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Governor's Road: A Novel of Southern Proportions
A good southern romantic mystery? A mysterious romance? Governor's Road is the book for you. This beautifully written book will keep you up all night. There are plenty of clues and there are a lot of hints, but even when you put them all together, it will be close to impossible to puzzle your way to the ending. If you are looking for a book, you can't put down, then Governor's Road is just right for you. Excitement, frisky loving, a mystery of epic proportions and traditional southern pathos make this book a fun and rewarding read.
The terrorized children of Governor’s Road grew up without resolution or closure to the most devastating event of their young lives. Their friend, a child their age, disappeared one afternoon and somehow, they never seem to learn what happened. Saddened parents decide to protect their children and the obvious fear recedes in the face of the calm that settles back over the neighborhood. But, fear never really disappears until it's confronted. As adults, JoBeth and Billy set out to discover what happened to little Petey Shiner. The answer brings them to conclusion that there is no perfect childhood, even in a perfect town in a perfect decade. Every town hides its secrets and puts on a good face, even at the expense of its residents.
Along the way, JoBeth and Billy discover love and romance. Their kindling of love takes you to places you can only want to return to…and their future makes you happy. It’s their past that is so hard to reconcile.
As well as a lot of fun, a dark mystery and hot southern romance, JoBeth and her friends also encounter the harsh reality of Alzheimer’s and aging. Sometimes, a loved one can be lost more than once.
The malevolent specter of mental illness surfaces when the reader meets Lucius Sifer and begins to understand the unusual existence the boy leads. The ending is grim but satisfies that need everyone has for justice. The most humble people can achieve heroism without fanfare or acknowledgment.
As always, enjoy your adventure into the south...and remember, thoughtful book reviews are welcomed with open arms. Please see Observations of a Transplanted Southern Belle for more of Laurie Byrne Smith's work.
The terrorized children of Governor’s Road grew up without resolution or closure to the most devastating event of their young lives. Their friend, a child their age, disappeared one afternoon and somehow, they never seem to learn what happened. Saddened parents decide to protect their children and the obvious fear recedes in the face of the calm that settles back over the neighborhood. But, fear never really disappears until it's confronted. As adults, JoBeth and Billy set out to discover what happened to little Petey Shiner. The answer brings them to conclusion that there is no perfect childhood, even in a perfect town in a perfect decade. Every town hides its secrets and puts on a good face, even at the expense of its residents.
Along the way, JoBeth and Billy discover love and romance. Their kindling of love takes you to places you can only want to return to…and their future makes you happy. It’s their past that is so hard to reconcile.
As well as a lot of fun, a dark mystery and hot southern romance, JoBeth and her friends also encounter the harsh reality of Alzheimer’s and aging. Sometimes, a loved one can be lost more than once.
The malevolent specter of mental illness surfaces when the reader meets Lucius Sifer and begins to understand the unusual existence the boy leads. The ending is grim but satisfies that need everyone has for justice. The most humble people can achieve heroism without fanfare or acknowledgment.
As always, enjoy your adventure into the south...and remember, thoughtful book reviews are welcomed with open arms. Please see Observations of a Transplanted Southern Belle for more of Laurie Byrne Smith's work.
