Charlaine Harris is one of the biggest supernatural writers right now thanks the the series True Blood, which is loosely based on her Sookie Stackhouse books. It was this first novel that she kicked off her writing career, which is primarily focused on cozy mysteries set in the rural South.

Originally published in 1981, this novel is the sole outing for Catherine Linton. She has just returned to her hometown of Lowfield, Mississippi, and settled into a job as a reporter for the local newspaper. One early morning, she has decided to head out into the countryside to walk on her family's farm and finds a body of a woman who has been beaten to death. She calls the local sheriff and is quickly drawn into a whirlwind of secrets kept by the various residents of Lowfield.

When the sheriff arrives, the body is quickly identified as the nurse who had worked as the assistant to Catherine's father for many years before he retired from being primarily responsible for the town's health for many years. Catherine can't help but wonder if the nurse's death is also tied to her own parents' car accident six months earlier. It was an accident that seemed anything but an accident.

Catherine turns to her boss at the paper, the local librarian, and a number of other residents for possible suspects and even help. The more she delves into the secrets, the faster she starts to realize that her father and the nurse had come across a secret that someone was willing to kill for. As it becomes more and more likely that the murderer is going to start to think she knows the secret, Catherine realizes she might be the next target. Can she ID the killer before she ends up dead?

Even at this early stage, Harris is already exhibiting some of the standard feel that is evident in most of her mysteries:
*a strong central female character forced into solving a murder
*a cast of intriguing (and odd) character that would do Cabot Cove (Murder She Wrote) proud
*a strong sense of small-town South
*just a touch of romance
*secrets, secrets, secrets!

I did really enjoy this book, and I am more than a little disappointed that Harris didn't write any more mysteries with this journalist-detective because I think they would be really interesting. In a way, she does remind me of one of her other amateur detectives: Aurora Teagarden.

This is definitely worth a try!