all your Reads in Here

When I read the seventh Buryin' Barry mystery, Secret Undertaking , I liked the cast of characters enough to go back and pick up the first in the series,  Dangerous Undertaking . Mark de Castrique is skilled in introducing a new series. This reader, at least, felt as if I had dropped into the middle of Barry Clayton's life, and was just re-meeting people I had met before. Barry Clayton moved back home to Gainesboro, North Carolina from Charlotte where he'd been a police officer, a grad student in criminal justice, and married. That's all in the past now. His father has Alzheimer's, and Clayton's mother and uncle, and the community, need him as an undertaker. He's at the cemetery where Martha Willard is to be buried when Martha's grandson Dallas Willard shows up, shoots his brother and sister, and then aims at Barry, shouting, "Take a message to my grandmother. Tell her they tried to take her land. Tell her I love her." Barry survives, wounded i...

After I read a couple of Mark de Castrique's Sam Blackman books, I quit the series. But, the seventh Buryin' Barry mystery,  Secret Undertaking , made me go back to pick up the first in this series. Dark humor, that western North Carolina small community setting, and the appealing characters drew me in. It's that humor that's so rarely done well that appealed to me. And, you don't need to have read the earlier books in the series if you want to pick up Secret Undertaking . "Buryin' Barry" Clayton is the owner of the local funeral home in Gainesboro, North Carolina. He's also a part-time deputy for a very shrewd sheriff, Tommy Lee Wadkins. But, Barry never expected Tommy Lee to fall for Archie Donovan's latest scheme. The insurance agent wants to ride on the Jaycees float in the Apple Festival parade to raise money for the Boys and Girls Clubs. Barry can arrest him, and he'll spend time in jail, trying to raise the $10,000. With Barry on the...

Friday and Saturday were travel days, but we spent fun time together. After checking out of our hotel, we drove across the street to Biltmore Village. We started our day at the Cathedral of All Souls, the Episcopal Cathedral, built by George Vanderbilt. It's a beautiful church, with stained glass windows made by a father and daughter team who were contemporaries of Tiffany. The church was designed as the connecting piece of the community. This window was dedicated to George Vanderbilt's father, Cornelius Vanderbilt. From the Church, we went to the New Morning Gallery where they have "Art for Living". It's a gorgeous gallery that contains works of over 200 artisans. I think we spent a couple hours there, and Linda and I both bought small pieces there. If you're looking for gorgeous artwork, made by local artisans, this is the place to look. Mom After going to another gallery featuring local artisans, we had lunch at a fun little restaurant that was recommended....

Once a year, my mother and sisters, Linda and Christie, and I head out on a family trip. It's really an excuse to spend a few days together, laughing and enjoying time together. We've done a Broadway and New York City trip, Nashville, Indiana, Ohio's Amish country and Canton area. We took the train to Chicago to see My Fair Lady . This year, we headed to North Carolina. Christie's daughter goes to college in North Carolina, and is interning there this summer. The Chihuly in the Garden exhibit at Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina gave us one more reason to go. (As if we needed any.) I drove to Linda's home outside Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday. Mom & Christie came down on Wednesday, and then I drove to Asheville. We made a couple stops along the way. We had lunch and looked at some gorgeous artisans' crafts at Tamarack in West Virginia. With Linda at Tamarack Our second stop was just before reaching Asheville, when I abruptly swing into a scenic overlook so ...