Waiting on Wednesday #177: The Unquiet Grave by Sharyn McCrumb

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event which had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

Synopsis from Goodreads:
From New York Times bestselling author Sharyn McCrumb comes a finely wrought novel set in nineteenth-century West Virginia, based on the true story of one of the strangest murder trials in American history—the case of the Greenbrier Ghost.

Lakin, West Virginia, 1930
Following a suicide attempt and consigned to a segregated insane asylum, attorney James P. D. Gardner finds himself under the care of Dr. James Boozer. Fresh out of medical school, Dr. Boozer is eager to try the new talking cure for insanity, and encourages his elderly patient to reminisce about his experiences as the first black attorney to practice law in nineteenth-century West Virginia. Gardner's most memorable case was the one in which he helped to defend a white man on trial for the murder of his young bride—a case that the prosecution based on the testimony of a ghost.

Greenbrier, West Virginia, 1897
Beautiful, willful Zona Heaster has always lived in the mountains of West Virginia. Despite her mother’s misgivings, Zona marries Erasmus Trout Shue, the handsome blacksmith who has recently come to Greenbrier County. After weeks of silence from the newlyweds, riders come to the Heasters’ place to tell them that Zona has died from a fall, attributed to a recent illness. Mary Jane is determined to get justice for her daughter. A month after the funeral, she informs the county prosecutor that Zona’s ghost appeared to her, saying that she had been murdered. An autopsy, ordered by the reluctant prosecutor, confirms her claim.

The Greenbrier Ghost is renowned in American folklore, but Sharyn McCrumb is the first author to look beneath the legend to unearth the facts. Using a century of genealogical material and other historical documents, McCrumb reveals new information about the story and brings to life the personalities in the trial: the prosecutor, a former Confederate cavalryman; the defense attorney, a pro-Union bridgeburner, who nevertheless had owned slaves; and the mother of the murdered woman, who doggedly sticks to her ghost story—all seen through the eyes of a young black lawyer on the cusp of a new century, with his own tragedies yet to come.

With its unique blend of masterful research and mesmerizing folklore, illuminating the story’s fascinating and complex characters, The Unquiet Grave confirms Sharyn McCrumb’s place among the finest Southern writers at work today.

The Unquiet Grave is expected to be published June 20, 2017 from Atria Books.

Why am I waiting on this one? I've enjoyed the other Ballad novels. I like stories set in the South. And this sounds unusual. It's not a simple ghost story. The point of view sounds interesting.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Review: Prayers the Devil Answers by Sharyn McCrumb

Published May 10th 2016 by Simon and Schuster Audio 

Prayers the Devil Answers by Sharyn McCrumb is considered to be #11 in her Ballad series.The book opens with a long description of a Dumb Supper that a group of girls is participating in to find out who they will marry. While it was interesting, it was also slow moving and made it a little hard to get into the book.

Things start to pick up with the when the plot turns to Albert and Eleanor Robbins. Poor Ellie is at her husband's deathbed. He was elected Sheriff only a short time before. Now he has contracted pneumonia.

When she is widowed, Ellie doesn't want to go back to live with her brother-in-law and his wife. Knowing she has to provide for her 2 boys, she approaches a county commissioner and works on convincing him that she can finish out the term of her husband's employ as sheriff. What follows is a description of how her time goes as Sheriff  in this 1936 small, rural town in Appalachia.

Things progress smoothly until a man decides to kill his wife. As the turn of events unfold, Ellie becomes responsible for his execution.

I listened to this as an audiobook read by Candace Thaxton. There are times her voice falls kind of flat and I wonder if that was for effect or if that's just the way she speaks.

Ellie is a most interesting character. There's a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt, "A woman is like a tea bag- you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water." Ellie is a good wife and mother, but kind of shy and reluctant to talk to strangers. It's not until Albert dies that she finds the strength to do things she never could picture herself doing like going to the county commissioner and asking for Albert's job. She also finds the strength to stand up to her brother-in-law when he and his wife show up with the notion of taking her and her children back up the mountain to live with them. It's this previously hidden strength that serves Mrs. Robbins well in her time as Sheriff.

