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    Dangerous Undertaking
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    Dangerous Undertaking
    Unavailable
    Dangerous Undertaking
    Ebook305 pages3 hours

    Dangerous Undertaking

    By Mark de Castrique

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    "[A] marvelous mystery you won't want to put down." —Publishers Weekly

    Barry Clayton has a job he doesn't want. When his father became stricken with Alzheimer's, Barry left the Charlotte police force for the small mountain community of Gainesboro, North Carolina, where his family runs the local funeral home. "Buryin' Barry" reluctantly assumed the mantle of town undertaker, trying to fit his life into this somber profession.

    Almost at once it turns deadly. At the graveside service for an elderly woman, a grieving grandson strides in clad like Clint Eastwood in a duster, rips out a shotgun, and murders his family. Then the shooter turns the weapon on Barry. "Take a message to my grandmother," Dallas Willard shouts. "Tell her they tried to take the land. Tell her I love her." The blast hits Barry in the shoulder.

    Barry is not cut from the same black cloth as his father, and his irreverent wit and independence have already won him the friendship of the county sheriff, one-eyed war hero Tommy Lee Wadkins. Besides, Barry's a police pro. Trusting his wounds to the hands of local surgeon Susan Miller, Barry begins a search for both the killer and the reason for his crime. It isn't long before a second shooting occurs—but when Dallas Willard's body is discovered at the bottom of a quarry pond, it becomes clear that Gainesboro is caught in the grip of something more than a deadly family quarrel...

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSourcebooks
    Release dateSep 30, 2011
    ISBN9781615950362
    Unavailable
    Dangerous Undertaking
    Author

    Mark de Castrique

    Mark de Castrique grew up in the mountains of western North Carolina where many of his novels are set. He's a veteran of the television and film production industry, has served as an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte teaching The American Mystery, and he's a frequent speaker and workshop leader. He and his wife, Linda, live in Charlotte, North Carolina. www.markdecastrique.com

    Read more from Mark De Castrique

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    Reviews for Dangerous Undertaking

    4/5

    37 ratings7 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Good start for another interesting North Carolina mystery series, move over Judge Debra. Interesting characters,and story, though the ending seemed a little contrived. Hopefully the protagonist's nickname will also fade away. Like Bulldog Drummond, its so 20th Century.
    • 4/5
      I've read the author's Sam Blackman series, and didn't think I could like a protagonist more than I like the character of Sam -- but Barry Clayton is, in own his way, just as great a character. He was happily building a career in the Charlotte police dept. when family duty called -- he returned to his hometown in the mountains of North Carolina when his father was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's, so he could help care for him and help run the family's mortuary.The mystery is good, too! This installment begins with a shooting at a funeral, when one mentally-unbalanced heir shoots the other two known heirs -- and Barry, too. What set him off? And where did he disappear to after the shooting? I enjoyed the characters and the plot twists. I've ordered more books in this series.I had to smile when I read the one review previously posted for this book. The writer of the review quoted as a sample of humorous dialog the very lines I'd planned to quote -- lines that made me laugh OUT LOUD while trying to read quietly in the middle of the night next to my sleeping husband.In case you can't tell from what I've written already -- I absolutely loved this book!
    • 4/5
      First Line: Crab Apple Valley Baptist Church sat high on a grassy knoll overseeing the sinners scattered along the valley floor.Former Charlotte policeman Barry Clayton has a new job that he doesn't want. With his father caught in the talons of Alzheimer's, Barry quits the Charlotte police force and returns to the small mountain community of Gainesboro, North Carolina, to take over the role of town undertaker.Almost immediately, his job turns deadly. At the graveside service for an elderly woman, her grief-stricken grandson kills his family and turns the gun on Barry. "Take a message to my grandmother," Dallas Willard shouts. "Tell her they tried to take the land. Tell her I love her." The shotgun blast hits Barry in the shoulder. His wounds being seen to by the woman he loves, Barry begins to search for Dallas and the reason for Dallas's actions.Fortunately Barry's irreverent humor and independence have earned him the friendship of the county sheriff, and he is a former policeman after all, so Sheriff Tommy Lee Wadkins is happy to have the help. When a second shooting occurs and Dallas Willard's body is found in a quarry pond, Barry realizes he could be the next victim on the killer's list.Already a fan of the author through his Sam Blackman series, I looked forward to this first book in his "Buryin' Barry" series. I wasn't disappointed. There is a very strong sense of both the place and its people in Dangerous Undertaking which adds richness to the story. How a family deals with Alzheimer's is also honestly and sensitively dealt with.Although I also come from a small town, I wasn't aware of how a funeral home can be part of the fabric of a place-- probably because the funeral director in my hometown was more a figure of fun. (All I have to do is think "cats and Cadillacs" to start grinning.)Another bonus in the book is Barry's sense of humor, which led me to laugh out loud several times. Here's a sample: Sheriff Tommy Lee Wadkins smiled and spoke out of the corner of his mouth. "Cover me." "Cover you?" My voice cracked through wilted vocal cords. "I'm a damn undertaker. The only thing I can cover you with is dirt."The mystery, involving land prices and greed, takes some unexpected twists and turns along the way, which keeps it interesting. In the end, however, it's the strong cast of characters that kept me savoring the pages all the way to the end.I'm looking forward to my next visit with Barry Clayton.
    • 4/5
      Burying Barry Clayron, who was thus nick-named in high school because his family were the local undertakers, left his job in the Charlotte, North Carolina Police Department to return home to help his father. Having been diagnosed with Alzeimer's Barry's dad could no longer keep on working. Despite his lack of enthusiasm for the profession Barry has picked up the slack and is helping his mother and uncle when he almost has the need for a coffin himself as he barely dodges bullets at a funeral. Barry joins the police in the hunt for this killer in an interesting mystery which takes place in rural North Carolina. I am ;poking forward to the next in the series, GRAVE UNDERTAKING.
    • 4/5
      First I want to say that I read this off and on and it made it a bit hard to follow. So I had to go back a few times which is always tedious. But that was not the book's fault. The mystery is very good. I really liked Barry and the other characters in the book. I thought the depiction of North Carolina hill folks was good if a bit over the top. AI did get the feeling I was right there, and I have relatives who fit into this category. So I am planning to read the next book because I think I will really enjoy it if I don't take so long to read it.
    • 4/5
      The first chapter with the funeral scene remains as the best opening I have enjoyed. The story, told by Barry Clayton, unfolds in the North Carolina mountains. In this short novel, the characters dominant the pages from the circuit preacher, Lester Pace, to the reclusive liquor maker, Talmadge Watson; and many minor characters throughout the story. The weather, greed, and family loyalty greatly factor into the story. I have read both series by Mark de Castrique, but Barry Clayton pulls me into the story of the problems and heartaches that control our existence. Mark de Castrique softly hints of the encroachment of business into the freedom of rural life.
    • 4/5
      Being a fan of the Sam Blackman series by Mark de Castrique, I decided to give his Buryin' Barry series a try. Barry has come home to his North Carolina mountains to take over the family funeral home for his dad who has Alzheimer's. Barry, a former policeman, is shot during a funeral and is soon teamed up with his friend, the sheriff, to figure out what is going on. With big money property deals, shady electric company managers, a crazy preacher, and illegal dumping of toxic waste, the mystery is complicated, but everything is woven together. I look forward to reading the rest of this series.