Book description
Barry Clayton has left the Charlotte police force to manage his ailing
father's funeral home in the peace and quiet of the Appalachian
mountains. But Buryin' Barry is an undertaker with a problem-he keeps
finding unwanted business. Moving a grave on a snowy mountainside should
be routine. No funeral, no procession, no grieving widow to console.
Routine until the crew unearths an unexpected intruder, a skeleton lying
atop the original occupant. A bullet hole in the skull piques Barry's
ex-cop curiosity; the photograph of his girlfriend Susan Miller in the
murdered man's wallet makes the case very personal. Suddenly, Barry's
life is turned upside down, as Susan becomes the prime suspect. Joining
forces with his pal Sheriff Tommy Lee Wadkins, Barry sets out to find
the real killer. But a terrible secret had been buried in that mountain
grave and one murder is only the down payment someone is willing to ante
up to keep it hidden. Barry is torn between discovering the solution to
the crime and uncovering a part of Susan's past that could destroy their
relationship. When the killer strikes again, Barry learns that even more
is at stake. In a duel of deceit and misdirection, one thing becomes
crystal clear: Barry's grave undertaking could very well lead to his own
funeral. It's not every day that the second entry in a series trumps
the debut-but de Castrique accomplishes just that with this follow-up to
Dangerous Undertaking. Set in the Appalachian mountain country of North
Carolina, the novel again stars undertaker Barry Clayton, who left his
police career in Charlotte to help run the family funeral home. With his
dad suffering from Alzheimer's, more of the responsibility for the
business falls to Barry. Then trouble develops with his girlfriend, Dr.
Susan Miller, when the skeleton of one of her ex-boyfriends is
discovered with a bullet hole through its head and a photo of Susan in a
pants' pocket. The plot is nicely layered with suspense and will
certainly hold readers' interest on its own, but what really stands out
about this series is de Castrique's rich yet respectful portrait of life
in the Appalachians. Add to that his poignant take on how Alzheimer's'
affects a family, and you have a first-rate installment in an excellent
series. Mark de Castrique grew up in the mountains of western North
Carolina where his mysteries are set. Mark is a veteran of the
television and film production industry, and he serves as an adjunct
professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Dangerous
Undertaking is the first in the series
