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Mortuary cosmetologist Callie Parrish and her blind friend Jane have barely arrived at a bluegrass festival on South Carolina’s Surcie Island when one of the performers is found dead onstage. Little Fiddlin’ Fred was about to become the newest member of the Broken Fence band, but before he can be introduced to the crowd, his tiny body is discovered neatly stuffed in a bass fiddle case. Fred Delgado’s untimely demise – caused by a tuning fork stuck up his nose – casts a pall over the festivities that thickens into downright gloominess when Sheriff Wayne Harmon arrives and threatens to jail anyone attempting to leave the island. Callie and Jane retreat to their Winnebago, but not before hooking up with some of the Broken Fence band members. Much to Callie’s dismay, Jane takes a liking to guitarist Dean Holdback, a married man who seems, at the moment, to have forgotten the vows he made to his wife. Callie’s thoughts stray from Jane, though, when she meets handsome Andy Campbell, a guitar player known as The Great Pretender for his ability to mimic some of the best bluegrass musicians in the country. Andy and Callie are just getting to know each other when Fred’s wife Melena arrives on the scene with her brother, Pulley Bone Jones. The new widow seems less than upset by her husband’s death, and Pulley seems equally unaffected. Callie can’t decide which of the two is stranger, but being in the mortuary trade, she covers her dislike with a well-practiced smile. Professionalism helps Callie hide her feelings from the pair, but it utterly fails her a few minutes later when she discovers a second musician murdered on the campgrounds. She’s still in shock from that find when, only hours later, Jane goes missing from the festival site. Convinced that her best friend has fallen victim to the murderer, Callie does all in her power to aid Sheriff Harmon in his search for Jane. Helping her in her efforts are Callie’s redneck Daddy, her beer-guzzling brothers, and a Gullah woman named Rizzie Profit who lives on Surcie Island. Also at her side are Otis and Odell Middleton, the owners of Middleton Mortuary where Callie works and Little Fiddlin’ Fred is soon to be waked. Callie’s sleuthing powers may not be comparable to Hercule Poirot’s, but she proves her worth when matters turn deadly in her little neck of the woods. This second book in the Callie Parrish series is a pleasure to read due to the variety of characters and the down home nature of the setting. Callie’s little hometown is nicely described by South Carolina native Fran Rizer, as is the Gullah culture of neighboring Surcie Island. Equally well described are the musicians who make bluegrass a staple of American music. Rizer knows her history of bluegrass and tells that history in a way that complements the plot without detracting from the story’s pace. And while Callie is the star of the show with her padded panties and blow up bra, Otis and Odell Middleton steal the scene when the action carries over to the mortuary. All in all, this is a delightful mystery and a fine follow-up to Rizer’s first book, A TISKET, A TASKET, A FANCY STOLEN CASKET. What’s not to like in a series with titles like that!
Reviewed by Mary V. Welk, March 2008
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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