Valley Of Death

Allison Aldridge Mystery #2

by Helen Goodman

Predictability can be a nice perk to small-town life -- a nicety Allison Aldridge notes when her life suddenly becomes quite unpredictable. Somebody broke in to her classroom and her house, and now her elderly neighbor is missing. Something is very wrong in her peaceful little valley. And, like it or not, she's part of it.

The missing woman, Malvina, left suddenly without her medication, leaving only a scribbled note about visiting her sister. But she never arrived. Her husband, Leroy, claims to be as confused as everybody else -- until they find his dead body tangled in a paper-rolling machine. Add a counterfeit ring, odd antics by some locals, and it's clear that danger is becoming routine. And that Allison has something somebody wants from her -- whether she's dead or alive.

Genres: Mystery

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Dharia Scarab]

Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

[Linda C]

First Allison Aldridge's classroom and then her home are broken into, but nothing seems to be missing. Then her neighbor disappears leaving her heart medication behind, not a likely happening. The detective who comes is a former student who doesn't object to Allison helping in the investigation. Her long distance boyfriend, Fred, is also a detective and throws in his thoughts as well. When her neighbor's husband dies in a work accident and Allison is attacked in her home things pick up steam. More people hit the suspect list and counterfeiting is added to the equation. This is not a difficult puzzle to solve but an enjoyable mystery. I like the characters and look forward to the next volume.

[Jeff Dickison]

A mild murder mystery. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't very good. I call this "a little old grandmother" mystery or the equivalent of a Lifetime Movie mystery. Middle school teacher is involved in a murder mystery and in a totally unrealistic scenario is allowed to assist the police in the solving of the crime.

[Karen]

Good escapist mystery. Enjoyed the logical progression all the way to the final resolution.