VickiLaneMysteries Home

Bantam Dell Podcast - Featuring IN A DARK SEASON Visit Vicki's AmazonBlog ~ BlogSpot ~ Newsletter Welcome to Marshall County, NC. Most of the folks are friendly -- a few are deadly -- and it's not always easy to know which is which. But be careful. You may find yourself falling under the spell of the mountains. It can be hard to leave.
Book IV of the Elizabeth Goodweather Appalachian Mysteries In a Dark Season Crouched on its ledge above the historic Drovers' Road, the house at Gudger's Stand has witnessed many a dark and bitter deed. When a new friend of Elizabeth Goodweather leaps from the upper story of the old building, Elizabeth and Phillip, already tangled in the problems of their own off-and-on relationship, are drawn into a web of long-kept family secrets. Brooding madness, mountain magic, and a tale of bewitchment and betrayal in a by-gone time all come together in the best Goodweather novel yet!
Old Wounds (a BookSense Notable, August 2007) Book III of the Elizabeth Goodweather Appalachian Mysteries Nominated for the 2008 SIBA Book Award for Fiction given by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance..." http://www.authorsroundthesouth.com/AWARDS/ On Halloween night of 1986, Maythorn Mullins disappeared from her home near Elizabeth Goodweather's Full Circle Farm. Now, almost twenty years later, Rosemary Goodweather wants to find out the truth about her lost childhood friend. She begins to suspect that she herself knows . . .if she can just remember. As Elizabeth helps her daughter delve into the past, memories come alive -- old friends, old enemies, old loves . . . and old wounds. From the slopes of Pinnacle Mountain and the hidden Cave of the Two Sisters to the homeless shelters and self-realization programs of Asheville to the Cherokee Reservation where the noisy, glittering world of the casino gives way to the pristine woodlands and waterfalls of Big Cove, Elizabeth and Rosemary, aided by Phillip Hawkins, search for the answers to long-suppressed questions. Elizabeth must finally confront her own failings as she learns that there are some wounds time alone will not heal.
Book I . . . the story begins . . . Elizabeth Goodweather has wrapped herself in the serenity of Full Circle Farm, safe amid the idyllic fields of herbs and flowers on Pinnacle Mountain. The puzzling death of a neighbor's son shatters that peace and sends her on a life-changing quest in search of a missing shotgun. Traveling the winding roads into the hidden coves and hollows of the Appalachians, Elizabeth finds the laurel thickets and rocky hillsides are full of surprises --- serpent handlers, star children, tongues-talkers, sang hunters, militia men --- and murder.	Book II North Carolina's hills are a crazy quilt of old farmsteads and new beginnings, of locals, strangers, artists, and new age wanderers. . . Here Elizabeth Goodweather has made her life -- a still-young widow who moves easily between the gentrified world of Asheville and old-timers in their hollows. But when a flamboyant performance artist is murdered, and Elizabeth learns the amazing history of a magnificent piece of folk art, she is caught between her two worlds -- and in the middle of an agonizing mystery.
PRAISE FOR Signs in the Blood From Publishers Weekly Advance Forecasts (June 11, 2005) "Fundamentalist Christian snake handlers and liberal back-to-the-landers; a secretive white supremacist militia and undercover police agents; simple rural mountain dwellers and sophisticated urban artists—throw in a counterculture commune of allegedly extraterrestrial origin and that still wouldn’t cover all the disparate types who populate the Appalachian community of Ridley Branch, N.C., the setting for this well-crafted, dramatic tale of murder, miracles and midlife romance. . . Also admirable is the sensitivity with which Lane utilizes exotic religions to intensify the book’s dark-toned suspense, while resisting oversimplification and insult. Her heroine’s open-minded fascination with beliefs not her own should appeal to an unusually wide readership. " “Vicki Lane shows us an exotic and colorful picture of Appalachia from an outsider’s perspective – through a glass darkly. It is a well-crafted suspenseful tale of the bygone era before ‘Florida’ came to the mountains.” Sharyn McCrumb, New York Times Best-Selling author of St. Dale “One can’t live in the Appalachians without hearing the stories that rise from them. Vicki Lane is one of those rare storytellers who transports the mysteries and tales and characters of her beloved mountains into the greater world with dignity and sympathy and intelligence. The mystery that intrigues me most right now is what she will do next.” Tony Earley, Author of Jim the Boy “In Signs in the Blood, Vicki Lane captured my ear on the first page. Her dialect is right on the money. Her characters live and breathe and hold their secrets close – heart wrenching secrets that pulled me in and kept me reading. Her imagery is so real you can touch it, smell it, feel it. Now, add to all this a beautifully told tale with a great unexpected twist and you’ve got one of the best mystery books I’ve read in a long time. I’ll be looking for more from Ms. Lane.” Sheila Kay Adams, Author of My Old True Love “Curled up in a rocking chair next to the wood heater on a cold, damp winter day, Signs in the Blood warmed me and kept me engaged to the last page. The characters were familiar; the landscape was close at hand. Ms. Lane’s understanding of mountain language, history, and culture, combined with a wonderful ability to tell a story, made for an absolutely great read.” Rob Amberg, Author and photographer of Sodom Laurel Album PRAISE FOR ART'S BLOOD From Publishers Weekly Lane's sharp eye for detail gets put to good use in this second installment of her Appalachian series. At 53, Elizabeth Goodweather has been a resident of Asheville, N.C., for more than two decades, operating a small farm with her nephew Ben. This is a time of transition for the rural community, where older residents who still churn their own butter live side by side with hip young artists looking for inspiration. Three such artists, Kyra, Aidan and Boz, known collectively as The 3, have moved into the house across the road from Elizabeth's and are planning a performance art piece for the new wing of Asheville's Museum of Art. When Boz is found dead, and The 3's house burns to the ground, Elizabeth gets drawn into a dangerous mystery that may lead her to share Boz's fate. The widow Goodweather is a wonderful character: plucky, hip and wise . The dialogue sparkles with authenticity, and Lane generates suspense without sacrificing the charm and mystique of her mountain community. (July) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bantam Dell Podcast - Featuring IN A DARK SEASON

