Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 16, 1994 TAG: 9410180061
SECTION: BOOK PAGE: F5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: REVIEWED BY JILL BOWEN
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A new mystery writer is always an exciting event and Jeff Abbott is a welcome addition to their ranks.
"Do Unto Others" is set in a small rural town in central Texas where Abbott describes a community full of unusual residents. This scenario rings remarkably true, and could well be an accurate description of any number of small towns on the Brazos River with their intrigues, and petty jealousies.
Our hero, Jordan Poteet leaves a successful publishing job in Boston and returns to his home town to help his sister look after his mother who is suffering from Alzheimers disease. Jordy manages to get a job at the local library. In his capacity as librarian, Jordy crosses swords with the local religious bigot, Beta Harcher, who is a one-woman censorship organization.
Imagine Jordy's dismay when he discovers her brutally murdered body in the library under highly incriminating circumstances.
To Billy Ray, the obnoxious local district attorney, Jordy is immediately the only suspect. Luckily the chief of police is an old school friend, and is prepared to look the other way while Jordy does a little private investigating on his own. Several of the town's citizens appear to have had the means, motive and opportunity to commit the murder of the universally unpopular Beta. Unraveling the whole affair is more complex than it would first appear, and Beta proves to be far more dangerous dead than alive.
Abbott pokes gentle fun both at the town characters and their way of life. This makes a welcome change from the more violent murder novels that appear to be so popular nowadays. I hope this mystery is the first of many from Jeff Abbott, particularly if they continue to portray life in small-town Texas with its colorful and slightly eccentric inhabitants who lend themselves so well to a tongue-in-cheek approach.
Jill Bowen is a veterinarian and `whodunit' buff now living in Blacksburg, who spent many years living in central Texas.
by CNB