Sandra Parshall's debut novel, The Heat of the Moon, has been nominated for an Agatha Award for First Novel and her talent shows no sign of stopping. Her follow up novel, Disturbing the Dead, continues the story of veterinarian Rachel Goddard.Rachel has bought a veterinary clinic and is happily settling into her new life. She is content with her status as single woman, business owner, and friend. Her hopes for peace and quiet in her daily life are dashed by a local scandal from the past. A skull discovered in the near by hills turns out to be that of a woman missing for many years. Rachel gets dragged into the mystery by the investigative policeman, Tom Bridges. And she is not prepared for the feelings that arise when she becomes involved with the young girl, Holly. Holly is a relative of the missing woman, from a family living in the back woods of the area. When Rachel hires her to work at the vet clinic she also lets her live at her house and must protect then both from the efforts of Holly’s family to make her move back home. She also is fighting off her feeling for Tom Bridges, who has made clear his interest in her. They are both dealing with demons from their past, fighting off the effects from their pasts that threaten to overwhelm their present. As the mystery becomes more complicated and personal, the feelings of all come to a boiling point.The plot runs along smoothly, the mystery itself is carefully mapped out to keep the reader enthralled to the end. The characters are strong enough to stand on their own- each one is finely drawn, detailed to hold their roles in the story strongly and consistently. Rachel, in this book as in the first, is a woman learning to stay strong but yet let others into her life. Sandra Parshall has done an interesting plot device by weaving in a traumatic storyline of Rachel's past that occurs between the first book and this one. Instead of relying on the events of The Heat of the Moon she created another past episode that affects Rachel strongly. Since so often a second book with the same characters just refers back to the original plot, this technique was fine for new readers and a treat for returning fans.The storyline revolves around Tom Bridges and many of the characters being of Melungeon descent. The story of the Melungeon people was a fascinating glimpse into a part of US history that is not well known. It is the effort of the author to add this setting with such detail and background that supplies the extra care to this mystery. The suspicion and prejudice that surround these people drives the mystery and its resolution.This is another exceptional entry by Sandra Parshall into the mystery genre. She is able to write a suspenseful story that does give way until the last page. The mix of tension, of potential, impending violence, from past violence and romantic confusion, creates a knot of anticipation from beginning to end. It will be interesting to see what else Parshall has planned for her characters. It is hopeful that she will not leave them or her readers dangling for long.
Dr. Rachel Goddard has returned in DISTURBING THE DEAD but it is a different time and place. Two years have passed since she found out the truth about her childhood. She has recently bought a veterinary practice in the Appalachian mountains and is trying to settle in. This time she is caught between a crazy man bent on harming her and trying to befriend the citizens of her newly adopted town.At the same time Deputy Chief Tom Bridger is attracted to Rachel but she is still trying to recover from previous mistakes. I liked Tom. He had some personal issues that he was trying to get over but he was upfront with Rachel about how he felt towards her.The actual mystery surrounding the once cold-case death of Pauline McClure was the best part of this story with plenty of twists and turns. The author explored the lives of the Melungeons, a multicultural group of people that have resided in the area for decades. The tension between some of the white people and the Melungeons drove the story. Tom, half-Melungeon, had empathy for both sides. I could understand his dilemma. DISTURBING THE DEAD was a much better mystery than THE HEAT OF THE MOON. I am still not too overly fond of Rachel but I enjoyed Tom's character. The cultural impact along with a fairly decent amount of suspense kept my interest in this series.
What do You think about Disturbing The Dead (2007)?
PROTAGONIST: Tom BridgerSERIES: #2 of 2RATING: 2.75WHY: Parshall has a flowing, readable writing style. However, characterization was weak; predictable romance stuff; and the plot pulled out one of those assumed identity devices. Secondarily, the author is in love with shoulders. There are dozens and dozens of references to shoulders - they are grasped, patted, held, touched, stroked, rubbed - it got so bad that instead of paying attention to the plot, I was weirdly waiting for the next shoulder reference!
—Maddy
In Parshall’s mystery novel, Dr. Rachel Goddard is all too familiar with the desire to start over. She hires Holly Turner to work at her new Appalachian veterinary clinic and hopes that each of them will be able to have a fresh start. One day the skeleton of Holly’s wealthy Aunt Pauline is found along with another unidentified body. Holly’s family is abusive and manipulative and they try everything to encourage her to return home. As the crime is investigated, numerous suspects are identified all with excellent reasons to want the old woman dead. Rachel suspects Holly is hiding something but with years of abuse build up, both their lives will be put in danger as the necessary time unfolds all the past horror. Time is of the essence as a ruthless killer moves closer with murder on his mind.A fast-paced addition to the A Rachel Goddard Mystery series.
—Debbie Heaton
This book was not so much a Rachel Goddard mystery as it was a Tom Bridger mystery. But, it was a thoroughly enthralling and exciting read, nevertheless.The main focus was on Tom, a sheriff’s deputy and half Melungeon (a mixed race of Portuguese and Native American), who was fiercely determined to solve the only case his late father had failed to close—the decades-old murder of Pauline McClure, a Melungeon woman who had been married to a rich, white businessman in the community in the Appalachian mountains. Rachel’s role in the story consisted mainly of trying to protect Pauline’s vulnerable young niece, Holly, who might harbour suppressed memories of the night her aunt disappeared, and of fighting her own demons from the past and her growing feelings for Tom.Dark family secrets, murder, prejudice, tension, violence, suspense and a hint of romance made this a rich, gripping tale that had plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing until the end.
—Cheryl Landmark
