Gone to Ground by Brandilyn Collins

What a clever idea for the story of a mystery to be told.

In the (usually) quiet southern town of Amaryllis, six women have been brutally murdered – stabbed in the neck. Three women, very much alive, are sure they know who the murderer is.

Cherrie Mae cleans houses and reads classics on her Kindle (gift from her kids). A faithful elderly black woman, she is shocked when she finds the ring of the latest murder victim – in a drawer of the mayor's desk.

Deena, ex-wife of the sheriff’s son, himself a deputy, fears her special needs brother, Stevie, is guilty. He came by her house late the night of the last murder with blood on his factory uniform. She can't get him to tell her what happened or how the blood got there.

Tully is a battered pregnant wife. The latest murdered woman, Erika, had called Tully a few days earlier. She claimed to be having an affair with Tully's husband, Mike. Erika was pregnant too and claimed Mike was going to leave Tully and go with her. When Mike found out about the conversation, he nearly choked Tully and threatened to kill Erika. He came home late the night of the murder and left smudges of blood on the door knob.

Stevie is arrested for the latest murder. Then Mike is arrested. Then the mayor. The three women try to get the evidence to match the crime...or not. They put their lives in danger.

This novel is well written as the narrative varies with the three women's viewpoints. I loved the southern dialect. It was perfectly done. Interspersed are newspaper reports of the murders and investigation by a Pulitzer Prize winner. It was a clever way to get background material into the narrative.

There is suspense throughout the book, from first to last. I usually read more than one fiction book at a time but I had to read this one from cover to cover before I turned to another one.

You can find out more about the author and her books, including a video, at the publisher's site and at the author's site.

B&H Publishing Group, 324 pages.

I received an egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review. The opinions expressed are my own.