Kerry K. (mistysmere) -
Helpful Score: 3
The actual story and plot of this book was pretty good. There were a lot of characters and I some times got people mixed up, but as a whole, the main characters were well developed. If I wasn't from Vermont, I would have been able to thoroughly enjoy this book.
But the fact is that I was raised in Vermont and from the first chapter, I was asking my husband, also raised in Vermont, stupid questions about a place we haven't lived in almost ten years. Throughout the entire book, I would stop and rave about how this book seems to be written by someone who has never lived in Vermont before. Due to a computer upgrade, I was unable to check until I discovered the very last page of the book with a tiny About the Author section. The author was raised in IN and moved to CA. I will say that the man may have been to VT before in his life, but he totally missed some important things while he was there.
From page 1, he talks about a car being driven up highway 7 and highway 2. It's Route 7 and Route 2. This threw me off enough that I almost didn't keep going after chapter 1. Then he refers to the major state college as U of V. I almost died laughing. The University of Vermont has never been referred to as U of V. It's UVM, as in University of Verde Mont (or Green Mountains, which the state was named for). Another thing that was very distracting was the constant travel from the Isles to Burlington. As a city dweller now, traveling 45 minutes to get donuts isn't that big a deal. But in VT, no one travels 45 minutes just for donuts. And why is a Burlington police detective stationed in a Winooski police station investigating a Grand Isle crime? Finally, there is a more subtle difference in religion from VT and the Midwest. This might not be something that many people see, except those raised in VT who have lived in the Midwest. All I know is that tent revivals are not something you would really see in VT at all. Don't even get me started about one of the characters ending up in the hospital with a view of a pasture. If you can get past all these little details, the story and mystery really are good ones.
But the fact is that I was raised in Vermont and from the first chapter, I was asking my husband, also raised in Vermont, stupid questions about a place we haven't lived in almost ten years. Throughout the entire book, I would stop and rave about how this book seems to be written by someone who has never lived in Vermont before. Due to a computer upgrade, I was unable to check until I discovered the very last page of the book with a tiny About the Author section. The author was raised in IN and moved to CA. I will say that the man may have been to VT before in his life, but he totally missed some important things while he was there.
From page 1, he talks about a car being driven up highway 7 and highway 2. It's Route 7 and Route 2. This threw me off enough that I almost didn't keep going after chapter 1. Then he refers to the major state college as U of V. I almost died laughing. The University of Vermont has never been referred to as U of V. It's UVM, as in University of Verde Mont (or Green Mountains, which the state was named for). Another thing that was very distracting was the constant travel from the Isles to Burlington. As a city dweller now, traveling 45 minutes to get donuts isn't that big a deal. But in VT, no one travels 45 minutes just for donuts. And why is a Burlington police detective stationed in a Winooski police station investigating a Grand Isle crime? Finally, there is a more subtle difference in religion from VT and the Midwest. This might not be something that many people see, except those raised in VT who have lived in the Midwest. All I know is that tent revivals are not something you would really see in VT at all. Don't even get me started about one of the characters ending up in the hospital with a view of a pasture. If you can get past all these little details, the story and mystery really are good ones.
Kimberly G. (Prov31lady) reviewed Crimson Snow (Lake Champlain Mysteries, Book 1) on + 56 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Sometimes being a minister can be murder...mystery
Great book
Great book
