Murder Among the Tombstones by Kim Carter / Review by Tim Suddeth
Murder Among the Tombstones
By Kim Carter
Raven South Publishing
$14.99
ISBN 978-1947140035
Publication Date: August 29, 2017
BOOK OF THE DAY
Killer Nashville 2018 Silver Falchion Nominee
Kim Carter has given us the second in her Clara and Iris Mystery series, Murder Among the Tombstones. Part cozy, part police procedural, Clara Samples and Iris Hadley are septuagenarians who decide to begin their second careers, by opening a private investigation agency in one of the rougher areas of Atlanta. Sounds like a perfect fit, except Iris doesn’t like to drive in traffic or at night, and Clara doesn’t have a lot of confidence. And did I mention a little thing called technology?
They surprise everyone, including themselves by solving their first couple of cases. Along the way, they meet Quita, a young lady from the neighborhood who soon takes over their office and introduces them to a smartphone. When victims of a possible serial killer begin turning up at some of the city’s historic cemeteries, one of their sisters turns to them for help. The ladies realize things have gotten serious. The police officers, who were on the case, were gun down outside their precinct.
If you have a parent who comes to you to help with their phone, or you are from a generation that remembers phone booths, this book will leave you both laughing and on the edge of your seat. Clara and Iris have a way of finding themselves in trouble, yet making a way out. They prove that teamwork goes a long way. Even the police, begrudgingly, begin to give them respect. Ms. Carter surrounds them with very colorful characters. She lives in Atlanta and gives us a very realistic picture of the city and its citizens.
I look forward to reading more of the series and watching the faceoff between two very different generations. A fun series but with an opportunity to hold a mirror up to ourselves.
Tim Suddeth attended the 2017 Killer Nashville Internation Writers’ Conferences as the Jimmy Loftin Memorial Scholarship winner. He has started a series of a young law school graduate starting her career in Charleston, SC. He lives in Greenville, SC with his wife, Vickie, and his 20-year-old autistic son, Madison. He can be reached at timingreenville@gmail.com and is a regular contributor at The Write Conversation and www.timingreenville.com.