This is the fifth book in the Alafair Tucker series which is set in the early 20th century in Arkansas. This one begins in the fall of 1915. Shaw, his brother and two of their sons are hunting at an old abandoned homestead owned by Shaw's stepfather. They stumble across some strange things in the old derelict house, and Shaw is certain he is visited by a white-haired "haint".on one of their nights there when they were camping out. This experience leaves Shaw troubled and unsettled. Then when he is back home with Alafair and his family, some freshly butchered pork goes missing off the carcass. Shaw is on a mission to find out what happened at the old farm and who seems to be following him around. I love this series for its authenticity and for the down-home feeling I get when I read it. I love Shaw and Alafair and their solid marriage and their close family of 10 children. I just love everything about it, but this book fell a bit short for me as the mystery that occurs wan't much of a mystery. There wasn't that same sense of urgency that I have always gotten while reading one of Donis Casey's books. The story seemed to get lost a bit in the folklore and in the supernatural atmosphere. Don't get me wrong, this is a wonderful series and these characters are some of my very favourites. I will continue to read this series, as it gets closer in time to the beginning of WWI. Ms. Casey portrays her historical time so realistically that I feel that I have actually stepped back in time as I read. ( )

This entry into the Alafair Tucker mystery series concerns Alafair's husband, Shaw Tucker. Shaw raises mules and horses, as well as farms cotton. Shaw, his brothers and 2 sons went out quail hunting on a patch of land owned by Shaw's stepdad Peter McBride. McBride bought the land 10 years ago from a Creek woman who asked him to buy the property. While hunting, one of the dog's brought Shaw an old boot. The boot still retained bones from its owner. The men tracked down an old makeshift burial stone pile. Shaw found an old Indian snake bone necklace along with a medicine pouch. In the morning, the men would report the find to the county sheriff. That night, while they were sleeping at the campsite, Shaw heard a disembodied voice call his name, and later saw moccasined feet walk swiftly by him in the fog. Tucker knew that the old property was said to be haunted, but he felt there was a more logical reason for the goings on. This was a wonderful well paced story which wove the past together with the present. I enjoyed getting to know Shaw better, as in previous books he was just a secondary character. ( )

Alafair and family get involved in another murder, this one at least 10 years old. Most of the books have been about Alafair and her husband Shaw and their children.

This one is a little different. It is mostly about Shaw, his early life, his mother, father and step-father and how the relationships created the honorable man that is Shaw Tucker. Alafair and the kids are there but the narrative revolves around Shaw.

When a hunting trip turns up a dead body, one that is at least 10 years old. That leads to a young Creek Indian stalking Shaw because he thinks Shaw will lead him to "the white haired man" who killed his older brother. The time lines aren't right for the body to be the brother so more than one murder is involved here.

I do love this series. There are not many books written in the early 1900's and this series set in the Oklahoma Territory and then the state of Oklahoma are even more rare. I also like the cooking and lifestyle tidbits added to the end of the books.

Looking forward to more in this series. ( )

First Line: There was no place left to hide.

It's the autumn of 1915 in rural Oklahoma. Taking advantage of a lull before it's hog butchering time, Shaw Tucker, his brother James, and their sons go on a hunting trip. Deciding that a derelict farm their stepfather bought years ago should be a prime location to find game, they're shocked when one of the dogs retrieves an old boot-- with the human foot bones still inside. The dog then leads the men to a shallow grave that contains a skeleton with a bullet hole in its skull.

Knowing they've got to go get the sheriff in the morning, men and boys go back to camp and bed down for the night. Sometime later, Shaw wakes up to see a pair of moccasin-clad feet walking past his tent. Giving chase, Shaw loses track of the visitor so completely he wonders if he dreamed the whole thing... including the part where he could swear a ghostly voice called him by name. Dream or no dream, once Shaw's home, he just can't shake the experience.

