Judas Burning

One of my favorite Carolyn Haines books. Judas burning is a gripping tale set in the backwoods of south Mississippi with an array of eccentric characters, realistic geographic descriptions and plenty of twists.

Judas Burning by Carolyn Haines is a superbly crafted novel about a woman's return to her home town in an attempt to uncover the murderer of her late father, and with hope find contentment in the small-town atmosphere. As readers will discover, that are some strange occurrences in the river nearby, leading locals to believe a great evil lurks in the bed of the river, as well as a much deeper case for main character Dixon Sinclair and her moderate partner and town Sheriff, J.D. Horton. Judas Burning is very highly recommended and engaging reading, and to be given especially high praise for the gripping and perpetually intriguing tale it tells.

Once again Carolyn Haines has written about her native Mississippi and the people who live in that beautiful and mystical state. Things happen and lives are changed in Jexville, far from the "maddening crowd" of Atlanta traffic and Memphis' Beale Street. The nearby river looks quiet and peaceful, but there are dark and angry currents and ghastly events take place. Two teen age girls disappear, a statue of the Virgin Mary is vandalized, and tension rises even higher when Dixon Sinclair, a journalist who has returned to her old home town, and the local sheriff try to unravel the mysteries. The population of Jexville is not large, but the characters who live there are and the plot will keep the reader on the edge of the page until the very end. After that, perhaps one could sit by the dark and swirling river and sip some sweet tea, but not quietly as this story will be remembered for a long time..