πβπ π΅πππππ ππ πΉππππππ ππππ£ππ. Sharyn McCrumb. 1998.
Mystery. Historical fiction. Police procedural.
When a Tennessee sheriff realizes a case he once solved mirrors the historic 1833 hanging of an Appalachian girl, he races against time to uncover the truth and prevent another miscarriage of justice.
This is a multi-POV story that follows three major storylines. The primary story follows a murder investigation being worked in the present that is related to a case that happened twenty years ago. Meanwhile, these cases both relate to a historic case that occurred in the 1830s. Each storyline has multiple POV characters, each with a unique voice.
The vibe here is unquestionably legal and procedural. The major POV characters in all three timelines are either officials involved in the cases or the accused. As a result, the reader feels personally involved in all three cases as they unwind in each the three separate timelines.
I, personally, am not put off by stories with multiple POV characters. In fact, I love them. And when these stories are set in historic Appalachia, as this one is, I enjoy them even more.
AUTHORS – I write short book reviews that focus on voice and vibe. They are useful to querying authors searching for comp titles. There are more on my website.