They're back on the Tucker farm hardly any time at all when Shaw realizes someone followed him home. It's a young Creek Indian boy who says his name is Crying Blood. Crying Blood insists that he followed the Tuckers home so he could find the white-haired man who killed his brother. Shaw ties the boy up in the barn and leaves for a couple of minutes. When he returns, he discovers that someone has thrust a lance through Crying Blood's heart. The law is on the killer's trail, but Shaw has a hunch that he knows the identity of the white-haired man. The only thing he has to do is avoid the eagle eye of his wife Alafair in order to confront the killer on his own terms.

I was in a quandary with this book. It's part of one of my favorite series, a series that I tend to savor-- reading one only when the next in the series has been published. (I always keep a few books that I know I'm going to love in reserve.) However, when I managed to obtain a galley of the next book being published in November, I knew I had to read Crying Blood. There is no way I'm going to read this series out of order!

Why, you ask? Because Donis Casey has created one of the deepest, richest cast of characters in fiction. Alafair Tucker and her husband Shaw have ten children, ranging in age from mid-twenties to three. The children all have their own personalities, and as they grow, they change... just like real people. The twelve Tuckers aren't the only cast members either. There are Alafair's and Shaw's parents, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, in-laws and almost in-laws. With a cast this large, you'd think you would need a score card, but you don't.

This large cast is a very real part of the world they live in: Oklahoma farm country at the turn of the twentieth century. It allows the author to shift the focus of her stories from one part of the family to another, as she has done here in Crying Blood. In earlier books in the series, Alafair has been at the heart of the story. Here she takes a backseat to her husband, Shaw, but she still makes her presence felt-- especially when she accompanies the sheriff on a journey in Ford Model T.

By shifting the focus of the story from Alafair to Shaw, we get to see the very real-- and very strong-- bond between the two, and the night that a sleepless Alafair wanders the farmhouse in the wee hours of the morning, knowing that her husband is in harm's way, will bring a lump to any loving partner's throat.

Donis Casey writes an excellent historical mystery series. She immediately whisks the reader into the world of turn-of-the-century Oklahoma farmers, and she creates strong, believable mysteries for her characters to solve. She's also adept at adding a bit of humor in the right places. All that, and she supplies period recipes at the back of the book. In each of her books, Casey provides food for the body, food for the mind, and food for the soul. If that sounds like a winning recipe to you, pull a chair up to the Tuckers' table. There's always room for more. ( )

CRYING BLOOD by Donis Casey is an interesting,exciting historical mystery set in 1815 Oklahoma territory. It is the fifth in the "An Alafair Tucker Mystery" series,but can be read as a stand alone. Others in An Alafair Tucker Mystery series:The Old Buzzard Had It Coming,Hornswoggled,The Drop Edge of Yonder,and The Sky Took Him.All published by Poisoned Pen Press.This is a fast paced,action packed mystery with a little supernatural. Shaw Tucker and some of his family members are out quail hunting when one of their dogs come across buried bones and a snake necklace. They take the bones back to Shaw's place,while waiting for the sheriff.Shaw keeps the snake necklace and is plagued by seeing snakes and a strong feeling. The bones and the murder of a young Creek boy leads Shaw on a mission that finds one woman's deception. A woman whose first husband dies,her second husband abandons her and her sons.Two of her son's are scattered in foster care,to save them,she sells her homestead to Shaw's step father,who was friends with her second husband,and she remarry's. Shaw's quest for justice and to find answers leads him to a "haunt",a young boy's murder,and his and one of his son's confrontation with the "haunt". The true story will finally come out of the abandoned husband and the death of two boys and a husband.This story will appear to not only historical mystery readers for also to history buffs and suspense readers. You will find in the back of this intriguing story a section of information on hog butchering in the early days, favorite old time recipes, the history of Indian territory and land allotment as well as a guide to Creek pronunications. This is a fast paced,well written story with attention to details and history. A must read. This book was received for the purpose of review from Net Galley and the publisher and details can be found at Poisoned Pen Press and My Book Addiction Reviews. ( )