Flatlands

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Read
Review: A refreshing new author, and a refreshing new book. Take time out of your reading schedule for this one. I am sure this is not the last we will hear from Ms Moody.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: A wonderful read. Flatlands is an intriguing story that keeps you wanting more. No detail is missed in this southern masterpiece. Highly recommenede for all.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent first book, looking forward to the next one!
Review: In her first novel, Susan Sims Moody shines in her use of language and dialogue, and excels in describing life in a small Southern town, the particularities of its inhabitants, the characteristics of the different buildings and the prevailing culture. The dialogues the author presents are engaging, and she shows her knowledge on the topic she writes about.

Jennifer Martin returns to Mississippi after graduating summa cum laude from the College of Journalism in Madison, being unable to find a job and going broke. She was resigned to move back in with her parents, but on the way there she has car trouble and ends up receiving a stroke of good luck. When looking for help, she meets Devon and Charlotte Banks, and gets a job offer as a journalist for a small town newspaper, the Bedford Sentinel. The owners of the paper also offer her a house to stay in, and she quickly runs into an old acquaintance from the past, Davis, who is extremely willing to help her get settled. After moving into her new home, Jennifer finds out that in the past addicts used the place as a harbor to get high. Therefore, she starts getting uneasy when she sees people wandering around the house at night. From this point on, the events develop quickly, with our heroine getting a new "admirer", making a curious discovery and learning another disturbing fact about her home.

The book starts out at a rather slow pace, but the vivid descriptions and craftily created dialogues keep up the interest of the reader. It looked to me as if the author was setting this pace on purpose, to reflect the speed at which life develops in a small town in the Deep South. After this, the pace and intensity starts to pick up and the action reaches vertiginous speed towards the end, where the reader will face a stunning surprise. I am glad that I had the chance to read this book and I am looking forward to the next production by this author.