Title: Murder at Mountain Creek
Author: Nancy Bone Goff
Publisher: PageTurner Press and Media
ISBN: 978-1649088772
Pages: 222
Genre: Mystery
Reviewed by: Philip Zozzaro
Hollywood Book Reviews
Sudie Hubert is a young woman apprehensive of her new living arrangement. She and her husband, along with their infant daughter Beth, have moved into a cabin with Dawson’s Uncle John and Aunt Stella. The Hubert family is expanding as Sudie is expecting. Dawson works at a local mill, and is hoping to put some money away for his growing family while staying with his Uncle and Aunt. Dawson has a commanding and forceful presence and thus is used to getting his way. However, Stella’s precarious mannerisms and mental stability has Sudie on her guard.
Sudie voices her concerns to Dawson, whereupon he strikes Sudie. Sudie, upset but not surprised by Dawson’s reaction, takes Beth to her parents. However, Dawson will not let Sudie just up and leave. He goes to Sudie’s parents’ house and puts his foot down. Sudie sees two sides of Stella: A caring, nurturing side where she wants to take kids on a picnic, the other side which appears with the flip of a switch sees Stella in a schizophrenic haze. Stella suffers from epileptic fits leading to her writhing in agony, oftentimes appearing out of nowhere. The living situation is starting to strain Sudie and Dawson’s marriage.
Dawson is inclined not to cause a fuss by saying anything to his Uncle, despite the glaring evidence of Stella’s fragile state. The tension ramps up to a fever pitch as Stella seems to come unglued with each subsequent day. Events soon run a course that end in tragedy. A visit from a stranger, an argument, a gunshot…Sudie is found by her family murdered, Beth covered in blood and the unborn child abducted. Suspicions are cast on Dawson at first. The discord in his marriage to Sudie is a cause for concern. However, Stella’s appearance after the violent crime, her possible psychosis and statements she gives police lead her to being Prime Suspect #1. However, do the police have their killer?
Murder at Mountain Creek proves to be much deeper than your average mystery whodunit. The stigmatization of mental illness and the unwillingness of law enforcement to probe deeper into the issue when present provides gravitas in this moving narrative. Author Nancy Bone Goff writes with a palpable empathy in portraying both Sudie and Stella. The action and emotion throughout the story prove how even the most shocking of crimes possess complexities that are multilayered. This is truly enjoyable book.