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Elizabeth MacPherson #7
MacPherson's Lament
"Sharyn McCrumb is a born storyteller."
Mary Higgins Clark
Sharyn McCrumb's acclaimed sequel to MISSING SUSAN.
Forensic anthropologist Elizabeth MacPherson heads to Danville, Virginia, to save her brother Bill--a novice lawyer--from a charge that could send him to prison. It seems that eight women, the daughters of Confederate veterans, had asked Bill to sell their antebellum mansion. But the real estate deal is the cover for a calculated deception. As Bill finds himself facing fraud charges, his clients suddenly disappear without a trace. It will fall to Elizabeth to follow a twisted trail of bitterness and resentment--one that leads to a Civil War secret that may be the key to the ugly truth....
A MAIN SLECTION OF THE MYSTERY GUILD
From the Paperback edition.
Mary Higgins Clark
Sharyn McCrumb's acclaimed sequel to MISSING SUSAN.
Forensic anthropologist Elizabeth MacPherson heads to Danville, Virginia, to save her brother Bill--a novice lawyer--from a charge that could send him to prison. It seems that eight women, the daughters of Confederate veterans, had asked Bill to sell their antebellum mansion. But the real estate deal is the cover for a calculated deception. As Bill finds himself facing fraud charges, his clients suddenly disappear without a trace. It will fall to Elizabeth to follow a twisted trail of bitterness and resentment--one that leads to a Civil War secret that may be the key to the ugly truth....
A MAIN SLECTION OF THE MYSTERY GUILD
From the Paperback edition.
304 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1992
38 people are currently reading
366 people want to read
About the author
Sharyn McCrumb
116 books1,132 followers
Sharyn McCrumb, an award-winning Southern writer, is best known for her Appalachian “Ballad” novels, including the New York Times best sellers The Ballad of Tom Dooley, The Ballad of Frankie Silver, and The Songcatcher. Ghost Riders, which won the Wilma Dykeman Award for Literature from the East Tennessee Historical Society and the national Audie Award for Best Recorded Books. The Unquiet Grave, a well-researched novel about West Virginia's Greenbrier Ghost, will be published in September by Atria, a division of Simon &Schuster.
Sharyn McCrumb, named a Virginia Woman of History by the Library of Virginia and a Woman of the Arts by the national Daughters of the American Revolution, was awarded the Mary Hobson Prize for Arts & Letters in 2014. Her books have been named New York Times and Los Angeles Times Notable Books. In addition to presenting programs at universities, libraries, and other organizations throughout the US, Sharyn McCrumb has taught a writers workshop in Paris, and served as writer-in-residence at King University in Tennessee, and at the Chautauqua Institute in western New York.
Sharyn McCrumb, an award-winning Southern writer, is best known for her Appalachian “Ballad” novels, including the New York Times best sellers The Ballad of Tom Dooley, The Ballad of Frankie Silver, and The Songcatcher. Ghost Riders, which won the Wilma Dykeman Award for Literature from the East Tennessee Historical Society and the national Audie Award for Best Recorded Books. The Unquiet Grave, a well-researched novel about West Virginia's Greenbrier Ghost, will be published in September by Atria, a division of Simon &Schuster.
Sharyn McCrumb, named a Virginia Woman of History by the Library of Virginia and a Woman of the Arts by the national Daughters of the American Revolution, was awarded the Mary Hobson Prize for Arts & Letters in 2014. Her books have been named New York Times and Los Angeles Times Notable Books. In addition to presenting programs at universities, libraries, and other organizations throughout the US, Sharyn McCrumb has taught a writers workshop in Paris, and served as writer-in-residence at King University in Tennessee, and at the Chautauqua Institute in western New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
May 18, 2012
"Elizabeth has returned from England to Danville, Virginia, on two missions of mercy. She must rescue her brother Bill, a novice lawyer, from charge of fraud and a rather nasty jail term ...and try to reconcile her parents, who are unaccountably ending their marriage of more than twenty-five years. (When Elizabeth is away things do fall apart.)
