Fairfield’s Auction

A Witherston Murder Mystery

By Betty Jean Craige

ISBN: 9781626944084

Author’s Website: http://bettyjeancraige.com/

 

Review brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

Synopsis:

On a cold winter evening in the small mountain town of Witherston, Georgia, antique dealer Hempton Fairfield auctions off rare Cherokee artifacts, Appalachian antiques, and a young African Grey parrot. Late that night, a blizzard stops traffic for a three-mile stretch of the Witherston Highway, prohibiting anyone’s arrival or departure and stranding an eighteen-wheel semi full of chickens. The next morning two bodies are discovered in the snow, the chickens are running free, and the parrot is missing, leaving a number of unanswered questions. What happened? Where’s the parrot? How did the chickens escape the stranded truck? Who rightfully owns the remnants of the thousand-year-old Cherokee civilization? Who killed the two men? And, most importantly, how many more bodies will turn up before the killer is caught?

 

Review:

Fairfield’s Auction is the first book by Betty Jean Craige that I have read.  An enjoyable read with some unforgettable characters.  I did not read the first book in this series, Downstream, so I am unsure if this hindered my enjoyment of the story.  I quickly caught up with who the town folks were and their place in the story though.

One of the aspects of the book that I enjoyed was the frequent use of telling the reader what was going on from the town’s on line newspaper……www.onlinewitherston.com (Witherston on the Web). The news was told under various headings: Announcements, Weather, Local News, Police Blotter, “In This Month in History” by Charlotte Bird (Lottie) and Letters to the Editor.  Oh…and do not forget the Menu Specials.  From this paper we learned of the events happening around town.  I found this quite ingenious as well as entertaining.

I found the pace of this mystery okay.  There were a lot of people to keep track of and at times, I was a tad bit confused.  Additionally, there were numerous story lines to keep track of.  Once they were defined, the appreciation for the story increased.

I found the character I enjoyed the most was Doolittle, an African Grey parrot that was up for auction.  Lottie’s bid was successful so she takes Doolittle home.  From what Doolittle says, we quickly learn that he was in an abusive home.  As an animal lover, that just broke my heart.  Luckily, Lottie takes the time to rehabilitate Doolittle with patience and love.

Jorge and Jaime Arroyo, twin brothers, were also favorites of mine.  They helped solve the many mysteries with their technological know-how.  And the repartee between the twins is priceless.  Had me chuckling in many places ☺.  Okay….the kidnapping of the chickens was also quite funny. Luckily they all (well mostly) found a good home.

There is mystery and intrigue in this second book of the A Witherston Murder Mystery series.  If you enjoy mysteries with a sense of humor thrown in for good measure, then you shall surely enjoy this story. .

 

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*