Waters Conspiring

Rating:
Summary: Waters Conspiring
Review: A fine mystery, set in a period of great upheaval. Mr. Varner creates a true and real world of change and trial.

Rating:
Summary: Runs deep.
Review: A very solid first novel. The author accomplishes a very neat feat indeed, with the narrative shifting back and forth from the Great Depression/New Deal Era, to the 1860's. This creates a dual tension, so the reader feels the suspense of seeing personalities of days gone by affecting the present crisis. The "sense of place" is well established, I guess because the flood means so much to the plot-- the characters experience disaster slowly. If you've ever moved to a small town that values Things the Way They've Always Been, then the depiction here will get you in your gut. The people aren't one dimensional as is often the case in throwback novels. This is the kind of book you keep in mind to give to others-- it is a nice discovery, and I've given it to my grandparents (who vouched for its realistic depictions of time and place).

Rating:
Summary: Runs deep.
Review: A very solid first novel. The author accomplishes a very neat feat indeed, with the narrative shifting back and forth from the Great Depression/New Deal Era, to the 1860's. This creates a dual tension, so the reader feels the suspense of seeing personalities of days gone by affecting the present crisis. The "sense of place" is well established, I guess because the flood means so much to the plot-- the characters experience disaster slowly. If you've ever moved to a small town that values Things the Way They've Always Been, then the depiction here will get you in your gut. The people aren't one dimensional as is often the case in throwback novels. This is the kind of book you keep in mind to give to others-- it is a nice discovery, and I've given it to my grandparents (who vouched for its realistic depictions of time and place).

Rating:
Summary: A Page-Turner of a Mystery set in two historical eras
Review: This is a fine book with great characters, local genre and mystery all thrown in together. As a native of Ohio, and descendant of a civil war veteran I especially appreciated it, and certainly hope Mr. Varner will write (and publish) more.