"A group of charming old ladies living in the Home for confederate Women had hired Bill to sell the antebellum mansion in which they'd lived for decades, insisting that he put everything in his own name and handle the unpleasant business as quietly as possible. But after the sale, the dear ladies are nowhere to be found, the money has been deposited into a numbered account in the Cayman Islands, and, as it turns out, the mansion had already been sold to the Virginia Society for Art and Antiquities as a museum.
"As her parents demand divorce and the authorities aim for Bill's head, Elizabeth rallies to save the family honor. And in her spare time she solves a puzzle from the past that has again reared its ugly head: the legendary mystery of the missing Confederate treasury -- two million dollars in gold -- whose last know location was in the vicinity of Danville."
~~front flap
These blurb writers WILL try to make Elizabeth the star of the show, won't they?
It's true: Elizabeth does save the day for Bill in the end, but she is in Scotland for the first 3/4s of the book, while Bill blunders his way into this mess and his new partner A.P. Hill specializes in being a court-appointed attorney for Danville's version of pond scum.
I'll have to give the author full marks for witty dialogue: "...[his attorney] longed to point out that Mr. Huff's own airport was about the size of a potting shed ..." and characterization: "Mr. Huff did not, as far as his attorney could tell, spend his time evicting widows and orphans and tying village maidens to railroad tracks, but he looked as though he might. There was something of the nineteenth-century robber baron about Mr. Huff, and every time his attorney was obliged to visit him on legal business, he always found himself wishing that he had devoted his law practice to more mundane villains like car thieves. At least you knew where you stood with the small fry."
The author also knows her history very well, and gives us the background on the missing Confederate treasury (http://hnn.us/articles/49088.html) by interspersing narratives of two Confederate soldiers who wind up in the right place at the right time, and by extrapolation, with some of the gold itself.
But the plot is transparent -- it's no surprise to anyone but Bill when he finds himself holding the legal bag, & about to be arrested for fraud & murder.
The charm for me in this series is Scotland, and why on earth did our heroine marry a Scot and move to Scotland if the rest of the series is going to be set in the South?
"A group of charming old ladies living in the Home for confederate Women had hired Bill to sell the antebellum mansion in which they'd lived for decades, insisting that he put everything in his own name and handle the unpleasant business as quietly as possible. But after the sale, the dear ladies are nowhere to be found, the money has been deposited into a numbered account in the Cayman Islands, and, as it turns out, the mansion had already been sold to the Virginia Society for Art and Antiquities as a museum.
"As her parents demand divorce and the authorities aim for Bill's head, Elizabeth rallies to save the family honor. And in her spare time she solves a puzzle from the past that has again reared its ugly head: the legendary mystery of the missing Confederate treasury -- two million dollars in gold -- whose last know location was in the vicinity of Danville."
~~front flap
These blurb writers WILL try to make Elizabeth the star of the show, won't they?
It's true: Elizabeth does save the day for Bill in the end, but she is in Scotland for the first 3/4s of the book, while Bill blunders his way into this mess and his new partner A.P. Hill specializes in being a court-appointed attorney for Danville's version of pond scum.
I'll have to give the author full marks for witty dialogue: "...[his attorney] longed to point out that Mr. Huff's own airport was about the size of a potting shed ..." and characterization: "Mr. Huff did not, as far as his attorney could tell, spend his time evicting widows and orphans and tying village maidens to railroad tracks, but he looked as though he might. There was something of the nineteenth-century robber baron about Mr. Huff, and every time his attorney was obliged to visit him on legal business, he always found himself wishing that he had devoted his law practice to more mundane villains like car thieves. At least you knew where you stood with the small fry."
The author also knows her history very well, and gives us the background on the missing Confederate treasury (http://hnn.us/articles/49088.html) by interspersing narratives of two Confederate soldiers who wind up in the right place at the right time, and by extrapolation, with some of the gold itself.
But the plot is transparent -- it's no surprise to anyone but Bill when he finds himself holding the legal bag, & about to be arrested for fraud & murder.
The charm for me in this series is Scotland, and why on earth did our heroine marry a Scot and move to Scotland if the rest of the series is going to be set in the South?
