Tighter, Tighter by Lynn Kear

Publisher:      CreateSpace (Independent Publishing)

You can’t go home again.  Well, you can, but it can be very problematic if someone thinks you committed a murder you’ve been hiding from for years.  Kath Branch disappeared from her hometown in 1975 and went on to become a famous rock and roll star.  She doesn’t realize that a local shop owner Billy Carlson was killed that night or that Billy’s daughter-in-law prosecutor Meredith Carlson has Kath pegged as the murderer.  Meredith convinces Kath to return to town for the first time to perform in a charity event.  Meredith thinks she’s going to expose Kath as a killer, but she unleashes secrets that the Carlson’s, Meredith’s family and Kath have kept hidden for a long time.  What follows is a perfect example of why you should be careful what you start because you may not like where you end.

Tighter, Tighter shows that Kear’s writing is progressing, which is always a good thing to see in an author.  This book has a complex story with different sub stories that weave around each other to create the larger tale.  She switches scenes between the past and the present without being confusing and gives the reader a chance to see how attitudes have changed in thirty-five years.  This is crucial for understanding the outcome of what happens.  Kear includes a lot of details without letting the story bog down and lose its pace.

Most people would probably put this book in the mystery category.  It’s true there is a murder at the heart of it, but the larger story is about the relationships between people and what drives them to make the choices they do.  It shows how the choices made years before shape what comes after them.  Sometimes when those decisions are made, you know they aren’t really what you want to do, but they are what you have to do.  That was especially true years ago of people who had same sex attractions and that perspective plays a huge part in this plot.  Finally, the story is about keeping lies and how, even when done with the best of intentions, that can lead to tragic complications in people’s lives.

Tighter, Tighter had a few editing mistakes in it, but, overall, it was an enjoyable book.  The solution to the mystery isn’t really known until the end and that’s always a plus.

A Murder in a Buckhead Garden by Lynn Kear

Publisher:                   P.D. Publishing

Nicole Westlake is a highly sought residential gardener in Atlanta, Georgia, and has designed landscapes for many prominent people.  She arrives for her regular visit to Bob Thigpen's home and is stunned when a mysterious woman murders him right in front of her.  This plunges her into a mystery involving Thigpen's estranged wife Abbie, his adult children who make no pretense of their disapproval of their young stepmother, and police detective Stephanie Grace, who is a former lover of both Nicole and her partner Nora.  Despite her best efforts, Nicole is dragged deeper into the situation, especially after someone gives a false tip to the police that Nicole is involved with the number one suspect Abbie.  Solving the murder is not just about clearing her name, but making sure that her relationship with Nora is not destroyed.

A Murder in a Buckhead Garden is a good example of a book that has a catchy introduction and good end, but what's in between is disappointing.  The story starts off strong and then wanders around through unnecessary scenes.  It seems as if Kear thought of enough for a short story and then couldn't fill in the details properly to make a full book.  There are moments when the story is interesting and shows the potential it had, but they aren't sustained.  At times it seems as if Kear can't decide if she wants to tell a mystery or a mixed up love story.  Her main character is confusing since she professes love for her partner, but contemplates cheating with more than one of the other women.  This inconsistency in characters is irritating instead of enlightening.  Where the book does deliver is in the ending.  The mystery does have a surprise.

This isn't Lynn Kear's first book, but it is her first work of fiction.  Her other books are biographies, which seems to indicate that relating the facts of someone's life may be easier than creating details from scratch.  She needs more practice in applying her skills to fiction if that is the course she's going to follow.

 

A reader looking for a book to occupy a couple of hours will find this book suits that need.  This isn't a keeper though and doesn't deliver the value for the cost.