What ‘Kentucky’ Book Should I Take to the Beach?
I'm preparing for our annual trip to Florida in the next few weeks and at the very top of my priority list is finding the PERFECT vacation book.
Why is this so important to me? Well, let me break it down for you. I'm the digital managing editor for the Owensboro and Evansville Townsquare Media markets. I'm in charge of all seven of our websites and social media properties. So, saying I read "quite a bit" is an understatement. And, I'm insanely busy so reading for fun after I've read all day doesn't sound all that appealing.
But, when I'm on vacation, I get to sit back and ENJOY a book! My selection MUST be perfect because if I waste my annual read on something stupid, I'm gonna be madder'n a fire ant in a hot skillet!
This year, I think I've narrowed it down to the perfect book. Here's my go-to qualities when I'm searching for a vacation book:
- Books set in the past (1920-1958 preferably)
- Books that contain a really juicy mystery
- Books that aren't too wordy or flowery
- Books that glean a bit of humor
- Books set in the South
So, what holds all these attributes and more? BEHOLD.
Let Me Die in His Footsteps
In the spellbinding and suspenseful Let Me Die in His Footsteps, Edgar Award–winner Lori Roy wrests from a Southern town the secrets of two families touched by an evil that has passed between generations.
On a dark Kentucky night in 1952 exactly halfway between her fifteenth and sixteenth birthdays, Annie Holleran crosses into forbidden territory. Everyone knows Hollerans don’t go near Baines, not since Joseph Carl was buried two decades before, but, armed with a silver-handled flashlight, Annie runs through her family’s lavender fields toward the well on the Baines’ place. At the stroke of midnight, she gazes into the water in search of her future. Not finding what she had hoped for, she turns from the well and when the body she sees there in the moonlight is discovered come morning, Annie will have much to explain and a past to account for. -Goodreads
So, how cool is this? It's a gothic novel set in rural Kentucky! But, before I settle on Let Me Die in His Footsteps, I wanted to ask you for recommendations. What books about Kentucky, are set in Kentucky, or are by Kentucky authors do you love? And, they don't have to fit into my usual criteria. I'm open to any suggestions!