The Rector

When I picked up and saw that this was a "Christian murder mystery" my first thought was that it was going to be boring as sin, because we all need some salacious details, gossip, and gore to make it a little more interesting. Thankfully, I was quickly proven wrong. Michael Hicks Thompson does a great job of bringing small town southern gossip, church drama, and quirky characters to life. Yes there is a religious slant to it (beyond all the priests getting murdered), but it's honest and not too preachy. The story isn't 100% squeaky clean, one of the church goers is a former prostitute that gets raped and adultery comes up a few times, but overall this story will appeal to those that prefer clean Christian reads and those that like quirky mysteries. Martha McRae is a widow operating a boarding house in a small Mississippi town in the 1950s. When their priest unexpectedly dies a new rector comes to town to take his place. He takes lodging at Martha, but she quickly suspects that something isn't on the up and up. She puts her sleuthing skills to work to try and uncover whatever it is that's going on. Funny, lighthearted and filled with easy bits of theology, this book will appeal to a wide array of readers.

I received this book for free from Book Crash in return for my honest, unbiased review.

Whistling Past the Graveyard

This book was adorable!! If you are a fan of "The Help" or "The Secret Life of Bees" then this is the book for you!!! Susan Crandall vividly brings to life the most remarkable, yet relate-able characters I've read in a long while.

Set in 1963 Mississippi, young, naive Starla runs away from her strict grandmother and heads to Nashville to reconnect with her mother whom she hasn't seen since she was young. Daddy's off working on an oil rig so Starla is set on finding and living with her momma, a famous singer by the name of Lulu.

Starla doesn't think through her runaway plan and is soon rescued from the sweltering heat by Eula, a nice black woman who is caring for a white baby. Together the three of them go on a journey that will radically change their lives and make them stronger than they ever thought possible.

The story is beautifully told through Starla's eyes and really helps illustrate the "separate but equal" unjustices that were plaguing the south. Starla comes to understand how unfair and unequal things are by traveling with Eula and her perception of the world is forever altered.

It's a beautiful story! I highly recommend!

For fans of historical fiction and southern literature.