March 27, 2012
I liked the book and plot overall, but the one thing that really bothered be was how Elizabeth comes in as a first-person narrator half way through. The whole book up to that point is in the third person, as are all the previous MacPherson novels that I've read (4 out of 6). The I-voice coming out of nowhere is disconcerting at first, but I got used to it. I still never found it necessary, though. I guess McCrumb thought it would be easier to show Elizabeth's emotions in the first person. Her letters to Bill are in first person, but of course letters would be.
The storyline was fun in that it keeps you guessing about what the little old ladies are up to, and how the Civil War bits fit in (aha, gold!). It's too bad we don't see anymore after he's finished searching the house - it would be amusing if he required legal services after being arrested digging up the yards at Danville's other old homes.
As always, the mystery is solved due to a great deal of luck, which is highly unlikely, but amusing enough to make up for it.
The storyline was fun in that it keeps you guessing about what the little old ladies are up to, and how the Civil War bits fit in (aha, gold!). It's too bad we don't see anymore after he's finished searching the house - it would be amusing if he required legal services after being arrested digging up the yards at Danville's other old homes.
As always, the mystery is solved due to a great deal of luck, which is highly unlikely, but amusing enough to make up for it.
August 6, 2019
A cute detective story with nods to the past. Liked it very much.
December 1, 2013
A nice, pleasant stroll through the travails of the MacPherson clan, light and fluffly as the old lady hair on my head. Nothing here to shock my staggering ancient heart.
Despite Elizabeth's parents starting divorce proceedings and the possibility that Bill, Elizabeth's brother, might never use his spanking brand new legal license to practice lawyering due to being susceptible to beginner stupidity, this is a peaceful read. No worries, except for the peculiar flashback digression to the end of the Confederacy and the Civil War, which gave me a slight turn. I was afraid the book might become sad, but it was all good. Except for Tug's girlfriend, of course. However, she was only on earth a second before Tug, Amy's first client, may have killed her, and her passing helped introduce Bill's new law partner. Amy P. Hill, who is thankfully much smarter than Bill and a civil war reinactor. She crossdresses in order to participate, but maybe in the future she'll be able to help Bill with better strategic thinking, so he won't make the mistake of taking the elderly at face value. I could have warned Bill that aged wisdom is the public face of being tricky.
Despite Elizabeth's parents starting divorce proceedings and the possibility that Bill, Elizabeth's brother, might never use his spanking brand new legal license to practice lawyering due to being susceptible to beginner stupidity, this is a peaceful read. No worries, except for the peculiar flashback digression to the end of the Confederacy and the Civil War, which gave me a slight turn. I was afraid the book might become sad, but it was all good. Except for Tug's girlfriend, of course. However, she was only on earth a second before Tug, Amy's first client, may have killed her, and her passing helped introduce Bill's new law partner. Amy P. Hill, who is thankfully much smarter than Bill and a civil war reinactor. She crossdresses in order to participate, but maybe in the future she'll be able to help Bill with better strategic thinking, so he won't make the mistake of taking the elderly at face value. I could have warned Bill that aged wisdom is the public face of being tricky.
January 26, 2013
2.5 stars.
I enjoy this author, although it is the first not in her Ballad Series that I've read.
Cute story
I enjoy this author, although it is the first not in her Ballad Series that I've read.
Cute story
October 14, 2017
I have liked her other mysteries, but this one was just a little too slick and light.
September 10, 2022
This is one of my favorite entries in this series. It switches in time between the end of the civil war and the 1990s. Both pieces of the story are necessary, but the civil war sections are better for atmosphere than for plot to some degree.
The MacPherson family back in the states is in serious trouble. Elizabeth remains in Scotland with her new husband, and she’s looking for work as the book opens.
Back home in southwest Virginia, things aren’t so pastoral or peaceful. After 25 years of marriage, the MacPherson parents are set on divorce. Mom hired Elizabeth’s brother, Bill, as her divorce attorney. Bill is so new out of law school the ink hasn’t dried on his diploma. The person with whom he practices law is A. P. Hill. No, not the dead Confederate general’s ghost. She is Amy Powell Hill, and yes, she’s a descendant of the old general.
