# Of book read so far this year: 21
Title: Signs in the Blood
Author: Vicki Lane
Narrator:
Year Published: 2005
Rating (1-10): 10
Date Finished: 06/09/09
Genre: Fiction,
# Of pages: 400
Where did the book come from: Kindle (paper version came from PBS)
Recommended by: Lonny Cohen
Blurb: Elizabeth Goodweather and her husband built a rewarding life in the hills and hollows of their adopted Appalachian home. But now Elizabeth is alone, her husband tragically killed, her children grown, the land around her filled with customs and beliefs she cannot share. It’s still a good life–tending the small herb and flower business–but Elizabeth’s fragile peace is about to be shattered.
Cletus Gentry vanished while hunting ginseng in the hills–and his mother is sure the childlike man was murdered. As Elizabeth retraces Cletus’s last wanderings, she will discover that a killer has been waiting all the while in the coves and hollows near her farm for her to see the light…and then come willingly to her own death.
My Comments: I found myself both drawn to and repulsed by this book, so rich in Appalachian culture. I was especially fascinated by the dialect that is used by the mountain people because it is the exact same dialect that is used in my area (SW Virginia). I could hear their voices so clearly in my mind as I read. There were parts of this book that were simply horrifying to me, and in fact, even gave me difficulty in falling asleep one night. This is a well written book, and I definitely will be reading the second book in this series, Art's Blood. I recommend this book but with caution.