Poisoned Ground by Sandra Parshall

First Line: Rachel Goddard drove up to Joanna McKendrick's brick farmhouse to make a routine veterinary call and discovered her friend standing on the porch, pointing a shotgun at a man in a business suit.

A powerful development company wants to build a huge resort catering to the rich in Mason County, Virginia. Its well-trained representatives have gone around making offers on farms throughout the area, and this issue has polarized the county's residents. Few people oppose it more strongly than veterinarian Rachel Goddard, which is causing problems for her new husband, Sheriff Tom Bridger.

When a well-liked couple is shot dead on the very farm they refused to sell, Mason County turns into a powder keg with both sides violently lashing out. As the situation continues to worsen, Rachel discovers that there are other, more sinister, motives behind the murders. It is now a race against time to bring the truth to light before the county explodes.

Sandra Parshall has crafted a finely tuned and fast-paced mystery that I found difficult to put down. There's a lot going on in Poisoned Ground-- from Rachel trying to get used to being part of a couple, to showing how veterinarians can be called in to care for the pets of deceased owners, to how the promise of jobs can transform normally sane people into something a little less than human, to-- last but not least-- how sheer stubbornness can lead to justice. All these factors as well as a fine cast of characters make this a very satisfying read.

As more information slowly comes to light, the investigation starts changing directions, and I really enjoyed trying to figure things out. However, in many ways I felt that the best part of the book showed how the promise of paychecks can rip an entire county in two. Parshall does an excellent job of showing all sides of the conflict while fully engaging the reader's emotions.

Rachel Goddard has grown and matured since the first book in this series (the Agatha Award-winning The Heat of the Moon), and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what's in store for her next.

Poisoned Ground by Sandra Parshall

ISBN:  9781464202247

Poisoned Pen Press © 2014

Paperback, 250 pages

Amateur Sleuth, #6 Rachel Goddard mystery

Rating: A-

Source: NetGalley 

The Heat of the Moon by Sandra Parshall

First Line: I drive slowly past a familiar house where strangers now live.

Until the rainy night when a Basset Hound named Maude is hit by a car, veterinarian Rachel Goddard was happy with her work at an animal hospital in McLean, Virginia. As Maude's owner rushes the dog to the hospital, Rachel finds herself trying to comfort the woman's terrified three-year-old daughter. Rachel is reminded of her own sister as a very young child, and the entire episode triggers flashbacks that make her feel as though she's losing her mind. Even the animal hospital's new head doctor, Luke Campbell, can't take her mind off these visions, and Rachel begins to search for answers-- against the express wishes of her controlling mother and her sister.

I read this book while snowed in in a small Yorkshire farm cottage while my husband and I were on vacation. Even though I was not happy about being unable to head out to our next destination, I found that Sandra Parshall's first Rachel Goddard mystery took my mind off the delay-- which was a very welcome turn of events.

This is a book in which you'll soon know the identity of the "villain." Parshall's Mommy Dearest is a memorable one indeed. What makes the pages turn is your need to find out exactly what Rachel's mother did and why she did it. As you get a bit deeper in the story, you may wonder why on earth Rachel let her mother control almost every aspect of her life, but never underestimate the persistence of a very young child who's faced abandonment to cling to what's familiar.

Luke Campbell does provide romantic interest throughout the book, but he's also there for Rachel to realize that she's not losing her mind and that she does have a future worth fighting for.

As I read The Heat of the Moon, I thought it was a standalone novel, but soon learned that it's the first book in a series centered on Rachel. I'm glad. I came to like Rachel very much, and I am definitely looking forward to reading more about her now that she can put the past behind her. 

The Heat of the Moon by Sandra Parshall

ISBN: 9781590583807

Poisoned Pen Press © 2007

Paperback, 292 pages

Suspense, #1 Rachel Goddard mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased at Barnes and Noble