- GenresFiction
217 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 17, 2012
14 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 23, 2014
This would be a book that should teach me not to trust what I read in the reviews.... so many people loved this book and indicated it was such a page turner. I downloaded a sample of it to my Kindle and sure enough, the first chapter or two captured me with the disappearance of a 1st grade child from a neighborhood and the anguish of everyone in the community searching for him. Thinking I was embarking on a great 'mystery book' I made the purchase and dove in. The book quickly took a turn to present day and the child's neighborhood friends..... and NOTHING to do about the missing child. Hmmmm... now we are off on a 1/2 baked love story of weak proportions, some rekindling of friendships that really never go anywhere or tell us much, and a few brief mentions of the lost child. Oh, the book flips back and forth between present day and 1953 when the boy vanished, but a mystery it isn't. It quickly spells out exactly what happened to the boy and all about the boy being found dead (sorry for the spoiler ~ but trust me, it's not really a spoiler). How can this be a page turner when I now know exactly what happened??? The only mystery to the book is whether the rekindled friends will become a couple and when the neighborhood children will finally be told about what happened to their friend... now that they are 45 years old, their parents still don't want to share. I got so bored with the middle of the book and how much it DIDN'T have anything to do with the disappearance of the boy, that I literally ended up skimming through it until I got to the end where they finally wrap it up, share with the friends(who are now full grown adults) the actual outcome of the killer. What a let down! It's got a touch of southern flare and it addresses some race relations from the 50's & 60's.... but everything is just 'touched upon'... it doesn't delve deep into any one topic and/or story. I was very disappointed in the book. The writing style was all over the place, you never knew from one paragraph to the next where you were at in the story - past/present and even from one moment to the next (no transitions).... I blame a lot of that on really poor editing (perhaps a poorly edited Kindle version?). Ultimately though, it was far from the page turner it claimed to be and to me, not at all about a mystery of the disappearance of a child.
December 6, 2015
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."
This is a very nicely done thriller that is also historical fiction. I liked the duel perspective of childhood and adult life of the characters. Solving a childhood mystery maybe what it takes to let them move on in their lives.
This is a very nicely done thriller that is also historical fiction. I liked the duel perspective of childhood and adult life of the characters. Solving a childhood mystery maybe what it takes to let them move on in their lives.
June 12, 2017
The South summarized
Excellent southern book. Easy read. Captured the spirit of growing up in the south, and neighborhood friendships. Bery highly recommend!
Excellent southern book. Easy read. Captured the spirit of growing up in the south, and neighborhood friendships. Bery highly recommend!
January 12, 2015
Good southern story
This book really did capture a time and a place maybe a little too much wishful thinking but you're allowed when you write the story. It was an easy interesting read. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes to reminisce about childhood and still is wondering what secrets of the harsh world were kept from our innocent minds by our parents.
This book really did capture a time and a place maybe a little too much wishful thinking but you're allowed when you write the story. It was an easy interesting read. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes to reminisce about childhood and still is wondering what secrets of the harsh world were kept from our innocent minds by our parents.
October 5, 2016
A delightful step into the past of a small southern town intertwining the characters as a horrific crime touches their lives. It is told as the characters go from the present to the past and ending on a note of "what does tomorrow hold" for the main characters. This touches on those feelings of a child dealing with hard issues to the question of decisions of the future.
January 13, 2016
A charming tale of a series of mysterious events, that gradually gets revealed. Set in the old south with all the old biases of the time of the KKK.
Interesting story, well told.
The narrator suits the story well .
I was given this audiobook in return for an unbiased review
Interesting story, well told.
The narrator suits the story well .
I was given this audiobook in return for an unbiased review
June 5, 2016
A good book
A good book and way to spend a Memorial Day. I read this in about 4 hours. I enjoyed this book because I lived this book. I grew up in the South and was in kindergarten in 1959. About the time the story begins. The author had the feel of that time period perfectly!
A good book and way to spend a Memorial Day. I read this in about 4 hours. I enjoyed this book because I lived this book. I grew up in the South and was in kindergarten in 1959. About the time the story begins. The author had the feel of that time period perfectly!
September 3, 2015
Good story plot.
It was just rambling. On and on with no emotion. To many people and plots. Missed it's Mark. It could have been a good book.
It was just rambling. On and on with no emotion. To many people and plots. Missed it's Mark. It could have been a good book.
September 5, 2015
Superb book
Feel in love with these characters good ole southern charm. The story reminds me of when I was a child and would hear stories like this from the elders
Feel in love with these characters good ole southern charm. The story reminds me of when I was a child and would hear stories like this from the elders
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews