Poisoned Ground

A Rachel Goddard Mystery, Book 6

By: Sandra Parshall

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

There's a poisonous secret behind these bucolic scenes…

When a powerful development company sets its sights on Mason County, Virginia, as the location for a sprawling resort for the rich, the locals begin taking sides. Many residents see the resort as economic salvation for the small Blue Ridge Mountains community, while others fear the county will become financially dependent on a predatory company.

Few oppose the development more vocally than veterinarian Rachel Goddard. She sides with locals reluctant to sell their land and, in the process, complicates the life of her new husband, Sheriff Tom Bridger.

When a beloved couple is gunned down on the very farm they refused to sell, it seems supporters will stop at nothing to ensure the success of the resort. Now, disagreement in the community has exploded into civil war, with both sides lashing out. As the violence escalates, Rachel discovers the attacks are more sinister than they appear.

Can she bring the truth to light before her community tears itself apart?

©2014 Sandra Parshall (P)2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Lots of suspects, twists & turns--good story

This series features Rachel Goddard, a young veterinarian who moved a great distance to get away from troubles in her earlier life. Unfortunately--even though she loves being where she is now in southern VA, troubles still seem to pop up in her life. In this episode, she is initially concerned about the shocking murder of an older couple. Even though it seems likely to be someone's deranged expression of anger arising from a fierce fight among rural neighbors who have been offered a lot of money by a company wishing to turn their land into a resort (some want to sell, others who do not), there might be other reasons (and possible murderers) as well. Apparently there are a lot of dirty little secrets that this interesting group of folks have been harboring--which get revealed little by little though the interesting story. Even at the very end--it is not at all clear who will be revealed as the murderer. Rachel is married to Tom Bridger--the local policeman, and they work well together at solving mysteries. This story has lots to keep one interested, twists and turns that kept me guessing who was the culprit.

I have very much enjoyed this whole series--as it is good writing, but also because the theme of the little-known group called the Melungeons is familiar to me from when I also lived in southwest VA--and heard a great deal about their fascinating story then. However, I regret to say that Tavia Gilbert's narration is rather off-putting to me. Ironically, what she does well, she does too well. When she reads, she works so hard to have clear diction that it is terribly overdone. You can hear the last consonant of every word so distinctly that is it jarring (people simply do not speak that formally). I cringe through much of her reading, which dampens my enthusiasm for the whole book. However, this is only my listening preference, and others may actually find it a blessing. You won't miss one single word in your listening experience! I recommend the book, because I'm enjoying the series. But just a caution that the narration is a bit overdone. You can hear every "t" crossed and every "i" dotted :-)