Amy is the smart one of the two, and because they can’t pay much, they hired a snarky semi-competent business school grad as their receptionist.
An aging woman visits the practice one day to announce that a stately home in Danville is up for sale. Eight aging daughters of the confederacy live in the place, and they can’t do the upkeep. They want out, and they want Bill MacPherson to sell the place.
It’s a bad idea for him to get involved for a variety of reasons, and sadly, trustworthy Bill doesn’t know any of them.
It turns into a nasty case of fraud and something that looks like murder, and poor, inexperienced Bill seems to be responsible for all of it.
It’s past due time for Elizabeth to return to the states to rescue her brother and try to set right the family ship of MacPherson.
This is short, fun, and full of humor. You could say that about most of the books in the series.
The MacPherson family back in the states is in serious trouble. Elizabeth remains in Scotland with her new husband, and she’s looking for work as the book opens.
Back home in southwest Virginia, things aren’t so pastoral or peaceful. After 25 years of marriage, the MacPherson parents are set on divorce. Mom hired Elizabeth’s brother, Bill, as her divorce attorney. Bill is so new out of law school the ink hasn’t dried on his diploma. The person with whom he practices law is A. P. Hill. No, not the dead Confederate general’s ghost. She is Amy Powell Hill, and yes, she’s a descendant of the old general.
Amy is the smart one of the two, and because they can’t pay much, they hired a snarky semi-competent business school grad as their receptionist.
An aging woman visits the practice one day to announce that a stately home in Danville is up for sale. Eight aging daughters of the confederacy live in the place, and they can’t do the upkeep. They want out, and they want Bill MacPherson to sell the place.
It’s a bad idea for him to get involved for a variety of reasons, and sadly, trustworthy Bill doesn’t know any of them.
It turns into a nasty case of fraud and something that looks like murder, and poor, inexperienced Bill seems to be responsible for all of it.
It’s past due time for Elizabeth to return to the states to rescue her brother and try to set right the family ship of MacPherson.
This is short, fun, and full of humor. You could say that about most of the books in the series.
January 15, 2019
This rollicking tale was great fun.
Forensic anthropologist Elizabeth MacPherson views the story's earlier intrigues from across the pond. Her brother has just set up shop with a partner as new lawyers. His first cases cause complications. Possibly criminal ones, in one case, while the other finds him caught up in unbelievable family drama.
Then there is an interwoven tale of Civil War soldiers demobbing with Confederate funds.
These crisis cause MacPherson to come to the rescue and with the help of Civil War reenacter A.P. Hill and her cousin Stinky.
Entertaining.
Forensic anthropologist Elizabeth MacPherson views the story's earlier intrigues from across the pond. Her brother has just set up shop with a partner as new lawyers. His first cases cause complications. Possibly criminal ones, in one case, while the other finds him caught up in unbelievable family drama.
Then there is an interwoven tale of Civil War soldiers demobbing with Confederate funds.
These crisis cause MacPherson to come to the rescue and with the help of Civil War reenacter A.P. Hill and her cousin Stinky.
Entertaining.
July 9, 2019
This mystery focuses on Elizabeth’s brother Bill, a brand-new lawyer, and his partner A(my) P Hill, descendent of a famous Civil War general. The author does her usual excellent job of interspersing present day (Amy's first murder case and naive, trusting, Bill's representation of sweet little ole' Southern ladies who have him completely hoodwinked) with an intriguing civil War story of the last days of the Confederate Treasury.
October 15, 2021
Nothing beats hiding in my room and reading a Sharyn McCrumb book. This one dangles so many strings and getting them to come together is genius. The sub-stories about the treasury of the confederacy that is supposedly hidden in Danville; Eight old ladies who don't want to live in a nursing home. If you haven't read it, find a copy and get to it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 30, 2018
Bill MacPherson is working on his first few law cases and they seem easy but complications keep coming up. His own mother fires him and the sweet little old ladies he was assisting in the sale of their house disappear. And Meanwhile A.P. Hill has problems of her own.
January 4, 2025
It was fun reading a book based in Virginia … I did want to know the details of what would happen … but if the bar exam used scantrons, I’m not sure Bill would know how to fill in the bubbles, let alone know the answers to the questions!
