Review: Teacher Report
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 17, 2009
I don't own a Kindle but a friend does.  She brought hers to the high school where we both teach because she wanted me to read a book, BLIND MALICE, that is available only on Kindle and was written by North Carolina author Annis Jackson.  My friend's family and mine share a common interest in the Appalachian Mountains, especially the area where BLIND MALICE takes place.  We vacation together for a week each summer on the Blue Ridge Parkway.Jackson paints a realistic and colorful portrait of the Appalachian Mountains while the main character, Rachel Myers, after living in Arizona for many years, reaquaints herself with the area where she was born and grew up.Isaac Starling, an old family friend, self-sufficient, independent, and stoic, embodies the spirit of the pioneers who settled that area over two hundred years ago.One has to believe that it is that same tenacious pioneer spirit that causes Rachel to sink her teeth into the mystery surrounding her father's death and hang on until she finds the truth.  Myers had me cheering for her all the way because she seems such a real person.A sub-theme in BLIND MALICE is how tourism, as it continues to increase, is affecting both the culture and the physical mountains, something we can see first hand each summer.BLIND MALICE is an enjoyable murder-mystery with an exciting plot.  The ending is superbly unexpected!