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| Dangerous Undertaking | 
 enlarge | Author: Mark De Castrique
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $8.94
You Save: $6.01 (40%)
New (18) Used (7) from $8.25
Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 55749
Media: Paperback
Edition: US Ed
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 254
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.7
ISBN: 1590582691
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9781590582695
ASIN: 1590582691
Publication Date: February 28, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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Product Description
Barry Clayton has a job he doesn’t want. When his father is stricken with Alzheimer’s, Barry leaves the Charlotte police force for the small mountain community of Gainesboro, North Carolina, where his family runs the local funeral home. “Buryin’ Barry” reluctantly assumes 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 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, Vietnam War hero Tommy Lee Wadkins. Besides, Barry’s a police pro. Though his wounds are in the hands of local surgeon Susan Miller, Barry begins search for both the killer and the reason for his crime. It isn’t long before a second shooting occurs—but Dallas Willard’s body is then discovered at the bottom of a quarry pond, indisputable evidence that someone else committed the second crime, someone who now has his sights set on Barry....
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Dangerous Undertaking July 1, 2003
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
I was hesitant to try this book, because so often books set in the southern states turn the characters in caricatures and stereotypes. This is certainly not the case in Dangerous Undertaking. All the characters are fully-dimensional, with actions that ring true. Barry, the main character, has left Charlotte to return home to the North Carolina hills to help his family. He gets involved - personally! - in several murders and must solve them to keep himself and others safe. The friendship between him and the sheriff, Tommy Lee, is well-drawn, and Barry's love interest is likable and very much her own woman. This is one of the best books I've read this year, and I certainly hope the author plans to write more in this series.
 A routine and pedestrian debut February 29, 2004
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Sometimes the greatest challenge a mystery author faces is to justify why an amateur detective will feel the need to investigate a crime that is better left in the hands of the professionals. Mark de Castrique cleverly tackles this issue by having his main protagonist, Barry Clayton, an undertaker, being shot while presiding over a funeral. The killer, Dallas Willard, who was attending his grandmother's funeral appeared to go crazy killing his brother and sister just before attempting to kill Barry. The problem is that Dallas is still on the loose and Barry fears for his life. Working with his friend, Sheriff Tommy Lee Wadkins, Barry must investigate the deep dark secrets of this family to discover what exactly set Dallas off on the murderous rampage.
I place a premium on originality. Sometimes novels can be so different that they are unforgettable. Unfortunately, DANGEROUS UNDERTAKING is routine and quite pedestrian. It is skillfully written and conveys a great sense of locale. However, characters, though realistic enough, are quite forgettable as is the plot. While reading this book I could never shrug off the feeling that I read this before.
I couldn't put this book down June 5, 2003
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a fabulous book for mystery lovers and southern fiction readers alike. The intrigue of the "whodunit" storyline keeps the pages moving quickly, but there is substance behind the intricate plot. The mystery of why people keep dying in the small mountain town of Gainsboro, NC had me hooked immediately, especially when the detective is a cop turned undertaker. Yet some of the best moments in this book have little to do with the mystery itself...such as de Castrique's sensitive portrait of a family dealing with Alzheimer's. I hope de Castrique will return to these likeable characters and the perfectly captured mountain setting in a sequel!
Great Mystery, Well Executed August 2, 2003
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Mark de Castrique has created a nifty read here and has placed it in a setting with which he obviously has great familiarity. It has just the right combination of tension, wit and thought-provoking commentary about families, religion and what really counts in life and living. Terrific!
 Am i missing something? November 17, 2003
3 out of 8 found this review helpful
I read this book because I live in charlotte and like reading books which take place in NC with familiar streets, subjects etc. This book, however, was a disappointment. I'm glad I borrowed this one from the library instead of purchasing it.
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