Lonesome Song

By Elliott Light

Book Overview

"Reilly Heartwood, a famous country singer, is dead. His sister doesn't recognize the dead man's body. The local reverend has refused to permit burial. Reilly's death is ruled a suicide. And no one has bothered to investigate.What the hell is going on here? That's what Shep Harrington, a 32-year-old divorced and disbarred lawyer, wants to know, and can't quite answer. The deeper he probes, the more he's drawn into reconstructing the final minutes of Reilly's life, the more he's compelled to confront his own past, and to ultimately learn the startling truth about his mother, Reilly, and himself.Shep comes easily to his new role of amateur sleuth. Because of his own recent experience, he's deeply distrustful of authority, having just spent three years in prison for a white collar crime he didn't commit. Yet, in digging out the particulars of Reilly's demise, he is neither bitter nor uncaring, and the book manages adroitly to be an engaging whodunnit set in a small town."

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1890862150
• ISBN13: 9781890862152
• Release Date: June 2002
• Publisher: Bancroft Press
• Length: 204 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A GREAT STORY!!!

Elliott Light is a great storyteller. He keeps your nose in this book from beginning to end and leaves you with a heartfelt concern for the main character, Shep and the members of the poor farm. Through this book, I feel as though Shep and I are now friends. I have genuine feelings for this fella. I want to know how he's feeling and if he's eating well! This Shep is one heck of a character and I hope he continues to do great things in small ways. He may be a small town guy, but he has a city boy's wit and intuition. Shep also has a bit of a heart, always trouble there. Read this book!

Fine regional amateur sleuth

The most famous person from the Lyle, Virginia area was Reilly Heartwood who sang under the moniker of C.C. Hollinger, a legendary country music great. Recently Reilly committed suicide though disbarred attorney Shep Harrington finds discrepancies on what he has learned about the death of his mentor. He cannot understand why there was no autopsy, a relatively tiny medical report, and no police investigation. He also struggles with the question "why now" when Reilly finally promised to reveal a secret to him about Shep's father.Though burned by the justice system when people perjured and accused him of criminal activity that led to three years of prison before he was exonerated, Shep seeks the truth about Reilly for his own peace of mind and that of the sister of the music superstar. Shockingly, Shep learns he is the prime heir to the multi-million dollar estate. Even stranger is how several locals loathe Reilly to the point of denying him a Christian burial. As Shep digs deeper he perilously places himself in the middle of a town divided and on the verge of exploding.Fans of regional amateur sleuths will take pleasure from Elliot Light's affable who-done-it. The story line combines sub-genre elements with recent historical tidbits such as Poor Farms that make for a powerful background, which in turn enhances the key cast members, especially the hero. The investigation is fun to follow because the evidence Shep finds conflicts between cover-up and suicide making a culprit difficult to identify if one even exists. LONESOME SONG is a delightful tale that will lead the audience to pursue Shep's next mystery, CHAIN THINKING.Harriet Klausner

Recommended reading for mystery buffs

Elliott Light's Lonesome Song: A Shep Harrington Smalltown Mystery is the darkly compelling, splendidly written tale about a country-western singer whose death is abruptly ruled a suicide without investigation. Shep Harrington, a perturbed, 32-year-old disbarred lawyer, is determined to find out the truth of what happened. The more Harrington learns of the last minutes of the victim's life, the more disturbing parallels appear between Harrington's own past and the tragedy he seeks to solve. A fascinating, convoluted novel, Lonesome Song is very highly recommended reading for mystery buffs.

An enjoyable book

The book is a quick read, and exciting. I am not an avid fiction reader, but this is a compelling story. The author does a good job transporting you to his imaginary town. The story is well thought out, filled with surprises and keeps you guessing to the end. I have recommended this to others and all have enjoyed it. I look forward to the next book.

A small town mystery that'll keep you guessing to the very e

This is a gem of a little book, by a first time author Elliot Light. Now I am not a fan of stories of small town living or country towns, but I must say I couldnt put this book down. The charaters are engaging and real. Shep, the main character is a bit flawed, having had a colorful past as a lawyer, but you come to like him and want to know more about his past, and whatever road he was on before he got here. But no time... because soon you are drawn to the little story spinning in the pages in front of you. This book had me guessing from the start. I finished it in one day and I am looking forward to more..If you like witty, thoughtful, and engaging story and characterization, this is it.