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book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
Book on CD read by Kathe Mazur
In 1972 the citizens of DeClare, Oklahoma were shocked by a brutal crime. Gaylene Harjo’s body was found in her trailer with multiple stab wounds, and her baby, Nicky Jack, was missing. Nicky Jack’s body was never found, though the sheriff dug up most of the land around the presumed killer’s home after finding the infant’s torn and bloody pajamas nearby. Nearly thirty years later, a tall man comes to town and claims to be the missing Nicky Jack. His reappearance stuns the populace, challenges long-held assumptions, and angers the sheriff who doesn’t like to have his crime-solving ability questioned.
Letts has crafted a fine mystery here. Originally intending only to meet the mother who gave birth to him and find out why she gave him up, Mark’s discovery that she died only leads to more questions. How did Mark Albright (a/k/a Nicodemus Jack Harjo) wind up adopted by a California couple? Who was his father? Who killed his mother? As he begins to dig for answers he is helped by his aunt, Teeve Harjo, his cousin Ivy, and a tenacious reporter turned true-crime author with an axe to grind. Along the way he finds love and has to make some decisions about how he’ll live the rest of his life and the man he’ll be.
This is the third book by Billie Letts that I’ve read, and I’ve enjoyed them all. She has a way with dialogue and dialect that really brings her characters to life. Even the minor characters are fully drawn and interesting. Her plotting is pretty good, as well – keeping the reader turning pages and busy trying to figure out the truth behind all those efforts to conceal and derail. And while I did guess the real culprit before Letts revealed the answer … I was only a page or so ahead of the characters as they uncovered the truth.
I have one tiny quibble … a doctor explaining the injury to a shooting victim states: ”Fortunately, it’s a through-and-through, didn’t involve bone, artery or nerve. Even missed muscle.” Huh? How can a bullet go through someone’s leg and involve absolutely NOTHING? (Note: Sorry for obsessing, but this just jumped off the page at me. I work for surgeons in a Level 1 Trauma unit, and I’ve read more than one report about gunshot wounds. A “through-and-through” should at least involve muscle – otherwise it’s just a grazing wound.)
Kathe Mazur does a fine job of the audio, although her voice is a little high-pitched for many of the male characters. Still, I enjoyed her performance. I admit that I stopped listening and read the text at about 2/3 of the way through the book. Not because there was anything wrong with Mazur’s reading, but because I wanted to get the book finished for a challenge. That experience really showed that it is really Billie Letts’s words that bring the novel to life.
In 1972 the citizens of DeClare, Oklahoma were shocked by a brutal crime. Gaylene Harjo’s body was found in her trailer with multiple stab wounds, and her baby, Nicky Jack, was missing. Nicky Jack’s body was never found, though the sheriff dug up most of the land around the presumed killer’s home after finding the infant’s torn and bloody pajamas nearby. Nearly thirty years later, a tall man comes to town and claims to be the missing Nicky Jack. His reappearance stuns the populace, challenges long-held assumptions, and angers the sheriff who doesn’t like to have his crime-solving ability questioned.
Letts has crafted a fine mystery here. Originally intending only to meet the mother who gave birth to him and find out why she gave him up, Mark’s discovery that she died only leads to more questions. How did Mark Albright (a/k/a Nicodemus Jack Harjo) wind up adopted by a California couple? Who was his father? Who killed his mother? As he begins to dig for answers he is helped by his aunt, Teeve Harjo, his cousin Ivy, and a tenacious reporter turned true-crime author with an axe to grind. Along the way he finds love and has to make some decisions about how he’ll live the rest of his life and the man he’ll be.
This is the third book by Billie Letts that I’ve read, and I’ve enjoyed them all. She has a way with dialogue and dialect that really brings her characters to life. Even the minor characters are fully drawn and interesting. Her plotting is pretty good, as well – keeping the reader turning pages and busy trying to figure out the truth behind all those efforts to conceal and derail. And while I did guess the real culprit before Letts revealed the answer … I was only a page or so ahead of the characters as they uncovered the truth.
I have one tiny quibble … a doctor explaining the injury to a shooting victim states: ”Fortunately, it’s a through-and-through, didn’t involve bone, artery or nerve. Even missed muscle.” Huh? How can a bullet go through someone’s leg and involve absolutely NOTHING? (Note: Sorry for obsessing, but this just jumped off the page at me. I work for surgeons in a Level 1 Trauma unit, and I’ve read more than one report about gunshot wounds. A “through-and-through” should at least involve muscle – otherwise it’s just a grazing wound.)
Kathe Mazur does a fine job of the audio, although her voice is a little high-pitched for many of the male characters. Still, I enjoyed her performance. I admit that I stopped listening and read the text at about 2/3 of the way through the book. Not because there was anything wrong with Mazur’s reading, but because I wanted to get the book finished for a challenge. That experience really showed that it is really Billie Letts’s words that bring the novel to life.
justin_lindemann's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Okay premise that doesn’t really go anywhere. More of a search for one’s identity than a proper mystery. If considered as literary fiction, it falls short of meaningful character development and use of devices.
sharonsueg's review against another edition
4.0
Read it in two days. Letts does well getting you to know the characters. Suspense.
bookaddict75's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A good story, easy to read. The plot is solid and the characters were believable. The end seemed a touch rushed but still fleshed it out well enough.
thestoryowl's review against another edition
4.0
A satisfying "return home to solve the long ago mystery" story that hit all the right notes for me. I especially loved the journal entries dispersed throughout that helped connect you to the victim.
lindseyslittlelibrary's review against another edition
4.0
Another book that took me by surprise. Loved the characters and how diverse they were. Overall a solid read.
tlctbr's review against another edition
3.0
Not as good as "[b:Where the Heart Is|5168|Where the Heart Is|Billie Letts|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51jGY6N4TeL._SL75_.jpg|1649]" but still a fun Billie Letts read!
lovesresqdogs's review against another edition
3.0
I agree it started slow... it wasn't my favorite of hers but still i t was an alright read
jaij7's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book. I’m a big fan of Billie Letts because Where the Heart Is is one of my favorite books. So I picked this one up when I saw the author. Took awhile to get through the book. I liked the characters and enjoyed the descriptions Letts uses. I liked the way the diary entries helped develop Gaylene.