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The Hidden Assassinsby: Robert Wilson |
Arts Bloodby Vicki LaneArts Bloodicki Lane, gives us an entirely different view of Appalachia. It's as seen by a woman from Florida moving to North Carolina – considered a newbie even though that same woman has lived in this mountain area for over twenty years! Sharyn McCrumb, so well-known for her writing about this region, appeals to the reader from a wholly different standpoint. Ms. Lane, on the other hand, brings you forcibly into the current ideologies of young people in that area (especially artists) while simultaneously expounding on a tangled past. Vicki Lane's novel is a quality production that deserves a hardback cover instead of the paperback one in which it appears.Elizabeth Goodweather, a mid-age widow from Florida, finds herself attending a gallery opening in the nearest city, Asheville, at the behest of her youngest daughter Laurel. Laurel, herself an artist, obviously expects her mother to oo and ah over the latest 'performance art' which the gallery is exhibiting. (An interruption from the reviewer: Like most mature people, I find all the 'new' phases of artistic expression simply point to the fact that beauty can be found anywhere – and the lack of real effort as demonstrated in the newer 'arts' rather than the old masterpieces also points out the incipient laziness of the young!) Created by friends of Laurel's, called 'The 3” and consisting of a girl named Kyra and two young men named Aiden and Boz, all of whom happen to live across the road from Elizabeth in a rented house, the exhibit and opening is supposed to create very necessary publicity to be completed by photographs of the 'performance' at another gallery, more prestigious, called QuerY. A murder almost immediately follows – Boz is found dead with a bullet hole in the back of his head – what's left of him inside a totaled car that was inside a junkyard and flattened with the yard's crusher. As the story progresses and Elizabeth becomes further involved, she finds all kinds of convoluted relationships harkening back to past events along with a quilt that was to have been given to President Roosevelt, plus adopted children, lesbianism, devoted servants and – of course – wealth. Art's Blood deftly points to first one suspect, then another – and then still another. Both old and new murders crop up, some appearing as perfectly normal 'accidents' or circumstances. Unraveling the mysteries of relationships as well as the murders keeps Elizabeth busy as well as her deepening attraction to a former policeman. When the final revelation takes place, it's the old story of an individual you'd least suspect! Vicki Lane has perfected the mystery-writing craft in an amazingly short time. Art's Blood doesn't fall into the 'cozy' category of mysteries – I'm not even sure what category could contain it – but I can assure you you'll keep reading until you discover the final 'why' of the myriad questions that are presented! Alan Paul Curtis |
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