Book Review: Last Lessons of Summer

Reviewed By: Luke Croll - RAM

Last Lessons of Summer Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Margaret Maron
Class/Genre: Mystery
Mysterious Press, 2003, 336 pages

Amy Steadman has come to clean out the estate of her murdered grandmother. In the same house, Amy's mother committed suicide years ago, but secrets about her death live on. Amy tries to rediscover the county where she spent her childhood summers, but the more she learns about her grandmother's murder, the more she realises that the answers may lie within her own family.

'Last Lessons Of Summer' starts out in a pleasant manner, as Maron slowly introduces us to the various characters. She also includes a family tree, which is useful, since there are many characters and the wires can be slightly crossed. She attempts to bring North Carolina alive, showing speech patterns and general aspects of the culture, making it an easy read, and essentially a cozy novel.

The killer's identity is surprising, as Maron arranges such a cast of characters, all of whom have motives. The denouement comes somewhat too swiftly, but is then followed by a bizarre and incomprehensible twist at the end of the novel, for which there was no need, and seemed to be put there in order for another character to have a happy ending. It was unbelievable and will leave the reader asking why Maron bothered to add it.

Maron clearly has the South in her blood and 'Last Lessons Of Summer' is a good read. Her characters are real, but overall, the plot is a little disappointing. Amy is a heroine who does very little investigating, ending up more as the receptacle for information. Perhaps it would have been wiser to make the plot slightly meatier. Nevertheless, strong characters and a realistic location will make this a popular novel.

Luke Croll - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

Luke Croll - Conference interpreter and translator
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