Book Reviews: Home Before Dark, Payne and Misery

Home Before Dark is the third book I’ve read by Christy Barritt. Daleigh McDermott is a country music singer of some success. Her father dies, and Daleigh suspects it wasn’t an accident. She starts talking to people who knew her father, trying to find out what happened to him. Daleigh and her sister have a bad relationship, always fighting, and Daleigh’s other relationships are also crumbling—especially those with her pushy boyfriend, Nashville itself, and the music industry. As she gets closer to the truth, the dangers grow, and someone is out to frighten her away. Then, he wants to silence her for good. In the middle of this story is a romance. (This book is labeled “Christian Romantic Suspense.”) It’s a good read, a little slow-moving for my taste, especially after the “Squeaky Clean” books by Mrs. Barritt were so exciting and made me want to read more. I think it’s the genre that let me down, not the author. I’m just not a romance fan. But, if you are, this is a fun book with an exciting ending. Great for light reading on a rainy afternoon.

Payne and Misery (A Christine Sterling Mystery) by Catherine Leggitt is a delightful mystery story starring nosy neighbor Christine, who, along with her husband Jesse, live next door to the Paynes. Jesse and Christine are a couple around sixty years old. Jesse loves his horses, and Christine is attached to her dog and her cats. One day, Christine decides to meet her neighbor lady, and the adventure takes off. Some days later, both the dog and the neighbor are missing, and Christine is convinced she knows who did it. Jesse tries to keep Christine from getting too “imaginative,” but Christine employs the help of another neighbor, Zora Jane. Zora Jane is a flashy dresser and devout Christian who prays first and acts later. The two ladies make an unlikely but amazing crime investigative team. While Christine misses her dog, the adventure continues. I believe anyone would enjoy this fun book, and most of us over fifty will identify with Christine, Zora Jane, Jesse, or a little bit of each. I loved this book every bit as much as the second in the trilogy, A Dunn Deal. I look forward to reading the third one, Parrish the Thought. Great job, Mrs. Leggitt!