Book Review Tuesday: The Body in the Trench by Judi Lynn #cozymystery, Gods of Howl Mountain by Taylor Brown #southernfiction

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Warm and cozy window seat with cushions and a opened book, light through vintage shutters, rustic style home decor. Small cat on window seat, along with coffee cup by pillow, Words Book Review Tuesday superimposed over image

Welcome to my first book review post of April! Today, I have a cozy mystery, part of an ongoing series, and a novel by an author I’ve never read before. I’m pleased to say both were five star reads. Let’s get started!

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BLURB:
This time, Jazzi isn’t called to solve murder. Ansel is. His uncle Len, who promised him a job when he came to River Bluffs and then let his sons drive him away, calls to ask for help. One of the workers on his construction site is buried when a retaining wall gives and dirt pours into the trench where Xavier is laying pipe. But is Xavier’s death an accident? Or did someone purposely sabotage the retaining wall?

MY REVIEW:
Loved this latest Jazzi mystery! Murder hits close to home when a worker at Ansel’s uncle’s construction site meets with an untimely death. Add in a second mystery involving workers at a country club, plus a new—and more difficult house—for Jazzi, Ansel and Jerod to flip, and there is plenty to keep readers glued to the pages. Once again, Jazzi and Ansel’s extended family make appearances (I love their Sunday get-togethers and Gram’s predictions), and there are a handful of new characters who add interest and suspicion.

The backstory involving Ansel, his Uncle Len, and Len’s sons worked well in crafting a balance between the murder mystery and family dynamics. There are several characters in this book I wanted to “take to task,” for their attitudes, but that was exactly what the author intended. Another character, I loved the moment she appeared on the page, and was happy to see how her story arc progressed. It’s the mark of a good author who can make you care for her secondary players as much as her MCs.

If you enjoy cozy mysteries with characters who lodge in your heart, this is an excellent series to escape with. I do recommend starting at the beginning for maximum enjoyment and appreciating how all of the characters connect. A highly entertaining read!

5 STARS

BLURB:
In Gods of Howl Mountain, award-winning author Taylor Brown explores a world of folk healers, whiskey-runners, and dark family secrets in the high country of 1950s North Carolina.

Bootlegger Rory Docherty has returned home to the fabled mountain of his childhood – a misty wilderness that holds its secrets close and keeps the outside world at gunpoint. Slowed by a wooden leg and haunted by memories of the Korean War, Rory runs bootleg whiskey for a powerful mountain clan in a retro-fitted ’40 Ford coupe. Between deliveries to roadhouses, brothels, and private clients, he lives with his formidable grandmother, evades federal agents, and stokes the wrath of a rival runner.

In the mill town at the foot of the mountains – a hotbed of violence, moonshine, and the burgeoning sport of stock-car racing – Rory is bewitched by the mysterious daughter of a snake-handling preacher. His grandmother, Maybelline “Granny May” Docherty, opposes this match for her own reasons, believing that “some things are best left buried.” A folk healer whose powers are rumored to rival those of a wood witch, she concocts potions and cures for the people of the mountains while harboring an explosive secret about Rory’s mother – the truth behind her long confinement in a mental hospital, during which time she has not spoken one word. When Rory’s life is threatened, Granny must decide whether to reveal what she knows…or protect her only grandson from the past.

With gritty and atmospheric prose, Taylor Brown brings to life a perilous mountain and the family who rules it.

MY REVIEW:
I won’t reiterate what the story is about. The book blurb does a great job of covering that. What initially drew me to this novel was the backwoods North Carolina mountain setting. Taylor Brown brings it vividly to life, along with characters like Granny May, a woman who creates folk remedies and keeps a “spirit tree” strung with glass bottles in her front yard. Add moonshiners, revenue men, a church of snake-handlers, and a decades-old secret and readers are treated to a wonderfully multi-layered story. Even the setting becomes a character.

Example: “The road spilled down out of the mountains before him like a moonlit creek. He knew it well, as he knew the lesser roads that branched along the ridges and forked down into the hollers, that swung along the great walls of blasted stone and through tunnels of black oak and hickory.”

The writing is exquisite, richly detailed without being overwrought.

Another example: “Most of all it was talk, Rory knew, the lies of gummy old men in their rockers, on their nail kegs in front of the feed store. Stories punctuated by black bullets of tobacco juice spat quivering in the dust, attended by ageless hounds that lay tongue-out in the shade like something dead.”

The story is alternately gritty and lyrical. I was surprised by the ending—didn’t see the twists coming—but loved how everything played out, especially as related to an incident in the past. This was my first time reading Taylor Brown, but it won’t be my last!

5 STARS
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In other news, I’ve signed up properly with NetGalley and have downloaded my first yet-to-be-published ARC. With as much as I read and review, it only makes sense to start taking advantage of upcoming releases. So, going forward, my reviews will be a mix of books I’ve purchased and soon-to-be-released ARCs. I’m excited to be diving in. As always, happy reading!

