Whispers of the Bayou by Mindy Starnes Clark

I haven't had a lot of time to read lately...and that has made me SO cranky! With Christmas and doctors and health needs...it's hard to squeeze in even a magazine article these days.

So, yesterday, I "grounded" myself and picked up a book by one of my all time favorite mystery mavens--"Whispers of the Bayou" by Mindy Starnes Clark.

I'm a VERY happy camper now!

"Whispers of the Bayou" is a soon to be released stand alone suspense novel that takes place in the Deep South. Like most Southern fiction, it is leisurely paced and laced with heavy foreshadowing...just the way I like it.

Miranda Miller is a wife, mother and an expert in art restoration. On the outside, her life looks perfect...but deep within are secrets even she can't remember. When her aunt finally reveals to her letters asking Miranda to return to her childhood home one last time, she decides to go and in going, to put those secrets to rest.

But many questions begin to rise to the surface like spectres from the past...what REALLY happened to Miranda's mother? Why did Aunt AJ take Miranda from her home and never speak of Louisiana any longer? Why is it that Miranda doesn't react to events in her life, whether good or bad?

I'm only a third of the way through this book, and already it's a page turner that I just cannot seem to put down. Mindy is one of my all time favorite mystery authors, but I believe she has outdone herself on this one.

With a rich tapestry of Southern history and a genuine feel of the Bayou and her people, Mindy has written a novel for the senses. Her characters have depth and warmth, and the story moves along at just the right pace.

From the time Miranda arrives at her antebellum home in Louisiana, you find yourself praying that she find the answers and meets the One who can set her free from her invisible prison of isolation and despair. I'm giving "Whispers of the Bayou" six out of five bookmarks, with a tiny antebellum home charm...

"Whispers of the Bayou" releases January of 2008 from Harvst House publishers. To learn more about Mindy and her other books, visit her website.

Happy Reading!

Deena