July 31, 2025
The entire premise of the book isn't based on any sort of reality (the real estate transaction), and the jarring moves between scenes and centuries were most unwelcome. I don't believe I have read any of this author's previous books, and I think I'm okay with that.
May 31, 2018
A pleasant, entertaining mystery with a bit of humor thrown in.
July 3, 2018
Mary Ann, North River patron, July 2018, 4 stars:
Fun read. Lots of local names and places.
Fun read. Lots of local names and places.
August 25, 2019
I enjoyed reading the Sharyn McCrumb series about Elizabeth MacPherson. Fun mysteries!
This is # 7 in the series
I think there are 9 books in this series.
This is # 7 in the series
I think there are 9 books in this series.
October 28, 2022
A fun romp through Civil War Virginia and modern times in search of the Confederate Treasury.
December 23, 2022
I really enjoyed the characters in this
June 23, 2023
Oh what a fun story.
September 6, 2024
Probably not a big fan of this author and her writing style. Mystery books are not my forte anyway. The one thing I liked about this book was the historical notations about the civil war.
August 25, 2025
A fun read.
March 7, 2017
Enjoy this series!
February 13, 2017
No bad- but not great either. There were some great moments of fun and a chuckle or two, but they mysteries were easily guessed. Elizabeth McPhereson was missing from most of the novel as well. Her parents are divorcing and the most memorable part of the book is her father's complaint that everything was the same, right down to the same stuffed pepper every Monday night for tas long as he was married. I just walked away from that disgusted. What a selfish man, I thought, then realized I was more into the book than I thought! What is evident is that Sharyn McCrumb continues to be a great writer with a distinctive style that really strikes me as wonderful.
August 1, 2014
Bill MacPherson's license to practice law is so new, the ink is still damp. Yet, here he is with his mother as a client in a divorce suit, on retainer to a lunatic who thinks up the most absurd questions on points of law, and eight sweet little old ladies wanting him to sell their home. It's the little old ladies he'd best watch out for! Before he knows what's happening, he's accused of fraud and murder. Good thing his big sister Elizabeth is willing to fly home from Scotland and come to the rescue! I love Sharyn McCrumb's Elizabeth MacPherson mysteries, and this one filled the bill perfectly!
March 24, 2010
I vaguely remember reading the previous books in this series many years ago (though I admit, I didn't remember that until after I had started this one). Clearly, I liked them enough to buy this one. So I'm not sure if my tastes have changed or if this book was different from the rest, but it was not a great read for me. The pace was slooooow. The characters were not very inspired or interesting. The plot was jumbled with too much other random stuff. The story was dated. At least it was a fast read.
March 17, 2016
Elizabeth MacPherson's chief pleasure seems to be in meddling, but it always seems to bring positive results. But, it does make her seem to be a 'little miss know it all' and a general pain in the butt. None of the series has measured up to the first one, but still they pass the time and offer a bit of entertainment, but not any suspenseful, nail biting moments. More a series designed for teens or advanced adolescents.
August 29, 2012
An enjoyable light mystery which includes a bit of humor and interesting bits of Civil War history, as well as quite a series of misunderstandings. However, the style of alternating chapters and time periods I find a bit annoying. I've read other books by this author which I felt were better told.
July 3, 2014
Sharyn McCrumb is one of my favorite authors. She brings historical fiction right into the room with me. This book is set in modern times with flashbacks to the Civil War. I learned some things about the War and the attitudes of the people then and now.
I look forward to reading more and more by this author.
I look forward to reading more and more by this author.
December 20, 2016
Not my favorite of this series--I skimmed the last few chapters to find out what happened. But that may be my own lack of patience with Southern stories that have the Confederacy and the Civil War at the center of the narrative. Current day (well, in the 90s) looming for the Confederacy Treasury wasn't really what I was in the mood for. Still, I was curious how it would turn out.
February 15, 2010
Sharon writes in two times periods. This book slipped back and forth between the Civil War and current day and she ties it together nicely in the end. Historical and funny at times as well. A quick read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews