One winter evening in 1912, in the woods outside of Boynton, Oklahoma, abusive and drunken Harley Day surprises his son John Lee and the neighbor girl Phoebe Tucker in a lovers' tryst. An hour later, when John Lee walks his beloved home, Phoebe's mother, Alafair Tucker, suspects that something is amiss. How could she know her daughter has been involved in a violent confrontation that will make Phoebe and her beau murder suspects?

At supper that evening, over bowls of soupy beans and buttery cornbread, Alafair, her husband Shaw, and their nine lively children, much amused that Phoebe has a boyfriend, discuss the unfortunate Day family. The Days are tormented by their evil father, who beats his wife, mistreats his children, and wastes their money. The mother is helpless, and the eldest daughter, Maggie Ellen, has run away, leaving only 19-year-old John Lee and his 13-year-old sister Naomi to care for the younger children and keep the family from destitution.

Then... well, the old buzzard had it coming!

This Best Unpublished Mystery of 2004 (The Oklahoma Writers' Federation, Inc.) is the first in a new series.

Reviews

As the mother of nine, Alafair Tucker's hard but basically peaceful life on a farm on the Oklahoma frontier in 1912 is changed forever when one of her daughters--17-year-old Phoebe--is involved in the murder of an obnoxious neighbor. Phoebe is the girlfriend of the chief suspect, the dead man's son, and might even have been his accomplice in the crime.

Under Donis Casey's gifted hand and shrewd historic eye, Tucker adds solving a mystery to her busy schedule. It all could easily have gone soft and cute, especially the many long visits to the Tuckers' fellow farmers. But by avoiding all the built-in traps, Casey has produced a sharp and suspenseful first novel. -- Dick Adler, Chicago Tribune (10 July 2005)

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Life on the Oklahoma frontier in 1912 was anything but easy, yet Casey's sweet-tempered debut manages to make readers nostalgic for simpler times... the appealingly homey world Casey creates rings true. With so much going for her, readers will be right pleased to see a sequel. -- Publishers Weekly (6.6.2005)

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"Alafair Tucker, a competent farmwife and sympathetic mother of nine, takes it in stride when twin daughter Phoebe brings handsome John Lee Day home. He's from the less prosperous neighboring farm, and his pa is a known drunk-as well as a wife and child beater. When Pa's corpse is found in the snow, Alafair, who helps the widow prepare the body, discovers that the man was shot. With John Lee as the prime suspect, she's afraid Phoebe may have been mixed up in murder, too. Set in 1912 Oklahoma, this first novel, which was named the Best Unpublished Mystery of 2004 by the Oklahoma Writers' Federation, should please even the most demanding fans of historicals with its authentic situations, fully drawn characters, and clever plotting. Casey, who holds an MLS, lives in Tempe, AZ."--Library Journal

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Mystery readers everywhere, rejoice! This first of the Alafair Tucker mysteries introduces an engaging new heroine to treasure. Set during the cold winter of 1912 on the Oklahoma frontier, Alafair Tucker is a farm wife and mother of nine. She determines to discover the murderer of an abusive neighbor, even when the clues point to his eldest son, who Alafair¯¿½s daughter Phoebe loves and who is hiding in one of the family¯¿½s outbuildings.

"Don't be misled by the unfortunate title and cover design. Casey's novel brims with wit, humor and the occasional devastating sorrow. Alafair and Shaw and their wholesome brood stand in sharp contrast to the murdered man and his family. Their children run through household duties as if sired by the Gold Shoe Bunny so their mom can work her investigation around the authorities and the expectations that she'll stay within her female sphere. She works those expectations to her own advantage. Alafair is naturally curious, wise, and a bit too courageous for her own good now and then, when she's also lucky. If the wholesome meter gets to tipping, a welcome touch of magical realism saves the novel from sentimentality. A deep pleasure to read, and a few of Alafaire's recipes are included! I can't wait" -Historical Mystery Society

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"As vivid and unforgettable as a crimson Oklahoma sunset" -Carolyn Hart

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"Donis Casey...gives us a tale full of wit, humor, sorrow and, more important, the truth. Her Alafair Tucker deserves to stand beside Ma Joad in literature's gallery of heroic ladies."

--Tony Hillerman