Kathryn R. Wall

This is the first in a series, the series being the wildly popular Bay Tanner series.

I was a little skeptical at first, Bay is about a year out from losing her beloved husband to an airplane bomb and still suffering. With all that emotional baggage I wasn't sure if she could get past it to deal with everything going on in the book. But, Kathryn R. Wall handled the situation in a masterful manner.

It all starts out when Bay's father (the Judge) recommends she talk to an old friend of her show more mother. Bay remembers Miss Addie and agrees to see if there is anything she can do to help the woman find out if a real estate deal is above board or if Miss Addie is in danger of losing her retirement nest egg.

Needless to say, Bay is soon swept up in intrigue and murder and must work to find out who is behind all this to save Miss Addie, the Judge and even herself.

Pretty action packed story but takes the time to build the characters, especially Bay, her father, and the two women who take care of each of them.

I'll be reading more in this series. show less

Kathryn R Wall, recovering from the recent death of her spouse, explores the tragedy of dementia in this latest Bay Tanner mystery. Bay Tanner has her own unresolved problems, such as the possibility of being a full time mother to her niece and nephew. Unlike Deborah Knott in the Margaret Maron series, Bay is extremely self-centered and does not seem capable of becoming a mother to her husband's child (ren). Old cases haunt Bay, and turn one of the victims into a stalker. I enjoy the show more familiar style of Wall, and the predictably of Bay and her quirky habits. I feel the relationship between Bay and Red is unstable, and headed for disaster. I can foresee a break with Red, and a return to her home and a renewing friendship with Julie, her half-sister. As usual, Wall presents a story with a little meat thrown into the mesh. show less

[a:Rex Stout|41112|Rex Stout|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1201136975p2/41112.jpg] had two Nero Wolfe stories called [b:The Father Hunt|119748|Franz Kafka's the Metamorphosis (Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations)|Franz Kafka|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516ATP5Y0ZL._SL75_.jpg|2373750] and [b:The Mother Hunt|119748|Franz Kafka's the Metamorphosis (Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations)|Franz Kafka|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516ATP5Y0ZL._SL75_.jpg|2373750]. If show more [a:Kathryn R. Wall|202917|Kathryn R. Wall|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg] had wanted to very her geographic titles a bit, she could have called this one The Sister Hunt.

Bay Tanner's new client is searching for her two estranged sisters in hopes of finding a bone marrow donor for her daughter. Bay herself is dealing with what may be her father's last illness and her efforts to solve a family mystery it has revealed. Her relationship with her fiance Red Tanner (brother of her late husband) has hit a rocky patch. There are red herrings and blind alleys galore, but eventually all is solved and resolved. The Low Country setting is beautifully described, and the characters behave believably. My only real problem with the book was an error of fact -- Bay's partner Erik supposedly finds out information about one of the client's sisters from the 2000 census. In fact, that census (as far as personal information is concerned) will not be open to anyone -- including law enforcement, the IRS, private investigators, etc. -- until 2072. (Similar information probably is available from credit bureaus and other such databases; but not from the Census.) Otherwise, a fine book. show less

After the momentous events of last year's book, [b:Covenant Hall|6066974|Covenant Hall|Kathryn R. Wall|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255797450s/6066974.jpg|6243311], you might think that Bay Tanner would deserve some peace and quiet in her personal and professional life. But, no. As she, her husband, Red, and Lavinia Smalls deal with the aftereffects of a hurricane, they also must figure out how to integrate Bay's newly-discovered half-sister Julia and her caregiver into the family. Red show more and Bay are working on their relationship, and a new case presents itself to the agency. Although the client is quite annoying, they can't resist either the fat fee he offers or the chance for Red to help solve a cold case that baffled his erstwhile colleagues in the Beaufort County Sheriff's Department.

As the Tanners and agency partner Erik begin their investigation, they start to suspect their client has not been completely forthcoming with them. His behavior becomes increasingly erratic and they sense he is afraid of something. Meanwhile, a family tragedy causes more complications for Bay and Red.

A complicated plot (oddly enough, with some similarities to [b:One O'Clock Jump|1350525|One O'Clock Jump A Dorie Lennox Mystery|Lise McClendon|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182921562s/1350525.jpg|1340204], the mystery I read just prior to this one), somewhat ominous developments in Bay's personal life, and the Low Country setting make this a reasonably worthy entry in this engaging series, although it is not one of the best. It probably would not be a good place to start if you haven't already enjoyed the earlier books. show less