Dance On His Grave: A Sidra Smart Mystery
By Sylvia Dickey Smith
L&L Dreamspell, $16.95
ISBN: 978-1-60318-006-1
Click here for an interview with the author.

After escaping her thirty-year marriage to a minister, Sidra Smart planned only to go to Orange, Texas to sell the bayou country private investigation business willed to her by her late brother. What she didn't expect was to be ambushed by Jewell Stone, a frantic young woman crying that "he killed her" and begging for Sidra to investigate the murder Jewell believed she witnessed as a child. Sidra attempts to pass both the case and the business to George Leger, a Cajun private detective and bails bondsman who turns things around by insisting that Sidra not only work under his mentorship but look into the thirty-year-old murder as well.

Harassed by her angry, estranged husband, along with a series of threatening notes and phone calls, Sidra receives dubious help from her pushy aunt who moves to town with the intention of becoming Sidra's assistant.

With her life in upheaval and professionally treading on unfamiliar territory, Sidra's caught off-guard by the romantic offerings from an attractive district attorney. Sidra needs to find answers — not just for the mystery behind the possible murder, but to the question of her identity as well.

The first in the "Third Eye" mystery series, DANCE ON HIS GRAVE mixes suspense, humor, and a hint of romance and introduces a new detective who is just getting her feel as both an investigator and an independent woman.

Sidra is no pushover, and it's a pleasure to see her grow more confident and stronger with each confrontation. Laced throughout with subtle humor, events lead to a conclusion that is shockingly brutal and unsettling. Overall, this is a promising beginning to a new series that features a woman who has the potential to grow into a strong, confident, and intelligent investigator.

Review by CINDY CHOW

©2008 Lorie Ham. All rights reserved.