Deadly Sins, Deadly Secrets
Sylvia Dickey Smith
Reviewed by Barb Radmore
This is the second outing for the new PI Sidra Smart. She was debuted
in Dance on his Grave and now continues in this newest entry into the
series. She left her straight laced Baptist minister of a husband and
has inherited a PI business. In this adventure Smith examines small
town America- a place where everyone knows everything about everybody,
or at least they think they do.
Sidra is drawn into investigating a murder by the father of the man
everyone believes killed a man and woman in their home. The son was
killed by a train while fleeing the murder scene so he can not defend
himself from the charges. His hand prints and foot print were found at
the scene so it is easy to believe he was the killer. The police are
happy to easily close the case without any second thoughts so it is up
to Sidra to take a closer look at the crime. She becomes more
determined than ever as the bodies increase and her office is burned
down. She must move in with her interfering but always loving Aunt
Annie. Her aunt, who is also her secretary, lives in a wonderful old
house that becomes home to Sid and her new pet, Slider. It is in the
attic of this house that she finds the diary of Kate, the woman who
built the house during the 1850s. This starts the most intriguing sub
plot of the book; the question becomes is this woman helping Sid to
solve the crime or does Sid just have an active imagination.
Smith has named this series Third Eye Mysteries and in this vein she
uses a wide variety of coincidences to move the mystery along. The plot
is well structured with a nice rhythm that keeps the suspense building.
The setting is well described with its small town atmosphere and
intrigue. Sid is an appealing character that lights up the book. Her
Aunt Annie is nice comic relief.
Smith is able to carry the mystery to its stunning conclusion. She
brings the reader along on Sid's journey to both grow as an independent
woman while also exploring the possibility of new love. It will be
interesting to see how Sid develops in future books both personally and
professionally.