Hunter Jones is a reporter at the weekly newspaper in Merchantsville, Georgia. She goes to interview the president of the historical society concerning the saving of the old Conservatory School only to find her dead. ( )

A fast-paced cozy mystery with characters who could be your neighbors. No over the top quirky characters that only exist to satisfy the definition of a "cozy". The story is plot driven with clues sprinkled throughout for the reader's enjoyment. A fast-paced read. ( )

Those who love the South, know that small towns are the best of places to live, or at least be from. Everyone knows everyone else and the welcome is always warm. But in Charlotte Moore’s first book in the Hunter Jones series, Deep South Dead, murder is right next door. Filled with regular, albeit quirky, characters, Moore manages to capture the down home feel while creating a mystery that will have you guessing until the end.

Hunter Jones is a young, big city reporter who moves to the slower-paced Merchantsville, Georgia, to write her novel. She thinks that working for the local weekly will afford her the time to spend pursuing her dream. But not one, but two murders get her investigative juices flowing and she is on the case. Sheriff Sam Bailey, the best looking sheriff in Georgia, begrudgingly accepts her help. They along with other colorful characters add sass and spice to this cozy mystery.

My church book club, Page Turners, had the honor of visiting with Charlotte last night. She shared stories from her days as a small town features writer of the local paper, as well as her venture in writing novels. She also filled us in on the process of publishing in the ebook format. My group loved her book. One member stated that she appreciated that Deep South Dead did not include scared-to-go-to-sleep images while still providing an entertaining mystery. Another member liked that the book was easy to read, providing an escape from the stress of real life. I liked that the characters could be my neighbors, although Charlotte assured us they were not! Deep South Dead was a thoroughly Southern novel — eccentric and colorful characters, small town feel and a definite Southern twang.

Charlotte has written two more books in the series and is at work on book 4. I’m looking forward to reading more in the adventures of Hunter Jones.

(Please note: there is some mild profanity.)



Recommended.

Audience: Adults. ( )