Rating: 
Summary: Great concept, fair delivery...
Review: The Ballad of Frankie Silver has a great concept, tying together three murder cases in various time periods and using the same characters as She Walks These Hills. The first two chapters kept me on the edge of my seat, but as time wore on, I had a hard time keeping my interest in the story. I would suggest the Patricia Cornwell series as an alternative. -- Melissa Galyon
Rating: 
Summary: A BIG disappointment
Review: I have read other of McCrumb's book that I have loved-but this I meerly wanted to finish so I could find out the not exciting ending and get it over with! This just didn't strike me the same way as her others.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting look at parallels
Review: The author maneuvers deftly between viewpoints and centuries to intertwine Appalachian legend and a modern sherriff's struggle with the meaning and process of justice. Only superficially a "murder mystery," this novel is a fascinating and well-researched examination of class issues in criminal justice, particularly as they pertain to capital punishment.
Rating:
Summary: Not her best but an excellent read
Review: While I will admit that the Ballad of Frankie Silver is not on the level with her three stellar Appalachian-region novels, Hangman's Beautiful Daughter, She Walks These Hills, and the Rosewood Casket, I am at a loss with the numerous negative reviews this book has received.Yes, the switching back and forth between three different time periods was problematic. Yes, the outcome was somewhat predictable, but lets not throw the proverbial bay out with the bathwater. The characters in this book are three dimensional, the premise is gripping the the plot is suspensful. I simply could not put the book down. And, in a way this book moves beyond the others in the ballad series in that this is an actual work of historic fiction. The principle charcters in the 19th century segement of the book were actually people. If you enjoyed the others books in the ballad series, you will enjoy this one. Indeed, I found the book a great way to spend a couple of evenings.
Rating:
Summary: Character development loses to historical padding
Review: The premise of this book was good, and parts of it were engrossing. Unfortunately it appeared that the author decided that lifting entire sections from historical accounts of the time period or region would work to fill some pages fast. The characters never came to life and the section on the old duel between one obscure character, who had been briefly mentioned before, and a totally introduced dandy seemed totally out of place. What did it have to do with anything? Too bad, it appears this is a typical example of an author with a good idea, but no energy to sustain the effort.
Rating:
Summary: well, I really liked it
Review: This was the first book I read of this series. It was very interesting, or I wouldn't have stuck through it. If it was dull, or slow, i wouldn't have finished it because at the time i hadn't heard of the author or the series. All you people complaining sound like the people who complained that INSOMNIA by stephen king was too long (it was large, but the plot in INSOMNIA developed beautifully).
Rating:
Summary: Not quite up to par with her usual novels.
Review: While I enjoyed this book, I found myself bored through a great deal of the historical sections. This book was much more historical and less "mysterious" than Sharyn McCrumb's other ballad mysteries. Many of the below reviews seem to have been written by people who have never read the ballad mysteries, and so it would make sense that they would give this a bad review since they don't understand what they're supposed to be about. Our favorite psychic, Nora Bonesteel, doesn't play as large a part in this one as she does in some of the others (with the exception of Pretty Peggy-O). The best place to start in the ballad mysteries would be the middle three books of the five. And they are DEFINITELY worth the read - especially if you love ghosts, backwoods family history and spirituality and a touch of historical ballads. Read this one last if you must read it but don't expect the same type of book.
Rating:
Summary: Reading this novel is like wading through cold molasses...
Review: If you are looking for a literary exposition on the rural poor in America, I'd look to John Steinbeck. He manages to convey more emotion and thought in 50 pages than Sharyn McCrumb can squeeze out of 400. McCrumb has clearly done ample research for this historical "mystery" (where! ) novel, and she clearly did not want to discard a shred of the knowledge she picked up. It's all there... page after page of repetitive descriptions covering farming techniques, dressmaking, the proper way to hang a convict. McCrumb certainly could have used an editor for this book. The plot displays little progression, and the flashy juxtposition of modern and historical murders never ties together in a satisfying way. Indeed, key points in the novel are motivated by characters' intuition (and even mountain psychics!), leading me to think that the author couldn't figure out how to conclude the story.
Rating: 
Summary: A powerful book
Review: A fine and powerful book although I like her Elizabeth Macpherson series better.
Rating:
Summary: Not So Very Mysterious Appalachian Capitol Punishment Drama
Review: The solution to the mystery is evident fairly early on. The author makes the case that capitol punishment is wrong because the poor and ignorant aren't properly defended in criminal court and are, therefore, likely to be unjustly condemned. 300 extra pages of redundant prose ensue. Some of McCrumb's recurring characters appear here and there, doing nothing to thicken the plot.
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