By: Kelly Anne Evans
DEBRA DUPREE WILLIAMS' GRAVE CONSEQUENCES: A BOOK REVIEW.
In Debra Dupree Williams' Grave Consequences, 26 yr old Charlotte Graves is digging up the past.
After moving back to Loblolly, the town she grew up in, Charlotte hopes to escape a quiet life. She looks forward to her new role as the newly appointed genealogical and historical society director. But for Charlotte, things have never been simple or quiet. Her childhood rival, Boopsie Sweets, doesn't believe she's qualified for the position. And Boopsie wastes no time letting everyone in town know just how unqualified she believes Charlotte is. Not able to hold her tongue, Charlotte gives her the what for. Later, while out on a late-night errand, she regrets her outburst. Charlotte goes to Boopsies’ house, hoping to patch things up. When Boopsie doesn’t answer the door, Charlotte discovers the door is ajar. Something doesn't feel right to Charlotte, and cautiously she goes into the house to investigate.
It doesn’t take but a minute or two when Charlotte realizes she made a grave mistake.
She sees Boopsie lying in the middle of the kitchen in a pool of blood. To make matters all that much worse, her ex-boyfriend turned deputy sheriff is the one that has to book her on the murder charge.
Not about to let a little old murder charge hold her back, Charlotte takes matters into her own hands. It's up to her to clear her name and find the actual killer. With almost no leads, things seem impossible. She quickly employs the help of her long-time best friend and cousin, Fiona. Charlotte and Fee soon discover that digging up the past is the only way to solve this mystery. Doing so, though, will mean uncovering family secrets with deep roots. Not only that, there is something else much deeper going on that could put not only Charlotte in danger but also her family.
As Charlotte confronts her present, she becomes more aware of how much she has tried to bury her past.
As I reviewed the book Grave Consequences by Debra Dupree Williams, I realized Charlotte has to deal with the present so that she can put away the past. This was the key to unlocking the door to her future if she could find her way out of the mess she’s made.
This cozy mystery is set in the sixties in the charming southern state of Alabama. Loblolly reminds me of a town near where I spent my teenage years. When Boopsie and Charlotte have their spat, I envision them outside the library my mother worked in for over twenty years. Loblolly became more than just a cozy hometown; it became my hometown.
In Grave Consequences, Charlotte and Fiona are fun and adventurous, or Fee, as Charlotte affectionately calls her. As I reviewed this book, I realized the pair left me feeling like I was with my best childhood friend. If I didn't move, I believe we would have been much like Charlotte and Fee, always into something and never backing out of anything. Through thick and thin, they are there for each other. Fee balances Charlotte with her sensibility. Charlotte’s impetuousness gives her a vulnerability that keeps you turning the page to see what she will do next. She also makes you want to yell, don’t go there as loud as you can.
Grave Consequences is full of genealogical twists and turns.
And the way Miss Debbie weaves them throughout this charming southern cozy keeps the reader on her (or his) toes. From a huge southern front porch to a hidden room that holds secrets of the past, we discover some paths in life aren't straight lines. They may not even lead in the direction you thought you were going. But that’s okay because what you learn along the way holds the key to unlocking the real treasure; family, friends, and fellowship with the Creator.
This is the perfect novel for an afternoon on the porch. So grab a glass of iced tea, put your feet up, and let Charlotte drive you around Loblolly.
P.S. After reading this charming southern novel, I am convinced that Charlotte’s mom makes the best chicken and dumplings in the south.
Debra DuPree Williams is an award-winning author whose work has appeared in Yvonne Lehman’s Stupid Moments, Additional Christmas Moments, Selah Award finalist, Moments with Billy Graham, and Michelle Medlock Adams’s Love and Care for the One and Only You, expanded edition, in addition to other publications. When she isn’t busy writing, you will likely find Debbie chasing an elusive ancestor through online sources or rural graveyards. Debbie is a classically trained lyric coloratura soprano whose first love is Southern Gospel. She’s been married forever to the best man on earth, is the mother of four sons, mother-in-law of one extraordinary daughter-of-her-heart, and DD to the two most intelligent, talented, and beautiful young ladies ever. Debbie and her husband live in the majestic mountains of North Carolina.
Book Review, Author: Kelly Anne Evans is a wife to Brad, mom of four young adults, Jesus follower, prayer warrior, overcome, encourager, friend, writer, poet, and blogger. She is living out the dream she had since she was fifteen. It’s scary and thrilling and takes her breath away, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. Because no matter how long it takes for a dream to come alive, it’s only too late when we stop reaching for it. So while her books in progress may not be on the bookstore shelf just yet, she's excited to be on the journey.
Connect with Kelly: kellyanneonline.com
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