Donna Rose and the Roots of Evil
By Norma Tadlock Johnson
Donna Rose Galbreath is a retired schoolteacher in Cedar Harbor. Her neighbor, Cyrus, is a retired serviceman who is attracted to her. They form a “dump Donniker” committee to try to get the sheriff removed from office. To their surprise, he is honored at a dinner. Someone laces his food with poisonous roots that were taken from the police evidence locker, and the sheriff drops dead. Their friend, Jake, is accused of the crime. Together, they do what they can to clear their friend of these charges.
The story is told in first person, which isn’t my favorite style. However, it allows the author to use large words because the main character is an English teacher. The style makes descriptions awkward, so it’s hard in envision the setting. The author also uses too many “small talk” phrases in the conversations (Hello, how are you? Just fine, how are you?) which slows down the pace of the entire piece.
The pace is so slow that this was a great book to read just before bed. Half way through a chapter, my lids would begin to sag, and by the time I made it to the end of the chapter, I was sawing Z’s and off to sleep for the night.
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