This is my review of Sweet and Deadly by Charlaine Harris.

This may be too short to appeal to lovers of crime fiction who like to get immersed in a convoluted tale. The style is very clear, carrying the plot along at a good pace, with development of distinctly different characters. I liked what seemed to be the realistic portrayal of life in a small, dusty southern town, where people know each other's business, racial prejudice lingers on, and a shopping trip to Memphis is the highlight of the week. It seemed a bit dated – with typewriters and a kind of unconscious lack of political correctness, until I noted it was first published in 1981.

The one sentence paragraphs grated a bit. But this could make it good for someone learning English.

A growing sense of tension, and the heroine's mixture of anger over her situation, and suspicion of almost everyone around her is well handled. She seems to "work things out" rather quickly. There is a touch too much of the Mills and Boon on the romantic front, and the denouement is a bit of a let-down BUT overall, this isn't a bad "quick read".

⭐⭐⭐ 3 Stars