I give this audiobook 3 out of 5 stars. I liked it, but didn't think it was great. I might have a different opinion if I had read a hard copy instead. If you enjoy the Ballad series, you will probably enjoy this book. Be aware, it doesn't have Nora Bonesteel or any of the other recurring characters in it.

I borrowed my copy from my local library.

Quickie Review: Nora Bonesteel's Christmas Past by Sharyn McCrumb

Published October 7th 2014
by Abingdon Press 

Nora Bonesteel's Christmas Past by Sharyn McCrumb is a novella length book featuring two parallel stories. One is about Sheriff Spencer Arrowwood and his deputy Joe LeDonne. The other is about Nora Bonesteel being called upon to use her "sight" to help a new family staying for Christmas make peace with a ghost of Christmas past. From the publisher, "In a story of spirits, memories, and angels unaware, Sharyn McCrumb revisits her most loved characters who know there is more to this world than the eye can see, especially at Christmastime."

The story of Sheriff Arrowwood and Deputy LeDonne has them going out Christmas Eve to arrest a man because a senator wants him arrested over a trivial reason. It's the last way that either man would want to spend Christmas. And yet they're called to do so. The man in question is elderly and has an elderly wife to take care of as well.

Nora Bonesteel spends much of the story reminiscing about what Christmas was like at the Old Honeycutt place when she was young. The new folks that own the house have generally been snowbirds, but this year decided to stay for Christmas and their pink tree keeps getting knocked down by some unseen force.

The stories are interesting and the writing goes back and forth a little between the two stories. The characters of course are well done. The writing is excellent. I liked both stories. This is a good book for a Christmas Eve and would make a nice gift for someone. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Teaser Tuesday: Nora Bonesteel's Christmas Past by Sharyn McCrumb

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of  Should Be Reading.

Anyone can participate. just do the following.

Rules:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t  give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

"Shirley had Nora Bonesteel to thank for her newly-planted flower beds, filled with only local plants species. But, when the Haverty's Christmas tree was felled by that non-existent gust of wind, Shirley had remembered her neighbor's other talent and decided to fight local ghosts with local magic, if that's what it was."

From Goodreads.com:

"When someone buys the old Honeycutt house, Nora Bonesteel is glad to see some life brought back to the old mansion, even if it is by summer people. But when they decide to stay through Christmas, they find more than old memories in the walls. On Christmas Eve, Sheriff Spencer Arrowwood and Deputy Joe LeDonne find themselves on an unwelcome call to arrest an elderly man for a minor offense. As they attempt to do their duty, while doing the right thing for a neighbor, it begins to look like they may all spend Christmas away from home. In a story of spirits, memories, and angels unaware, Sharyn McCrumb revisits her most loved characters who know there is more to this world than the eye can see, especially at Christmastime. "

Nora Bonesteel is one of my favorite characters from the Ballad series by Sharyn McCrumb. She is kind and sensible. Knows more than a thing or two about plants. And has a touch of sight.

What book are you reading this week? Please leave your teaser or a link to it in the comments. I look forward to hearing from you!

Waiting on Wednesday #32 - Nora Bonesteel's Christmas Past by Sharyn McCrumb

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. 

I know this one is way early in the year to post, but I am so excited to see it that I had to share it right away. It's due out October 7, 2014 from Abingdon Press. I love Sharyn McCrumb's Ballad novels. This novella takes place in the same area and with some of the same characters at Christmas time. I love the way she is able to tie together past and present and folklore or folksong to make a great story. I look forward to it even at novella length. 

From the publisher:

When someone buys the old Honeycutt house, Nora Bonesteel is glad to see some life brought back to the old mansion, even if it is by summer people. But when they decide to stay through Christmas, they find more than old memories in the walls.

On Christmas Eve, Sheriff Spencer Arrowwood and Deputy Joe LeDonne find themselves on an unwelcome call to arrest an elderly man for a minor offense. As they attempt to do their duty, while doing the right thing for a neighbor, it begins to look like they may all spend Christmas away from home.

In a story of spirits, memories, and angels unaware, Sharyn McCrumb revisits her most loved characters who know there is more to this world than the eye can see, especially at Christmastime.

What book are you waiting on this week?