Vengeance and hidden secrets are the central points of SHIVAREE. Ruby Lowell,
daughter of the man known as "The Judge" in Conroy, MS, was beautiful and cruel.
After a big
misunderstanding between her and Elijah Dunne, Ruby takes
off for California with another man. Her father sends two
goons to bring her back, but she's changed. She has vowed
revenge on those who have wronged her, which could include
the entire town. Four men are viciously attacked while
preying on a black family; after his daughter's death, the
Judge's health has declined; and Corinne Ford, an army
nurse, has come to town after the Korean War to marry
Elijah Dunne, who she met during the Korean war.
There are quite a few more characters, and all of them have
secrets, but it's too complicated to try to explain here.
During the story, Horn's writing is poetic and at
times, it's pedestrian. The prologue is an excellent
example of captivating writing and strong scene setting
with an enticingly high degree of "creep" factor. The tale
is interesting albeit convoluted at times.
SHIVAREE is an interesting title for this novel, and it
becomes clear why fairly early on. But, if you're curious,
a shivaree is when a guy's pals drag him from his marital
bed before he can complete the act, drive him out of town
and dump him, so he has to walk back to complete the deed.
My biggest quibble with the story is the time period of the
Korean War that isn't explained nor illustrated. Corinne
Ford could as easily have served in a more contemporary war
without changing the story too much. The prejudice and
cultural beliefs of a small town in the South may not have
changed as much as we'd like to believe.
Horn introduces an element of the paranormal into this tale
of gothic mystery, but to tell you what it is now would
give too much away. SHIVAREE's one that sort of sneaks up on you.
While I didn't love this book, I've heard great things
about his Witching Savannah trilogy so will definitely look
for more of his books.
As the Korean War ends, practical and well-mannered army
nurse Corinne Ford returns stateside to live in the
Mississippi town of Conroy with her new fiancé, Private
First Class Elijah Dunne. She wonders if their love is
strong enough to overshadow their differences, but upon her
arrival to Elijah's backwoods stomping grounds, she
understands that culture shock is the least of her worries.
After four good ol’ boys are attacked in the night while
seeking to terrorize a local black family, decades of buried
secrets begin to rise. From Conroy’s most powerful
citizen—known as “the Judge”—to the man Corinne intends to
marry, no one is innocent. Yet the deepest secret of all
involves the beautiful, cruel, and dead Miss Ruby. The
former belle of Conroy, and Elijah’s lost love, is neither
forgotten nor truly gone. But her death is only the
beginning of a slow vengeance that won’t stop until its
hunger is satisfied.
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