- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1 edition (April 4 2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312351607
- ISBN-13: 978-0312351601
- Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 14 x 3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 454 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,843,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Far from Haines's fluffy Southern cozies in tone, if not geography, this thriller from the author of Crossed Bones aims at a noirish literary quality it only partly achieves. On the plus side are powerful scenes of suspense and a moody evocation of time and place. Eschewing anything so obvious as naming an actual date, Haines makes it clear through subtle clues that the action is happening just after the end of WWII. The entrenched racial structure of a small Mississippi town of that era is similarly well done. Chief among the novel's shortcomings is the heavy-handed rendering of the love story between a mixed-race beauty, Jade Dupree, and all-white deputy Frank Kimble. Other interracial relationships are integral to the story, but the tantalizing possibility of a strong unifying theme is lost in banality and cliché. After society queen Marlena Bramlett, Jade's white half-sister, is brutally raped and Marlena's young daughter kidnapped, the plot thickens like cold grits. Haines loses control as her story builds to a discordant conclusion, which could be setting up a sequel but otherwise fails to satisfy. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
Praise for Carolyn Haines
Library Journal named Penumbra one of its Best Mysteries of 2006.
"Haines's sentences neatly and exactly delineate passionate emotions and richly drawn characters."
--Rocky Mountain News on Judas Burning
"Like the heat of a Deep South summer, Ms. Haines's novel has an undeniable intensity; it's impossible to shake its brooding atmosphere."
--The New York Times Book Review on Judas Burning
"Clever and impressive."
--Publishers Weekly on Hallowed Bones
"A writer of exceptional talent."
--Milwaukee Journal on Them Bones
"Wickedly funny. Devilishly clever. Scintillatingly Southern. Carolyn Haines is an author to die for."
--Carolyn Hart, author of April Fool Dead
"The past rises up and grabs the present by the throat in this riveting look into a small town's dark heart. Fans of Haines's Bones series will welcome this latest novel's haunted characters and driving narrative."
--Julia Spencer-Fleming, Edgar finalist and author of To Darkness and to Death
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Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.1 out of 5 stars (34 customer reviews)
31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Penumbra is destined to be a best seller., Jun 1 2006
By A. Boudreaux "Author, Seeker" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Penumbra (Hardcover)
Bravo!!! This is by far Ms. Haines best contempory work of suspense and mystery. The town of Jexville has a wide range of characters, each with their own dark secret, which was typical of southern towns in the 1950s (when everyone knew their neighbors). Mix Jexville's characters with a splash of sexual misconduct, forbidden desires and unfulfilled dreams and you have a story that keeps the pages turning until morning.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Penumbra is a powerful must read!, Sep 10 2011
By momof3 - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Penumbra (Hardcover)
Having long been a fan of Haines' "Bones" mystery series, I was excited to get my hands on Penumbra. And WOW, I was not disappointed. This was a much darker story that illustrated in heart breaking clarity the oppressive and stifling environment the 1950's deep South could be. Forbidden love, societal pressures, intense savagery born from hate and greed, gripping suspense....it's all in here and I was deeply affected by the strength and courage of some characters contrasted to the cowardice and pure ugliness of others. In all honesty I wasn't completely satisfied at the story's end because I was left wanting just a little more but I know that in reality there isn't always the "happily ever after" that we all tend to hope for. Ms. Haines definitely has a talent with words and creating characters that I can really grab ahold of. This story may haunt me for a while.
25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointed, Oct 2 2006
By C. Brown - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Penumbra (Hardcover)
I enjoyed the intrigue of the book, but found the ending to be completely unsatisfactory. Without giving away the story, I had a hard time with John Hubbard at the end, and what Jade was going to do. A very interesting, suspenseful story, with a less than satisfactory ending.
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