52 thoughts on “Book Review Tuesday: The Body in the Trench by Judi Lynn #cozymystery, Gods of Howl Mountain by Taylor Brown #southernfiction”

  2. Great reviews, Mae. Congrats to Judi on the release of another Jazzy book. (I need to get caught up with that series!)

    I had not heard of Taylor Brown, but the book sounds like something I would enjoy. Reminds me of reading the Foxfire books (true stories) back in the 1970s. I clicked on the link and saw Robert Morgan, author of Gap Creek endorsed it. I read and enjoyed Gap Creek several years ago.

    Thanks for sharing these.

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Jazzi and Ansel are a lot of fun. You’ll enjoy that series, Joan.

      I’m not familiar with either the Foxfire books or Gap Creek, but I’m going to check out both. Howl Mountain kept me enraptured from start to finish!

      Liked by 1 person

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    • Hi, Mischenko. Thanks for stopping by to check out the reviews. The cover for Gods of Howl Mountain (along with that very cool title) are what drew me to the book originally. Then I read the blurb and there was no passing it up. These were both great reads. Glad I gave you something to consider for your TBR!

      Liked by 1 person

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  5. Sounds like two great reads. I’ve read the whole Jazzi series but the last two, which are waiting on my Kindle, and I can’t wait to get to them.

    I can’t believe you are just now signing up on NetGalley!

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  6. Two awesome reads! I’d love to find time to read Judi’s series – sounds like something I’d really enjoy. Welcome to NetGalley! I’ve got more on my shelf right now than ever – lots of reading to do.

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Glad you liked the reviews, Teri. Judi’s series is a lot of fun.
      I’m afraid I’m going to disappear down a rabbit hole with NetGalley. I keep telling myself for every title I request from them, I’ll read something on my existing TBR. I even had to stop myself from browsing titles, LOL!

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  8. There truly are people like the characters in Gods of Howl Mountain to be found in the NC mountains. That alone attracts me to this story. And, I love the strong family element in The Body in the Trench. My whole childhood, we would go to my Grandparent’s house on Sunday for a mid-day big meal, so when you mentioned about Sunday get togethers in the story, I immediately thought of that 🙂

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    • Sunday dinners were always special for us, too, Tessa. Judi makes them so much fun with so many different characters in her series.

      I’m fascinated by stories set in Appalachia. I can’t really pinpoint why. I enjoy southern fiction, too. Maybe it’s the northern bird in me, LOL.

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    • Noelle, I’ll be looking forward to your review. I just loved the depth of the prose and its lyrical / gritty combination. Not many authors pull that off well. Oh–and the story was darn good, too! LOL!

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  13. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on both of these books. Gods of Howl Mountain immediately got my attention as I love that time period and the backwoods characters. But Yikes! The Kindle version of the book is $10.99. That’s a little steep for me considering how many books I purchase. This one may have to be a library check-out.

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    • I fully understand, Jan. I picked up Gods of Howl Mountain through a BookBub ad. At the time it was considerably reduced. I’ve been known to spend $14.99 on Kindle books for authors I love but when one is new to me, I’m a bit more hesitant–another reason I just signed up for NetGalley. If your library does have the book, I’d think you’d enjoy it. Like you, I love backwoods characters.

      Liked by 1 person

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    • I’m always happy to share my reviews of your delightful books, Judi 🙂

      “Luscious” is a great word for the writing in Gods of Howl Mountain. There were so many passages I read over and over just to appreciate the way Mr. Brown strung his prose together.

      Liked by 1 person

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    • LOL! I was resistant to NetGalley for so long because I have so many books I’ve purchased to read, but then I had “a moment” and realized what I’d been missing. I’ve had to restrain myself from too much browsing, LOL. I feel like a kid in a candy store!

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  19. Thank you for sharing your wonderful reviews, Mae. I’ve not read the Jazzy books yet, but I’m intrigued and will add them to my list. A big congratulations to both writers and my best wishes to you with your added reading commitment. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

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    • I’m glad you enjoyed the reviews, Gwen. The Jazzi books are a lot of fun with a great group of characters. And I’m excited about having so many books to browse through at NetGalley. It doesn’t mean I’ll get approved for all of them, but there are so many titles to choose from it’s like opening a big box of chocolates 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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  21. These are two very different books, and I have added both to my TBR list. The cozy genre is one I’m venturing into writing, and I also love to read cozies. The hills, backwoods, grannies, people with blood and strong cultural connections to older times and other continents, folklore, folk remedies — books with these call to me, and I look forward to this one. Remember Sharyn McCrumb’s Ballad series?

    Liked by 1 person

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    • I didn’t know you were branching into cozies, Flossie. That’s wonderful. I know you’ll enjoy the Jazzi series. Like you, I love backwoods stories. Thank you for mentioning Sharyn McCrumb. I wasn’t familiar with the Ballad series but I’ve checked it out and expect I’ll be reading several of those books, starting with An Unquiet Grave. The story of the Greenbrier Ghost has always fascinated me.

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