Devil Sent the Rain

Joel Richards falls short in his spirited narration of this installment in the popular Billy Able series. He delivers a clear presentation, he uses pace and pitch to convey drama and keep the text moving, and his conversational tone for the main character pulls the listener into the action. But his attempts at accents and voices for differentiation are insufficient, given the large cast filled with Southern stereotypes. Listeners will also be challenged by a plot featuring convoluted relationships and incidents into which the author tries to weave an ambitious array of social and cultural topics. Lisa Turner's fans, and mystery fans in general, may have a better experience with the print version. M.O.B. � AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

July 25, 2016
The murder of 29-year-old Caroline Lee, an attorney from a prominent Mississippi family who was shot dead in her 1968 Camaro Z28, kick-starts Edgar-finalist Turner’s engaging third novel featuring homicide detective Billy Able of the Memphis PD (after 2014’s The Gone Dead Train). Billy and his partner, Frankie Malone, are especially motivated to catch Caroline’s killer—Frankie because she’s ambitious and wants a promotion, and Billy because he’s loved Caroline since they were teenagers. Caroline ended her engagement to domineering neurosurgeon Raj Sharma five weeks earlier, making Raj a prime suspect, but if Caroline was single, why was she wearing a wedding dress when she died? A missing cousin, a greedy brother, and shady dealings at the Lee family law firm further complicate the case. The old South looms large over this sultry, melodramatic tale. Turner’s characters lack nuance, but a shifting narrative, a keen sense of place, and a steady stream of suspects and red herrings propel the mystery to a satisfying conclusion. Agent: Robert Gottlieb, Trident Media Group.

July 15, 2016
A police officer's past relationship with a wealthy family poses problems for a murder case.Billy Able, the most successful detective in the Memphis PD, responds with his partner, Frankie Malone, to the scene of a crime in a buffalo pasture at Shelby Farm. The dead woman was found by a very likely suspect, an ex-con who was about to make off with her cash when help arrived. But Billy (The Gone Dead Train, 2014, etc.) quickly discovers that the crime won't be so easy to solve. He's shocked to identify the dead woman, who's wearing a handmade lace wedding dress and driving a muscle car whose vanity plates say SPARROW, as Caroline Lee, an old friend. Billy's known the wealthy Lee family, which owns a large plantation, a bank, and a law firm, from the time he lived with his uncle and helped him run a diner near their home. The Lees considered Billy's father white trash, but his mother was a member of a Southern society family, and Billy had a high school romance with Caroline before she went off to college and became a lawyer. Because he'd had almost no contact with her for years, he's allowed to work the case, though he soon finds that his past with her family may be more hindrance than help in plumbing their many secrets. Caroline had recently broken off her engagement to a high-powered doctor from a wealthy Indian family who had been trying furiously to get her to return to him. So who was she on her way to marry the night she was shot? Billy must take a painful in-depth look at the Lee family's past, and his own. A well-wrought procedural that takes a hard look at the old South's influence on the new.

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September 1, 2016
Memphis police detective Billy Able lands a murder case with his new partner, the ambitious Frankie Malone. The victim, Caroline Lee, found dead wearing her wedding gown in her car in a cow pasture, is Billy's old high-school girlfriend. It's been years since they've been in touch, so it seems there's no conflict. The Lee family is Memphis royalty; the mother runs the family law firm, where Caroline worked, and they own other businesses in town. The person who found her body, a recently released felon, is a suspect, but there are others, most notably her ex-fiance. Lee broke off her engagement to the arrogant Indian doctor, who feels humiliated and has been stalking her. The Lee family has skeletons in the closet, and the investigation deepens into the family history, which causes Billy to examine his own. Frankie proves to be a good partner, as much a workaholic as Billy, and together they work the case to its surprising conclusion. This is a solid southern police procedural and should make a good recommendation for Margaret Maron readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)