Rating: 
Summary: Captivating
Review: Sharyn McCrumb's insight into a police-person's personality is interesting as we read the thoughts of Sheriff Arrowood. Some mysteries can only be a mysterious as logic will allow. McCrumb's description of Frankie Silver and the unfortunate girl's final experiences are touching and believable, as is her description of Fate Harkryder. I wouldn't describe this book as a "can't put down" type but certainly would call it a "got to get back to it soon" type. I enjoyed it very much and will certainly read more of Sharyn McCrumb.
Rating: 
Summary: Well-written and exceeding moving.
Review: I've enjoyed reading Sharyn McCrumb's books for several years now. I've enjoyed the other books in this series as well, but I think this is the best so far. The continuing characters (Nora Bonesteel and the members of the police department) are the framework McCrumb uses to tell the true story of Frankie Silver. This is not so much a "whodunit" as a "how-it-happened". Frankie's story and the parallel story of Fate Harkryder will stay in my mind a long time. Well done, Ms. McCrumb!
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating historical mystery
Review: The latest entry in the Ballad series explores the 19th century murder trial of Frankie Silver, with snippets taking place in modern day Tennessee. This time Ms. McCrumb's inhabitants of Hamelin, Tennessee take a back seat to the historical murder case of a young woman charged with murdering her husband and butchering the body to get rid of the evidence.Unlike one of the previous ballad novels, She Walks these Hills, this story does not seamlessly go from past to present. Just when you are getting interested in Frankie Silver's murder trial, the scene suddenly shifts back to 1990s Tennessee and Spencer Arrowwood's attempt to reinvestigate his first murder case. It also takes a long time to see how the 2 murders separated by 150 years have any relationship to one another. In spite of the book's almost split personality, it is quite interesting and moving story.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting bit of Appalachian folklore mixed with fiction.
Review: I found the book dragged in places, but overall, a very good book. I was unaware, until later, that the Ballad of Frankie Silver was a true story, passed down from the generations in the Appalchians. The author writes a good mystery and I was surprised at the ending. I would recommend her books to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: The Best of McCrumb
Review: While reviewers on this site from North Carolina and Tenness have already said many of the things I would like to say about this book, I do want to add my own bit. I have read everything that Sharon McCrumb has written, and I consider this to be her finest work to date. It kept me turning pages until I fell asleep in my chair in the wee hours of the morning. The story of Frankie Silver has always fascinated me, having lived all my life in NC and being interested in its history and folklore. I always wondered how a slightly built 18-year-old could have butchered and burned a body in the same one-room cabin where she lived. This story moves easily back and forth from one end of a century-and-a-half to another, showing that while technology has advanced, human nature has not kept pace. This is a powerful and insightful book. I agree with the reviewer on this website who said that if you want to introduce your friends to McCrumb, start here.
Rating: 
Summary: Not worth the bother of wading through for the finish.
Review: I have enjoyed every other book she has written, no this one. I stuck it out to the end, wading through interminable recitations of unimportant family lineage hoping I would be rewarded. I wasn't. I knew who, why and how "did it" long before the end, both in the modern and historical tales. Everybody in this book was too stupid by half. Ms McCrumb seems to be losing steam. Her muse might be tired. I longed for the bite and wit of "IF I'd Killed Him When I Met Him". This one read like she put her wordprocessor on autopilot.
Rating:
Summary: Ms. McCrumb hits incredible notes in this "Ballad"
Review: I've truly enjoyed all of Sharyn McCrumb's previous 'Ballad' novels, especially "She Walks These Hills". With her new novel, "The Ballad of Frankie Silver", Ms. McCrumb strikes a perfect chord between the past and present. Her new book is well-paced and laced with the flavor of the Appalachian mountains as they were in the 1830's and today. Weaving a spellbinding tale of today's death row and yesterday's mob justice, Ms. McCrumb notes just how much has changed...and how much remains the same. Sheriff Arrowood returns in his most limited, but perhaps most effective role, as do Deputys LeDonne and Ayers, and the unflappable Nora Bonesteel. If you have just been introduced to Sharyn McCrumb's mystery novels, or if you're a long time fan, this is what every previous McCrumb novel has led to - history and today's headlines, the personal and the social, family...and the costs of protecting it. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Spectacular
Review: Sharyn continues to write stunning stories of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. She clearly lives in the area, and clearly loves the area. Her writing captures the local folklore and blends it into her tales of whodunit and why. Nora Bonesteel could have played a larger part, such as she did in "The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter". I also wasn't sure why Sharyn bothered with the recent murders, since they were not a factor and not really addressed. Otherwise, an insightful and compelling story. It kept me awake until I finished it. Where's the next one, Sharyn?
Rating:
Summary: Mountain folklore at its best!!!!!!
Review: Regardless whether you happen to be from the actual setting of the novel or somewhere across the country, this is a novel that keeps you entranced. As a reader of all Sharyn McCrumb novels, I was not disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Solving a 168 year old murder mystery?
Review: As a forensic psychologist who actually lives and works in the area where this very real murder took place in 1831, I have long been intrigued by those events. Sharyn McCrumb has done a beautiful job of capturing the dialogue and feel of the people and the legal system of the era. While it is impossible to describe the true beauty of these mountains, Sharyn McCrumb comes very close. The reader should be reminded that Frankie, Charlie and that cast of characters really lived. Kona, NC is a real place, as are Charlie Silver's graves. This was one of many tragic events the early settlers in these hills endured. The cutbacks to modern times and dialogue are helpful. Cutbacks provide contrast so that we are reminded of the difference between those times and ours. In my studies of murders, I have always thought it implausable that little Frankie Silver could have cut up Charlie as she did and dispose of the body. Did she have help? Was Charlie the abusive oaf he was rumored to be? Sharyn has capured those times and people as few writers could have. It is my opinion that she really has solved the mystery, and has done it in an entertaining way. I did not give this book five stars only because in my opinion this is not her masterpiece--that is reserved for "She Walks These Hills." A fine read. I can hardly wait to see what Ms. McCrumb does next.
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