Down Home Murder

Laura Fleming is the prodigal daughter returning home to Byerly, N.C., from her adopted and very Yankee world of Boston academia. She joins her family at the bedside of ``Paw,'' the family patriarch, who was hospitalized following an accident at the textile mill where he, like most of his clan, earns a little extra money doing piecework. Just prior to lapsing into a coma, Paw whispers to Laura that this mishap was no accident. Acting on Paw's final words, Laura and her husband, Richard, a literature professor with an annoying habit of quoting Shakespeare, set out to find the killer. Many suspects--including kin--arise and then are eliminated from suspicion by the Yankee interlopers. Eventually, the two stumble upon a connection to another crime--the recent rape and murder of a local girl--which reveals the identity of the old man's killer. Kelner's first novel is replete with stock characters speaking ``southern'' (``Lord-a-mighty it is so hot out there, and as muggy as all get out''). Failing to involve readers with strong characters, this tale derives flavor not from its ingredients but from where it's served. (June)