Visit Vicki's AmazonBlog ~ BlogSpot ~ Newsletter

Welcome to Marshall County, NC.
Most of the folks are friendly --
a few are deadly --
and it's not always easy to know which is which.
But be careful.
You may find yourself falling under the spell of the mountains.
It can be hard to leave.

Book IV of the
Elizabeth Goodweather
Appalachian Mysteries

In a Dark Season

Crouched on its ledge above the historic Drovers' Road, the house at Gudger's Stand has witnessed many a dark and bitter deed. When a new friend of Elizabeth Goodweather leaps from the upper story of the old building, Elizabeth and Phillip, already tangled in the problems of their own off-and-on relationship, are drawn into a web of long-kept family secrets. Brooding madness, mountain magic, and a tale of bewitchment and betrayal in a by-gone time all come together in the best Goodweather novel yet!

Old Wounds (a BookSense Notable, August 2007)
Book III of the Elizabeth Goodweather Appalachian Mysteries

Nominated for the 2008 SIBA Book Award for Fiction given by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance..."

http://www.authorsroundthesouth.com/AWARDS/

Old Wounds

On Halloween night of 1986, Maythorn Mullins disappeared from her home near Elizabeth Goodweather's Full Circle Farm. Now, almost twenty years later, Rosemary Goodweather wants to find out the truth about her lost childhood friend. She begins to suspect that she herself knows . . .if she can just remember. As Elizabeth helps her daughter delve into the past, memories come alive -- old friends, old enemies, old loves . . . and old wounds.

From the slopes of Pinnacle Mountain and the hidden Cave of the Two Sisters to the homeless shelters and self-realization programs of Asheville to the Cherokee Reservation where the noisy, glittering world of the casino gives way to the pristine woodlands and waterfalls of Big Cove, Elizabeth and Rosemary, aided by Phillip Hawkins, search for the answers to long-suppressed questions. Elizabeth must finally confront her own failings as she learns that there are some wounds time alone will not heal.

Book I . . . the story begins . . .

