Archbishop Figurant gazed down the extended maple
table, luminous from layer upon layer of bee’s wax. Soon they would be
arriving. It was going to be a hard hitting but necessary meeting, long
overdue. Abandoning protocol, he would be going against the Church’s hierarchy
to expose a long-lived charade of denial and hypocrisy. No longer was he going
to ram his head up his self-righteous ass. He was going to act.
Lanita entered the room with a large tray of chicken
sandwiches and fruit pastries. “Oh, ‘cuse me, your Excellency. I didn’t know
you were already here. I’ll be out of your way in no time.” Her words hummed
with the rhythmic cadence of a Caribbean island. Neat as a pin in a freshly
starched uniform and hair tucked away in a plain white turban, she slipped from
point to point, smooth and efficient.
“You’re fine, Lanita. I’m trying to get my thoughts in
order. You’d best put out some ashtrays. I anticipate Monsignors Flannigan and
Murphy will burn up a field of tobacco when they hear what I’ve got to say.”
She laughed out loud. “Maybe I should put out the whiskey, too, yes?
“No, they’ll have to survive on coffee or water today.”
He smiled at her. “Be good for them.”
He and Lanita had a comfortable relationship. She had
been his housekeeper for six years. He knew some of her secrets and she knew
some of his. Late afternoons he often watched her from the upstairs window as
she rode her bicycle home, hair fanning out in an Afro halo and a colorful
skirt billowing in the wind.
Reviewed
by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
Shadow’s
Way is a work of gothic intrigue and Southern mystery penned by author Barbara
Frances. In this sweeping narrative of interpersonal drama, intended for mature
readers, we meet Elaine Chauvier at the novel’s titular home, where she runs a
bed and breakfast. Elaine is keen to hang on to Shadow’s Way, so when her
half-sister Ophelia and cousin Rudy show up to visit, trouble ensues. Combining
this with a mysterious Archbishop, his housekeeper and obscure identical twin,
the novel progresses swiftly into a creepy and intriguing mystery as a massive
hurricane approaches the Gulf Coast. A superbly haunted time awaits its
readers.
Fans of Agatha Christie and her enormous ensemble casts will find many
enjoyable parallels in the work and structure of author Barbara Frances. I
particularly enjoyed the setting for this tale, playing on the traditional
tropes of the Southern gothic genre, but also adding many flairs and twists
from ghost stories, fables and psychological horror works. Both the characters
and plot are multi-faceted, giving readers a lot to follow, but also a lot to
gain from paying close attention to each clue and motivation. The mystery
itself sometimes takes a back seat when the (often literal) ghosts and shadows
take over, playing with the characters’ sensibilities and forcing them to ask
much deeper questions of themselves and others. What results is an emotive but
also thoughtful, spooky mystery novel. I would highly recommend Shadow’s Way to
mystery and gothic fiction fans looking for something new, unique and really
well crafted.
