Loss of Innocence

Rating:
Summary: smart, funny, and WELL-WRITTEN
Review: I love mysteries, and I'm constantly amazed and disappointed by the number of truly bad ones out there--books that are poorly written, ridiculously plotted, and in serious need of a decent editor. How refreshing, then, to stumble onto LOSS OF INNOCENCE, a smart, funny, book, with believable characters and a well-conceived plot by a writer who actually knows how to write. I loved this book and could not put it down.

Rating:
Summary: JUDGING BY THE LACK OF REVIEWS, I AM NOT ALONE!
Review: I will always encourage the efforts of any african american writer or artist trying to make a mark, and I encourage us to support one another. However, to be honest, this book and "Sunrise" were not for me. In a mystery, I look for more plot intrigue, sharp dialoge,and characters that I either love or hate, but with passion. I did't find any of this in either novel. But to her credit, if you like small town mysteries and more scenery than excitement, she is a master of description.

Rating:
Summary: smart, funny, and WELL-WRITTEN
Review: I will always encourage the efforts of any african american writer or artist trying to make a mark, and I encourage us to support one another. However, to be honest, this book and "Sunrise" were not for me. In a mystery, I look for more plot intrigue, sharp dialoge,and characters that I either love or hate, but with passion. I did't find any of this in either novel. But to her credit, if you like small town mysteries and more scenery than excitement, she is a master of description.

Rating:
Summary: intrigue and death awaits our heroine in a Innocence
Review: In a small South Carolina town, senior citizen Julia Wingate confesses to the police that over five decades ago, she committed a murder. If it was just about anyone else, African-American writer, word processing teac her, sleuth, all around modern woman Troy Burdette would not have even been aware of the situation. However, Julia is the only living relative of her former husband. So being the good-natured sap that she is and as a fa vor to her ex, who she remains friendly with, Troy heads to Carolina in the morning to ascertain what really happened in 1943. When she reaches the beach town, she immediately begins her own murder investigation. She queries Great Aunt Julia and many of the townsfolk as she tries to determine the voracity of Julia's startling confession. Tro y is persistent and once started will not quit until she learns the full truth. LOSS OF INNOCENCE is an interesting small town mystery fiction because of the great characters. Everyone will be enchanted by Troy and the townsfolk come alive as if the reader is actually visiting a small coastal Car olina town. Though the mystery is probably not strong enough for the most radical purist of the who-done-it school of sleuthing, Chassie West's novel will fascinate everyone else. Harriet Klausner