Reviewed by Kristin
Savannah Reid and her six siblings were raised right by
their Southern granny. Granny Reid
didn’t take any guff, but she always had a kind word, a knitted scarf, and a
full plate to give to any of her grandchildren, or to anyone in need. Finally, after 23 books featuring the sassy
California-based private investigator Savannah Reid, Granny is getting her own
book.
Wind back the clock about 30 years to the 1980s in small
town McGill, Georgia. Granny (aka
Stella) is mighty worried about her seven grandchildren. Stella’s son Macon is a truck driver and
always on the road, and his wife Shirley is less than a model of
propriety. Shirley is most often found
warming a barstool at the Bulldog Tavern, leaving twelve-year-old Savannah to
scrape together meals for her siblings.
Stella does all that she can, but Shirley is sensitive to criticism and
usually insists that Stella mind her own business. Stella’s heart aches for the children who are
being forced to grow up way too fast.
When Stella finds Prissy Carr (the local floozy) dying in an
alley, she ends up right in the middle of the investigation with Sheriff
Gilford. A little hint into Savannah’s
life and career choices are revealed, as the mystery-novel-loving-Savannah is
right there beside her Granny digging up clues in order to bring the murderer
to justice.
While I enjoy the Savannah Reid series, this venture into Granny’s
earlier life was welcome and heartwarming.
It’s nice to see Stella as a 50-something grandmother who still displays
so much spunk as she cares for her family, friends, and her potential love
interest, Sheriff Manny Gilford. Not
that the 80-something Granny has lost any of her gumption, but McKevett used
this opportunity to develop Stella’s character more thoroughly, as well as show
more about the family situation which shaped Savannah and her younger siblings.
It may be cutesy, but I like the fact that Savannah, her
siblings, and her father are all named for towns in Georgia. Living in Georgia for eleven years, Savannah
was a favorite weekend destination for my family. Many a time I passed through Macon, Marietta,
Waycross, Valdosta, and even the small towns of Vidalia, Alma and Jesup. Another sister, Cordelia, seems to have been
named for Cordele, a tiny hamlet along I-75.
My husband practically grew up in southeastern Georgia, and one thing I
can tell you is that all of his favorite towns along US Route 23 have a Dairy
Queen.
This new series is spun off seamlessly as Granny Reid
cuddles her new great-granddaughter Vanna Rose in the prologue and the
epilogue, with her memories filling the chapters in between. I look forward to much more from G.A.
McKevett whether P.I. Savannah is cruising the California highways or Stella is
rooting out the evil-doers back in McGill, Georgia.
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