Review: Seasons
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 27, 2014
Louisiana is the setting for this haunted house/murder mystery. A young woman who has lost her parents in a violent robbery is approached by a young man who claims to be her cousin. He invites her to come visit him and see the old home that her father was supposedly going to purchase and renovate. A sound premise for an interesting book.Chelsea, the main character is just about perfect. Voluptuous body, bee stung lips, thick wavy hair etc. etc. She is only 25 but already an award winning journalist (saving poor people from contaminated water), and was the only true friend to another student at her school (poor, homemade lunches, ragged clothing and needing a kidney- her father worked for a pittance and had no health insurance- Chelsea's dad pitched in money but was too late). You would think that with all this she would be likeable. Unfortunately her attributes go so far over the top that she isn't.Many parts of the story are confusing. For example, the detective working the case of her murdered parents first tells her he hasn't put much more time into solving it. A few paragraphs later he assures her that they are doing everything they can.The author does a very good job in conveying the tropical wildness of parts of Louisiana as well as the feeling of being in an old world. I also liked the way she wrote of Chelsea's exploration of the crumbling mansion with its dust, dirt, mold, and draped furniture. This is a woman who can conjure up vivid descriptions of decay that are both eerie and scary.The story moves along at a good clip and while the ending is predictable, this is not a bad book. I will most likely try another of her stories.