Gone to Ground

Three women conquer their worst fears and overcome obstacles in a chauvinistic Southern town where a serial killer has “gone to ground”— become as hard to dig up as an amaryllis bulb in a garden. Cherrie Mae Devine, Tully Phillips, and Deena Ruckland each reveal a secret and become a trio of praying detectives determined to catch the killer terrorizing the small town of Amaryllis. Each woman thinks the killer is someone perilously close to her. Clue by clue they come closer to the big surprise. An otherwise intelligent Cherrie Mae speaks in unconvincing ebonic dialect when she is supposed to be the smartest person in the ensemble. The way the author italicizes “po” in “police” would be funny, if it were Mark Twain and the 1800s (“It’s just that I done tol everthing I need to the police”). The book moves along briskly, alternating the three women’s voices as they each work through the mystery and come together to share information. The popular novelist’s talent continues to flower despite these flaws, and sales will flourish come spring. Agent: Alive Communications. (Mar.)