Elizabeth Goodweather has wrapped herself in the serenity of Full Circle Farm, safe amid the idyllic fields of herbs and flowers on Pinnacle Mountain. The puzzling death of a neighbor's son shatters that peace and sends her on a life-changing quest in search of a missing shotgun.

Traveling the winding roads into the hidden coves and hollows of the Appalachians, Elizabeth finds the laurel thickets and rocky hillsides are full of surprises --- serpent handlers, star children, tongues-talkers, sang hunters, militia men --- and murder.

Book II

Art's Blood bookcover

North Carolina's hills are a crazy quilt of old farmsteads and new beginnings, of locals, strangers, artists, and new age wanderers. . . Here Elizabeth Goodweather has made her life -- a still-young widow who moves easily between the gentrified world of Asheville and old-timers in their hollows. But when a flamboyant performance artist is murdered, and Elizabeth learns the amazing history of a magnificent piece of folk art, she is caught between her two worlds -- and in the middle of an agonizing mystery.

PRAISE FOR Signs in the Blood

From Publishers Weekly Advance Forecasts (June 11, 2005)

"Fundamentalist Christian snake handlers and liberal back-to-the-landers; a secretive white supremacist militia and undercover police agents; simple rural mountain dwellers and sophisticated urban artists—throw in a counterculture commune of allegedly extraterrestrial origin and that still wouldn’t cover all the disparate types who populate the Appalachian community of Ridley Branch, N.C., the setting for this well-crafted, dramatic tale of murder, miracles and midlife romance. . . Also admirable is the sensitivity with which Lane utilizes exotic religions to intensify the book’s dark-toned suspense, while resisting oversimplification and insult. Her heroine’s open-minded fascination with beliefs not her own should appeal to an unusually wide readership. "

“Vicki Lane shows us an exotic and colorful picture of Appalachia from an outsider’s perspective – through a glass darkly. It is a well-crafted suspenseful tale of the bygone era before ‘Florida’ came to the mountains.”

Sharyn McCrumb, New York Times Best-Selling author of St. Dale

“One can’t live in the Appalachians without hearing the stories that rise from them. Vicki Lane is one of those rare storytellers who transports the mysteries and tales and characters of her beloved mountains into the greater world with dignity and sympathy and intelligence. The mystery that intrigues me most right now is what she will do next.”

Tony Earley, Author of Jim the Boy

“In Signs in the Blood, Vicki Lane captured my ear on the first page. Her dialect is right on the money. Her characters live and breathe and hold their secrets close – heart wrenching secrets that pulled me in and kept me reading. Her imagery is so real you can touch it, smell it, feel it. Now, add to all this a beautifully told tale with a great unexpected twist and you’ve got one of the best mystery books I’ve read in a long time. I’ll be looking for more from Ms. Lane.”

Sheila Kay Adams, Author of My Old True Love

“Curled up in a rocking chair next to the wood heater on a cold, damp winter day, Signs in the Blood warmed me and kept me engaged to the last page. The characters were familiar; the landscape was close at hand. Ms. Lane’s understanding of mountain language, history, and culture, combined with a wonderful ability to tell a story, made for an absolutely great read.”

Rob Amberg, Author and photographer of Sodom Laurel Album

PRAISE FOR ART'S BLOOD

From Publishers Weekly
Lane's sharp eye for detail gets put to good use in this second installment of her Appalachian series. At 53, Elizabeth Goodweather has been a resident of Asheville, N.C., for more than two decades, operating a small farm with her nephew Ben. This is a time of transition for the rural community, where older residents who still churn their own butter live side by side with hip young artists looking for inspiration. Three such artists, Kyra, Aidan and Boz, known collectively as The 3, have moved into the house across the road from Elizabeth's and are planning a performance art piece for the new wing of Asheville's Museum of Art. When Boz is found dead, and The 3's house burns to the ground, Elizabeth gets drawn into a dangerous mystery that may lead her to share Boz's fate. The widow Goodweather is a wonderful character: plucky, hip and wise . The dialogue sparkles with authenticity, and Lane generates suspense without sacrificing the charm and mystique of her mountain community. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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