Book Review: Cana Rising by Dinah Swan (Mary Alice Tate #1)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Mary Alice, Sheree, and an interesting plot

Cons: Pace could be tighter, many unlikable characters

The Bottom Line:

Enjoyable parts

Balanced by the negatives

Results? Average

Working the Ultimate Frame Job

About a month ago, a friend asked me to take a look at the book she was helping format for publication.  I agreed to take a look and give it my honest review, so I found myself reading Cana Rising.  I had hoped to like it, but unfortunately it was only average.

Mary Alice Tate is recovering from a divorce.  She’s moved back to her home town of Cana, Mississippi and is starting over.  Part of that starting over is working with the local women’s shelter.  She’s been working hard to help Sheree recover from drugs and get her life together, and the two women have become friends.

During a party Mary Alice is hosting to raise money for the center, Sheree shows up in a panic.  Scott has died in her bed.  Sheree was sleeping with Scott and working with him as an informant against drug dealers in town.  But Sheree says she didn’t kill him.  As the evidence stacks up against her, Mary Alice believes in her friend’s innocence.  Can she find the evidence to free Sheree?

The plot started out strongly, and it was obvious early that Mary Alice had a huge job ahead of her.  In real life, the evidence against Sheree would have been more than enough to convict her.  But since this is fiction, I knew she hadn’t done it, and I did enjoy seeing just what Mary Alice would turn up.

Unfortunately, the pacing of the book was uneven.  At almost 400 pages, it just didn’t need to be that long.  I can think of several scenes that could have been cut with no harm to the book.  The climax was suspenseful and well executed, and I got caught up in it.

The characters were also a mixed bag.  There were a few I liked.  Fortunately, Mary Alice topped the list since we spend the entire book with her.  Sheree was also very likable, so it was easy to root for Mary Alice to clear her.

However, there were many characters I didn’t like, and not just because they were suspects.  Very few of the men in the story are remotely decent characters.  And don’t get me started on Mary Alice’s mother.

The author has written several previous books and some plays.  So while this is a debut in the series, it isn’t at all rough around the edges.  I found it easy to get lost in the words when I was reading.

I did enjoy parts of Cana Rising; I just didn’t enjoy the entire book enough to rate it higher.  In the end, the book is only average.