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Title: If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O
ISBN: 0345369068
Author:
Sharyn McCrumb
Publicate Date: 1991-08-13
Publish: 1991-08-13
List Price: $6.99
Average Customer Rating: 3.5
Format: Mass Market Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $1.99
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $0.01
Amazon Merchant Price: $6.99
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Quite a different setting and plot
I really enjoyed this first book in Sharyn McCrumb's Appalachian mystery series. The book revolves around the planning for a 20 anniversary high school reunion, and it therefore covered the mid to late sixties, so the music, the history, and everything was actually from my era, so that made it fun. I am a 60's music buff, so I enjoyed the references to 60's folk and rock music very much. It is actually quite a surprising plot, and the killer turns out to be a real surprise. I also enjoyed the Tennessee countryside and the small town atmosphere. I am really looking forward to reading more about Sheriff Arrowood and Deputy Joe LeDonne looks to be a very interesting character. This Vietnam vet carries a lot of baggage as so many Vietnam vets do, but it makes him interesting and mysterious. Masterfully written, and a real page-turner is how I would describe this book.
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2: Best part was O. Henry-like ending
I thought that the author did a far better job with the characters of the men than with the women. Both Martha and Peggy, although central to the dual plot lines, are pretty one-dimensional. Their personalities are described, not shown, and their actions don't seem to have any basis (whether it is a crush on LeDonne or an interest in the sheriff). The only time Peggy becomes two-dimensional is at the denoument, which was startling and O. Henry-like in its twist.
Tyndall's story was poignant but, again, there was no real sense of her as a person.
In contrast, we learned alot about the sheriff and he is very likable even though he has no insight - not even into how his own mother feels about him and his brother. He is also inept as an investigator, although the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation does even worse. LeDonne is an almost existentialist character who does have insight and an interesting background but the author doesn't seem to know what to do with him once she has fleshed his character out.
I agree with other reviewers that the culprit is obvious way too early but I kept reading to see how the various plot lines were resolved. Unlikely that I would read another book by this author.
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3: Good Book-Lousy Sheriff
As likeable and complex as he is, the detective work by the Sheriff is so negligible it makes it impossible to suspend disbelief. You've got a stalker leaving clues and bodies all over town and he's obviously zeroing in on Pretty Peggy-O, yet it never occurs to Arrowood to tap her phone, monitor her house, or even feel a lot of concern that any day now psycho Nam-dude will be paying her a visit. He just needs a date for the Reunion and some clarity about his dead brother. Ironically, he is a likalbe, sympathetic character but for his incompetence on the job. Since McCrumb does not address the passivity, I just assumed it was an oversight on her part. Other than that though, this was a good book which sharpened my appreciation for the war that generation fought. I also like LeDonne. I read this after "She Walks These Hills" which I found more absorbing.
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4: Where is the French Broad River?
This was my introduction to the Viet Nam War. Oh, I lived through it but refused to read anything concerning that atrocity until accidentally I found this novel. Actually, one of her characters had been in that war.After that, I was able to read other accounts and not cringe inside. In this one, she lists the "Ballad of the Knoxville Girl," which I had never heard before. At a book conference in Nashville in 1998, she sang this song to me as I waited for her to sign one of her books I had just purchased. She is a marvelous talent in the writing field and has gone on to do more research and entertain us royally. She's not a bad singer, either.
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5: Worth Reading and Rereading
Sharyn McCrumb is one of our finest novelists. Her characters have depth and nuance; there are surprises and suspense along the way; and she manages to touch our emotions in a way few writers do. Readers expecting a puzzle mystery may be disappointed, but that's only because McCrumb transcends the mystery genre and writes real stories about real places and real people.I've just reread the entire Apalachian series straight through and they were just as good this time as last. Can't wait for Ghost Riders in July.
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