Tuesday, February 14, 2012

new review -- THE DEVIL'S BONES

A new review from Journey of a Bookseller
 
Nobody knows what happened to Tito; no one cares either.  Why?

The author sent me a copy of this book for review (thank you).  It will be available for sale on March 7th in hardcover.  Five Star (Cengage/Gale) is the publisher.  Check with your local bookstore for a copy.

This was not an easy book to read.  I live in New Mexico, and the problems addressed in this book sounded familiar and are still existent.  The ring of truth is what makes it a bit hard to swallow.

This story mixes the past and the present, so you need to pay attention to what time period you're in and which character you are following.  It's not difficult to read, but you can confuse yourself if you don't check the dates on the chapter.

Tito is a young boy who is half American and half Mexican.  He's scorned by both cultures.  And then one day he isn't there anymore.

Mr. Sweazy gives you strong characters and weak ones.  Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between the two.  He keeps your attention through out the tale and you know as you read along it's probably not going to have a happy ending.

It begins with a body being found in a pond that may be Tito.  While the sheriff is checking it out, he gets shot.  Jordan, his deputy, had joined him and knew Holister was upset, but he sure never expected anybody to take potshots at him.  Then he gets accused of the shooting...

This is very tangled, twisted story with lots of subplots and connections that aren't apparent.  There's conflict and trauma in the whites of the small town, and the Mexicans have their own problems.  They are mostly ignored by the whites, but there are connections there, too.

The complicated relationships get you emotionally involved in the story.  When the sheriff dies, it becomes a murder case.  And no one is laying all their cards out on the table.

If you'd like to read a complicated murder mystery with a bit of cultural warfare thrown in, this is the book for you.  Mr. Sweazy writes tales that keep your interest.

If you'd like to travel along with Jordan on this case, you can win my signed ARC by commenting here on my blog and emailing me at info at bookfaerie.com.  I'll pick a winner in about a week.

Happy reading.


--
Jo Ann Hakola

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