Letter From Home

This story is told in retrospect by the main character, Gretchen Gilman. Now in her 60's, Gretchen recalls events leading up to, and following, a fateful day during the summer of 1944. It's the story of the murder of artist Faye Tatum and Gretchen's recollection of its impact on her life and the community at large. Gretchen was friends with Faye's daughter, Barb. Sgt Clyde Tatum, Faye's husband, was nearing the end of his furlough before his unit shipped out. He was not in the house the night Faye was murdered. Or was he? Gretchen gives us a suspenseful tour through the town, and a glimpse into the lives of its inhabitants, as she recalls her attempts to find Faye's murderer.

Hart is a very sneaky writer. This book contained an early clue that just wouldn't go away. Then as I got further into the story, the motive became apparent as well. From that point, I started looking for how and when she would work the angle in.

I enjoyed Hart's attention to detail by her references to historical events of the era such as Pearl Harbor and "Pearl Buck's new book," which, for the record, could have been either The Promise or China Flight — both released in 1943. I also enjoyed reading about the innerworkings of a newspaper. Even the story of how the Victory Café (the restaurant owned by Gretchen's grandmother) got its name fits the era — and the community.

This was a fascinating and pleasurable read. Now I have to decide whether I like figuring out the murderer myself or the suspense of not knowing until it's revealed by the author. But since this was my first time reading Hart, and since I'm on a quest for Midwest writings and authors, I'll revisit her works. Cozy readers will enjoy reading [a] Letter from Home. ( )

I found it a very good read, well written and a pleasant surprise. I found this one to be one of Hart's better books. ( )

A wonderful cozy, well written and not too taxing on the brain. ( )

This book was one of the "Editor's Choice" books in the Mystery Guild a
couple of months ago. One of those times when I didn't get the postcard
filled out and mailed back in time to stop those automatic shipments, so I
figured, wotthehell, I'd just keep it and read it. I mean, it made Editor's
Choice, so it must be good, right?

Wrong. This book was almost juvenile and the only reason I finished it was
because I'd paid for the damn thing and I wanted to get my money's worth. ( )