Lowcountry Bonfire
Written by Susan M. Boyer
Narrated by Loretta Rawlins
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
Questioning the truth of Zeke Lyerly's tall tales, Liz and Nate race to uncover small-town scandals, long buried secrets, and the victim's tumultuous past to keep Tammy Sue out of jail and the case from going up in flames.
Susan M. Boyer
Susan M. Boyer is the USA Today bestselling author of twelve novels. Her debut novel, Lowcountry Boil, won the 2012 Agatha Award for Best First Novel, the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense, and garnered several other award nominations. Subsequent books have been nominated for various honors, including Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Okra Picks, the 2016 Pat Conroy Beach Music Mystery Prize, and the 2017 Southern Book Prize in Mystery & Detective Fiction. Susan loves beaches, Southern food, and small towns where everyone knows everyone, and everyone has crazy relatives. You’ll find all of the above in her novels. She and her husband call Greenville, SC, home and visit the Carolina coast as often as possible.
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A Liz Talbot Mystery
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Titles in the series (6)
Lowcountry Book Club Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lowcountry Bonfire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lowcountry Bookshop Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lowcountry Boomerang Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lowcountry Boondoggle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lowcountry Boughs of Holly Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
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Reviews for Lowcountry Bonfire
30 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I really do love this series; reading it is like visiting a home town. The settings and characters feel familiar (especially Liz's daddy). I also really love Boyer's choices when she writes; she'll start with a predictable, out-there cozy cliche, but take it in a different direction. She'll have fun with it, but not take it seriously. Unlike another cozy author I read recently who took her story in a similar direction but tried to make it work, only to make a hash out of the entire thing. Lowcountry Bonfire starts off with a woman setting her husband's car and his clothes on fire; retaliation for the affair he's been having. When the firefighters pop open the trunk to control the fire they discover more than his clothes. But Zeke was killed with strychnine and his wife didn't have access to any and she's devastated that he's actually dead. Liz and Nate start investigating and Liz finds a 20 year off-the-grid gap in Zeke's history that opens up a viable channel for investigation. What she discovers is fun for the reader in a Jason Bourne-ish kind of way, but ultimately it's the investigation closer to home that yields more results - realistic ones that are far more horrifying and heartbreaking. Colleen's ghost doesn't get a lot of airtime here, although there was at least one scene where I thought she was just cruel; I like that she later had to face the consequences of taking a thing too far. I like where the author has Nate and Liz too; they're an old married couple now ::grin:: but they have a nice affectionate balance in their relationship that is believable and I've always liked that Nate respects her independence and ability to take care of herself. This book might not have had all the gasps that previous books have had, but it was a very solid mystery with a red herring that was sort of fun to explore. And if I ever have any renovations done on my house I am SO getting a secret compartment put in!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I was so happy to see this Liz Talbot story get back on track. Most of the other books have had crimes or mysteries off island, this one returns to Stella Maris where Nate and Liz are living. They are hired by the woman across the street from her parents to find out if her husband Zeke is having an affair. When they give her the evidence, she goes a little crazy. After filling his prize mustang with his clothes, she sets it on fire. When the fire department pop the trunk to fill it with water, they are all in for a surprise. Zeke is dead in the trunk.
Susan Boyer captured my interest quickly with this story. It was great to see the investigation proceed on Stella Maris. Liz is a strong, smart woman, who knows just how to question and follow the clues. I was kept guessing in this story as there were so many twists and suspects, yet no suspects. Coming up with the evidence needed was like putting a puzzle together. Of course Colleen is still around but not as much as in previous books. In this story, she materializes often and is a sassy 17 year old that looks wonderful. It is great to see that Nate and Liz are settling in as a married couple, yet this did not consume as much of the story as the last book. Once again, we spend a lot of time with the Talbot family and their down home hospitality and humour. When Liz's mama puts on a spread of food for the first responders that are investigating the car fire, you just have to chuckle. I love the town of Stella Maris and I can't wait to visit it again. Once again, a great cozy that has me ready for the next book. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I have to continue with my 5 stars for this series because there is nothing not truly enjoyable about reading these books! The description of the little island community and the food, and throw in a mystery, and you are all settled in for a good read. Hurry up Susan with the next one please!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5**SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD** PIs extraordinaire Liz Talbot and Nate Andrews have been hired by Tammy Sue Lyerly to find out if her husband Zeke is having an affair, even they're surprised when they tell Tammy Sue that Zeke has indeed been doing the horizontal mambo with a local bimbo. Not so much surprised by that, but the fact that Tammy Sue is standing outside in her yard - across the street from Liz' parents home - setting fire to Zeke's prized Mustang and screaming wildly. Also in attendance is Liz' brother Blake, the island of Stella Maris police chief, the volunteer fire department, and what seems like half the town itself.But what no one expects is when Blake orders Pete Carter to open the trunk in order to prevent an explosion - and finds the body of Tammy Sue's wayward husband. How he got there and why is a mystery, and with Tammy Sue seeing him and fainting dead away, the mystery only deepens. Liz and Nate are now employed by the town to investigate, and with Tammy Sue as the only suspect, Liz knows better. While the woman may have torched her husband's car, she knows there's no way she would have murdered the man she loved.When Liz and Nate start digging deeper, they come up with not only more suspects, but start finding out that Zeke, a notorious teller of tall tales, may actually have been telling the truth. But is that what got him killed? Or was it something closer to home and someone he trusted who decided to end his life? Since it appears the killer is now aiming for them, it will take all their sleuthing skills to find a killer before one of them find their own life extinguished...This is the sixth book in the Liz Talbot series, and as such, the author does not disappoint. She dives right into the action from the beginning with Zeke's body discovered almost immediately. Now this could be a detriment, since we don't get to know the man; and oftentimes when this happens we don't care one way or another about the dead person. Do we like or hate him? Is he a jerk who regularly cheats? Is he a nice guy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time? But have no fear - as the story progresses, so does the life of Zeke. We learn all about him, his history, his relationship with his wife; and this is the meat of the story.Yes, we're out to find a killer, the same as Liz; but we also discover things about Zeke that bring him to life after death. And this, my friends, makes all the difference. We learn who he was, what he felt and thought; and because of this, there is a sorrow to his death that makes us as determined as Liz to find a murderer.The mystery is raw, driven, and well thought out; secrets are discovered and even the nicest seeming people become suspects. In between all of this, we are treated to southern hospitality on Stella Maris; with people who are concerned about manners and the fact that you must eat - a lot - to maintain your strength and sanity; and any breach of etiquette is considered a sin. It is a delightful addition and with just enough levity to keep the story from being too dark.And, of course, we have Colleen, the ghost of Liz' best friend whose mission is to protect Stella Maris from interlopers and also to help Liz - when she can. Though not as prominent in this book as in others, the few scenes she does appear in are memorable. When all is said and done, the killer finally caught and truths discovered, we learn that all actions have an equal reaction. And what might seem like harmless fun may cause more than pain. Cruelty comes in many forms, and mindless cruelty is the worst of all. Highly recommended, and I eagerly await the next in the series.