Secret Undertaking
Description
"The dark humor, a small community in a regional mystery, and a strong supporting cast of believable characters will appeal to Margaret Maron's readers." --Library Journal STARRED review
Towns like Gainesboro, North Carolina, may be small but go big on local traditions. When funeral director and part-time deputy sheriff Barry Clayton and his childhood nemesis, Archie Donovan, Jr., unite to create a fundraising float in Gainesboro's annual Apple Festival Parade, what could go wrong? With Archie involved--anything!
First, the Grand Marshal, NC Secretary of Agriculture Graham James, is attacked by a gunman and Barry's Uncle Wayne is critically wounded in the melee. The assailant is killed. Then, when the body of a convenience store owner is discovered less than an hour later with the gunman's food stamp card in his wallet, the case escalates. Two men dead. What is the connection?
Barry and Sheriff Tommy Lee Wadkins swiftly learn their small town offers no protection against big-time crime. The body count rises as the scope of their homicide investigation crosses into the realm of the U.S. Marshals and their secretive Witness Protection Program. To penetrate its walls, Barry and Tommy Lee resort to a most unlikely ally: Archie. Is the insurance agent, generally a victim of his own hare-brained schemes, capable of breaking the case, or will Archie find a way to become another of its casualties?
The trio's secret undertaking into a convoluted conspiracy becomes a fight for survival in a world filled with betrayals where it's impossible to know which people to trust.
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About the Author
Reviews
"Buryin' Barry unearths a corrupt plot in his sleepy North Carolina town....The hero's easy charm in his seventh case makes the reader feel like a longtime Gainesboro resident and a sleuthing sidekick."--Kirkus Reviews
"The book is peopled with believable villains, in particular the fraudsters and liars, but it also features folks who show kindness, consideration, and a true respect for friendship. The story's resolution is satisfying on many levels. De Castrique draws the reader into his protagonist's world with consummate grace."--Publishers Weekly
"Big-time crime comes to small-town North Carolina when a food-stamp scam becomes entangled with the Witness Protection Program....De Castrique wraps up the plot neatly, along the way advancing the personal lives of deputy and undertaker Barry; his wife, surgeon Susan Miller; and the rest of his family. A solid series entry that takes on the problem of putting potentially dangerous WITSEC participants in the general population."--Michele Leber "Booklist "
"The author follows Risky Undertaking with another intricately plotted story for fans of traditional mysteries. The dark humor, a small community in a regional mystery, and a strong supporting cast of believable characters will appeal to Margaret Maron's readers." (starred review)--Lesa Holstine "Library Journal "
