but work. But when their pretty 17-year-old daughter, Ruth, runs afoul of Jubal Beldon, the oldest of six lazy, crude local bullies, Alafair sets aside her chores and turns sleuth. The musically talented Ruth has been spending time at the home of wealthy, widowed piano teacher Beckie MacKenzie, who's extremely proud of her Scottish heritage and her grandson, Wallace MacKenzie III, who's just come for a visit with his college friend Randal Wakefield. When Ruth is harassed by Jubal and his brothers, she doesn't mention it to her admirer, deputy sheriff Trenton Calder, who's furious when he hears about it. Meanwhile, Jubal, who loves to collect dirty secrets, spices up a church picnic by quietly accusing Wallace and Randal of being lovers. After Wallace gives Jubal some cash and a new moneymaking idea, he and Randal high-tail it out of town. Then it's time for a twister to blow through the area, causing indescribable destruction and killing Jubal and a number of others. Nobody, even his mother, is sorry Jubal's dead-but when the undertaker says he was probably murdered, Sheriff Calder and Alafair must hunt for his killer anyway.A good mystery with an odd final twist is eclipsed by frighteningly detailed descriptions of the terrors of tornadoes.

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June 1, 2014

A deadly tornado's impact on a small town in Oklahoma dominates this story set in 1916. Once the storm has passed, the Tuckers and their neighbors must take inventory, give thanks or grieve, and rebuild. Not until later in the book will it become known that one victim, the much-reviled Jubal Beldon, was stabbed to death before the tornado tossed his body around. As the matriarchal Alafair investigates--in her usual roundabout fashion--she learns about other families' secrets. By watching her neighbors' reaction to Jubal's death she is able to figure out who killed the man. Now, morally, Alafair has to wrestle with what to do with this knowledge. At the same time, another Beldon brother threatens to cause more turmoil, leaving a young deputy with a tough choice. VERDICT Weather dominates this seventh entry (after The Wrong Hill To Die On) in Casey's historical series set in Oklahoma. With their multiple points of view, these titles are ideal for readers who enjoy a skillful yarn with a bit of mystery tucked into the tale.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2014
After a devastating tornado in Boynton, Oklahoma, in 1916, Alafair Tucker and her extended family try to evaluate the damage. Then the body of bully Jubal Beldon is found, and it is determined that his death came from wounds delivered before the storm. As Deputy Sheriff Trenton Calder sorts through alibis and time lines, friends protect each other as fast as secrets come to light. The search for suspects leads surprisingly to music teacher Miz Beckie McKenzie, mentor to Alafair's daughter, Ruth. As WWI looms, Alafair watches members of her family and friends grow up and deal with serious problems at home. The many characters and changing points of view are at times mildly confusing, but this edgy historical mystery works as a powerful picture of the times.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)