The Burning of Rachel Hayes (Five Star First Edition Mystery Series)

Rating:
Summary: The return of Doug Allyn
Review: The take-no-prisoners style of Doug Allyn has returned in a tight, waste no words novel set in Michigan and drawing heavily on Michigan history and geography. It's far from dull though - I don't think Allyn is capable of being dull - and the geography lesson is nicely incorporated when the central character, Dr. David Westbrook, hears a cry, and upon invesigating finds an hysterical mother whose child has fallen down a long abandoned and neglected well. The resulting resuce sequence is practically a primer on how to write action - the overlay of emotion is almost a bonus. Think Nevada Barr on steroids. The plot centers around the doubt the authorities have when dealing with David - he is a recently released prisoner, as well as a veternarian - and his growing ties to the community in the form of both his landlady and a local newspaper reporter who is writing about Rachel Hayes, whose skeleton was discovered in the abandoned well after the rescue, and whose land David is renting. Her spirit haunts the book, but in a very low key (though sometimes creepy) way. Don't read this book if you are expecting Allyn to shield you form any kind of violence that, based on well built characters in his part, becomes all the more disturbing. This is not the work of a sentimental author - regardless of the fact that the book made me cry - but rather the work of a writer who can tell an interesting and compelling story in a straightforward manner.

Rating:
Summary: terrific tale
Review: Veterinarian Dr. David Westbrook relocates to Algoma, Michigan after two years in prison for hitting a cop. David had been drinking away his sorrows over the death of his beloved child to Leukemia and ultimately his marriage when he lost it. Now he plans to start over in this remote northern community.

David hears a woman screaming for help;. He drives until he finds Brenda, whose eight year old son fell into a well. David convinces the much bigger and stronger Brenda to let him climb down while she anchors the tent nylon that he will use and eventually pull them up. He rescues Bobby, but saw a corpse in the well.

The official excavation at the well digs up the remains of a trapper and the fused skeletons of Rachel Hayes and her dog, who died in the Great Fire of 1871. Death and fire soon stalk David with the local sheriff suspecting him of every crime since the JFK assassination. David makes inquiries into Rachel's death as unexplained happenings seem to surround him including falling in love with an older woman.

Though David is a terrific center holding the mystery together, the women make this a . Besides the gender bender well rescue that shows how non-sexist the hero is, his relationships with a feisty reporter, the older Yvonne, and perhaps Rachel provide realism in a paranormal scenario. David ponders whether Rachel guides him so that history does not repeat itself with avarice destroying the land. Readers will enjoy this fabulous tale unless they are CEOs of the timber/development industries or employees of the misnamed EPA.

Harriet Klausner