Patricia Sprinkle

This is the second book by Patricia Sprinkle that I have read. (Who invited the Dead Man? was the third in this series I read first.) What catches me is her titles - When did we lose Harriet? Harriet somehow is the central character of this mystery but we only see her in the first two chapters. The remainder of the story has MacLaren Yarbrough searching for this young girl she has never met.
Mac comes home to Montgomery Alabama because her baby brother, Jake (late 50's) has a heart attack show more and is being ornery about having surgery. Mac is called upon to take his place at the teen center where she discovers a library book filled with $3000 cash. She determines that it belongs to a girl named Harriet and sets out to return them to the owner. Along the way she finds person after person, who can't even remember the last time that they saw Harriet and she is amazed at their lack of concern for someone that they are responsible for. Mac manages throughout her search to find out where Harriet got the money, what she wanted to do with the money, and eventually where to find Harriet. This is an excellently written mystery that confounds the reader until the very end. All the clues are subtly distributed throughout. I will definitely be looking for the next in the series. show less

I'm not sure Katherine Murray, heroine of Patricia Sprinkle's Family Tree mystery series, will ever get around to researching her own family, since she keeps getting caught up in other people's searches. This time out, it's Dr. Flo Gadney, retired Spelman professor, who asks her help in finding out whether some graves on a Georgia sea island belong to her ancestors. An amazing find of the type every genealogist longs for leads to murder and tragedy. Well-drawn characters and a thrilling plot show more make this a worthy second entry in the series. I especially enjoyed the setting. show less

I really enjoyed this book. It takes place in 1950 and is told from the point of view of 12 year old Carley. I actually picked this up at a used book fair and didn't even realize it was the second in a series, but I was able to follow along with no problem and don't feel like I missed anything by not reading the first one.
I really enjoyed the setting of a small town in 1950. It's just over 400 pages and there is quite a bit that happens during the course of the book but it was a slower show more paced book and I really enjoyed that. Carley often pretends that she has a radio show and talks to her listeners and I thought that was a really interesting way of filling the reader in on what was happening.
There was some heavy content but for the most part it was softened because it's told through Carley's point of view. For example someone is raped but Carley overhears a conversation and doesn't understand why someone would tape the girl. As a reader you're able to put all the puzzle pieces together and figure out what happened but it was easier to read because it wasn't told in a graphic way. There is also domestic violence and an unsolved murder and one scene that I didn't like where she inadvertently sees a husband and wife at an intimate moment in their bedroom.
One quote I liked was "So I decided to heed the Bible's wisdom that God helps those who help themselves." "Actually, that's Ben Franklin," Uncle Stephen interrupted apologetically. "God's far more likely to help those who can't help themselves."
Overall though I quite enjoyed this book.
This book was reviewed on the Literary Club Podcast episode 59
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1984185 show less

When MacLaren Yarbrough is invited to join Hopemore's exclusive Magnolia Ladies' Investment Club, her first inclination is to decline the invitation. The other nine members of the club (with perhaps one exception) are the wealthiest women in the county, and MacLaren is not a part of their social circle. Her daughter-in-law Cindy, who recently inherited a substantial amount of money, is a member of the club. MacLaren finally agrees to accept the invitation in order to spend some quality time show more with Cindy. This plan fizzles quickly when, at her first meeting, MacLaren stumbles upon the body of outgoing president Willena Kenan on the floor of the women's restroom. In spite of MacLaren's resolve to leave matters to the police, she launches her own investigation when she realizes that Cindy has become the prime suspect for the murder.

The mystery isn't quite as well developed as some of the others in this series, but it is still a fun read. Hopemore, Georgia is similar to many small southern towns, and the characters who live there seem like old friends. This would be a good book for reading on the front porch swing with big glass of sweet tea. show less