Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Sourcebooks Landmark (2001), Paperback, 368 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. Mystery. HTML: The polite Piedmont town of Hillston, North Carolina, wants to go on believing it is still too temperate to require homicide experts. But when the wife of a state senator is found beaten to death, the inner circle of Hillston's ruling families arranges to have the case assigned to Detective Justin Savile, the charming black sheep of the dynasty that founded the town. Aided by his wise-cracking, working-class partner, Cuddy Magnum, and a young woman from the Carolina mountains whose strength and love rescues him from his own destructive impulses, Savile sets out to unravel the deceit hidden in Hillston's past. His obsessive pursuit of one of this own and his determination to save a petty thief from being railroaded for murder not only lead to other deaths, but bring the detective very near to losing his own life. With striking humor and a rich range of characters, Malone creates a landscape struggling the New South's high-tech lifestyles and the Old South's inherited codes..… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member sturlington
The murder of his uncle’s wife, in what seems at first to be a random robbery, prompts police lieutenant Justin Savile to dredge up long-buried secrets that threaten his very old family and the monied elite that rule the small town where he lives.
I am proud of my Southern heritage, and I usually
But there is an unexpected depth to this story and a surprising humanness to these characters. As Justin digs deeper into the case, and as we learn more about him and the people around him, the novel becomes elevated above a mere cozy Southern mystery. Through the investigation, Justin comments on small-town life and politics, his failure to live up to what his family expected of him, and his struggles to figure out the kind of life he really wants to build. At the same time, the people in his life reveal themselves not as stereotypes, but as full-fledged, interesting human beings. Malone invites us to embrace the caricatures, and then to look beyond them for the truth.
I was surprised to realize this book was published in the 1980s (although I should have realized it from the characters’ references to the Vietnam War). The story feels fresh and current. It was a pleasant discovery for me, and I will probably look for more of Michael Malone’s books.
This was our March 2014 book club pick.
I am proud of my Southern heritage, and I usually
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enjoy Southern fiction, in small doses. Too much, and I find it cloying, like overly sweetened tea. At first, I was afraid that was what Uncivil Seasons would be, as the Southern accents are so thick they almost drip from the page. Justin Savile lives in a small North Carolina town called Hillston, modeled no doubt on the town where both I and Michael Malone live. The town is peopled with all the types of Southern fiction, the old, wealthy families who rule the town, and the poor white trash raise hell on the wrong sides of the tracks. There are also a few eccentric characters: the homeless woman who spouts religious prophecies in the streets and the black music store owner with a great sense of style and a side business fencing stolen goods. And Justin’s partner Cuddy Mangum, who cannot shut up and comes off at first like a younger, wittier Barney Fife.But there is an unexpected depth to this story and a surprising humanness to these characters. As Justin digs deeper into the case, and as we learn more about him and the people around him, the novel becomes elevated above a mere cozy Southern mystery. Through the investigation, Justin comments on small-town life and politics, his failure to live up to what his family expected of him, and his struggles to figure out the kind of life he really wants to build. At the same time, the people in his life reveal themselves not as stereotypes, but as full-fledged, interesting human beings. Malone invites us to embrace the caricatures, and then to look beyond them for the truth.
I was surprised to realize this book was published in the 1980s (although I should have realized it from the characters’ references to the Vietnam War). The story feels fresh and current. It was a pleasant discovery for me, and I will probably look for more of Michael Malone’s books.
This was our March 2014 book club pick.
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LibraryThing member tikilights
This novel is all about the characters, and the plot almost secondary. The actual murder mystery is not too original, but the Malone's writing of characters such as Cuddy and Cadmean make this story stand out. Malone's dry humor throughout made it a lot of fun to read.
LibraryThing member jennorthcoast
This is a fantastic read. It combines a slow, unhurried southern style with passages of pure lyrical poetry that make me pause and re-read, pause again and contemplate how Malone came up with the imagery and why I can’t ever think of such cool metaphors. And all this superb writing in a whodunit
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murder mystery with two police detectives as the main characters. Justin and Cuddy are the high points of the book, each sharply drawn and given equal time, but the ancillary characters are also well developed, with quirks and eccentricities that keep the story moving. The book is overly long, but that is a minor quibble when I am immersed in Malone’s world. Read this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member kerns222
A well-written description of tensions between the upper-class North Carolinians (horses, Latin classics, civility, UNC, top-dog sanatoriums for alcoholics, politics, money) and the working stiffs (and stiffettes) who slugged thru their lives in the textile mills that made the green stuff. Black
One detective from each class. One kiss-butt Chief of Police hindering the investigation (as always). One old-school mill owner, one new MBA off-shoring exec. A bit of hokey pokey (upper class), love interest (mixed class) and skanky goings on (lowest class). (If this sounds like a romance-remember Malone was a Soap Opera writer for many years.) Some hocus pocus too with a vision-seeing family castoff throwing things off track. And some murders.
Nice read.
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workers are given a nod, but stay in the Southern background (not as bad as in Mayberry which was right down the hiway.) One detective from each class. One kiss-butt Chief of Police hindering the investigation (as always). One old-school mill owner, one new MBA off-shoring exec. A bit of hokey pokey (upper class), love interest (mixed class) and skanky goings on (lowest class). (If this sounds like a romance-remember Malone was a Soap Opera writer for many years.) Some hocus pocus too with a vision-seeing family castoff throwing things off track. And some murders.
Nice read.
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Subjects
Language
Original publication date
1983
Physical description
368 p.; 8.52 inches
ISBN
1570717559 / 9781570717550
Local notes
READIN
series: #01 savile
series: #01 savile