Reviews
The Return of the Raven Mocker (An Alafair Tucker Mystery) by Donis Casey is a compelling book. I gave it five stars because the characters came to life and kept my attention.... I had not read Donis Casey's books before and am thrilled to discover an established series. I added all of them to my wish list., Grimly realistic, this unusual mystery - ninth in the series - set during the flu pandemic of 1918, graphically portrays, from a caregiver's perspective, nursing the desperately ill and witnessing horrible deaths, while also worrying about loved ones fighting overseas. Vividly rendered and psychologically astute, this somewhat transparent puzzler provides an unusually immersive perspective on familiar historical territory., The Return of the Raven Mocker is well written tale. I found it immensely enjoyable and I'm sure you will too. Read the entire series!!! I highly recommend The Return of the Raven Mocker., Anyone not knowing the name Alafair Tucker of Boynton, Oklahoma has missed some very delightful writing. Alafair is a woman of strong character. She has to be as she is the mother of ten children most of them grown by now in this ninth of her series.... I have enjoyed this series very much. On opening the first page, I feel myself being pulled into the Tucker family - happily so., What a great time to commit murder. During a major pandemic. Who's to know? Who's going to even notice? A delightful story. One not to be missed if you are fascinated by the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918., Grimly realistic, this unusual mystery----ninth in the series----set during the flu pandemic of 1918, graphically portrays, from a caregiver's perspective, nursing the desperately ill and witnessing horrible deaths, while also worrying about loved ones fighting overseas. Vividly rendered and psychologically astute, this somewhat transparent puzzler provides an unusually immersive perspective on familiar historical territory., Anyone not knowing the name Alafair Tucker of Boynton, Oklahoma has missed some very delightful writing. Alafair is a woman of strong character. She has to be as she is the mother of ten children most of them grown by now in this ninth of her series.~~~ I have enjoyed this series very much. On opening the first page, I feel myself being pulled into the Tucker family - happily so., The Return of the Raven Mocker (An Alafair Tucker Mystery) by Donis Casey is a compelling book. I gave it five stars because the characters came to life and kept my attention.~~~ I had not read Donis Casey's books before and am thrilled to discover an established series. I added all of them to my wish list., Grimly realistic, this unusual mystery--ninth in the series--set during the flu pandemic of 1918, graphically portrays, from a caregiver's perspective, nursing the desperately ill and witnessing horrible deaths, while also worrying about loved ones fighting overseas. Vividly rendered and psychologically astute, this somewhat transparent puzzler provides an unusually immersive perspective on familiar historical territory., Casey's thoughtful ninth Alafair Tucker mystery (after 2015's All Men Fear Me) ably evokes rural Oklahoma in 1918. In remote Boynton, farm wife Alafair prays for an end to the hostilities in Europe as her youngest child starts school. Meanwhile, the flu pandemic of that year turns Boynton into a battleground. Townspeople by the score fall ill, the Tucker children are unofficially quarantined at a relative's home, and Alafair moves into town to nurse her daughter Alice and Alice's husband, who are both sick with the flu. When Alice's neighbor Nola Thomason and her adult son, Lewis, die suddenly, Alafair suspects foul play rather than flu, a concern exacerbated by the discovery that Nola's husband has taken out a $25,000 insurance policy on her life. In tandem with new-to-town medic Emmett Carney, Alafair sleuths and keeps her loved ones safe. Readers may find Alafair's huge extended family hard to keep straight, but the homespun mood remains winning, while the impact of world history on the Ozarks is skillfully evoked., The mystery comes in second (or maybe third) to history lessons and paeans to traditional American values in this folksy tale of small towns and big hearts.
