ALL MEN FEAR ME, An Alafair Tucker Mystery by Donis Casey. (Poison Pen Press, 2015).
This latest installment in the series by Donis Casey, stands alone well as a rollicking good mystery featuring the northeast and eastern Oklahoma family and friends of Alafair Tucker. It can also be picked up and read by someone not familiar with the unique cast of Oklahoma characters. Additionally, it is probably the best in the series to date providing the reader with a well written, taunt, and unique story line with a delightful sense of pacing and suspense.
Profiles of people populating the small town featured in the series presented are powerful, firmly but stylishly drawn and often highly memorable as people it would be easy to say had really lived.
Events in this title all stem from a time period often overlooked but one rich in detail in Oklahoma. The era of early WWI, the early moments before the nation launched fully into participation in the conflict are spotlighted. All around is the anxiety, the fear, and the tension of uncertain futures. There are numerous back stories drawn from history that give an added reality to the tale: the union organizing efforts, the growing Socialist movement that was gaining a firm toehold in the nation, and especially among Oklahoma's disenfranchised, the question of loyalty to the nation, accepting the alien immigrant, and the ticking clock as the drama of propaganda and nationalist fervor to gain backing for entrance into the war escalates.
Haunting in places, frightening in others, and satisfying to heart and head, this is a book not soon forgotten. A recommended read for anyone loving mystery, history, Oklahoma, and having something to think about while a fictional story unfolds.
Review by Author, Marilyn A. Hudson
Disclaimer: The publisher supplied this writer with a copy of the book for possible review.
