Old Wounds

Elizabeth Goodweather’s daughter Rosemary, a college English professor, decides to come home to Full Circle Farm (Marshall County, North Carolina) to delve into the disappearance – and presumed death -- of her childhood friend Maythorn Mullins on Halloween Day 1986. At age ten, the girls didn’t have much in common. Yet Rosemary, the daughter of back-to-the-land parents, and Maythorn, whose parents lived nearby in a four-story mansion, were as close as sisters.

Another mystery – dating from the Vietnam era – returns to haunt Elizabeth in Old Wounds. Although she was unaware of it, Elizabeth’s late husband Sam witnessed some horrific war crimes and may have secreted evidence at Full Circle Farm. Elizabeth’s friend/lover Phillip Hawkins, who was in military service with Sam, believes she may know something that could lead to the evidence – and he’s worried that knowledge may put her in danger.

Vicki Lane is very adept at creating complex, multi-faceted stories that move effortlessly from one time period to another and characters with incredible depth. She also is a master of using sensory details to make a locale come alive. Old Wounds exemplifies these talents. Readers weary of reading too many mysteries featuring frothy amateur sleuths won’t find a better antidote than Old Wounds.

By Diana. First published in Mystery News, October-November 2007. ( )