Perhaps She'll Die

By M.K. Preston

Book Overview

Repressed memories led her to her parents' killers-at the risk of becoming their next victim.

Chantalene has terrible nightmares from when she was a child-a dark barn in a moonlit field, her mother inside, screaming, her father hanging from the rafters. Four hooded figures leave the scene, their faces hidden in shadow. But in the deep recesses of her memory, she knows who they are.

After going away to college, Chantalene returns to her tiny, rural hometown in Southeastern Oklahoma determined to expose the people who hanged her father for a crime he didn't commit. In the process, she runs afoul of the law and is suspected of a separate murder. With the help of another former resident, attorney Drew Sander, she challenges the entire town in order to find the truth... including the foster parents who took her in and loved her as their own.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1633737292
• ISBN13: 9781633737297
• Release Date: October 2022
• Publisher: Stirling Press
• Length: 190 Pages
• Weight: 0.63 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Fast Moving Oklahoma Thriller

Chantalene, a young woman haunted by dreadful memories, returns to her home town of Tetumka, Oklahoma. Twelve years ago, in one horrible night, her father was lynched for a crime he didn't commit, and her gypsy mother, LaVita, fearing for her own life, ran away and abandoned her. Now Chantalene is determined to find out what really happened, and who killed her father. The townspeople aren't exactly thrilled to see her, and things start going dreadfully awry from the first page. Fortunately, she finds an ally, Drew Sander, a New York tax attorney, who is also returning to Tetumka, but for very different reasons. I won't tell you what happens, of course; you'll have too much fun reading this book for yourself. Author Marcia Preston writes an engaging fast-paced thriller that hooks the reader from the very first sentence and doesn't let go until the end. The mystery has many levels--child abuse, traumatic memories, frontier justice, and the characters' search for their own integrity. Not to mention a delightful hint of romance. I can recommend this book for a really enjoyable read. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.

Smooth reading; exciting tale! Terrific!

If I hadn't read good reviews of this book and just looked at the cover, I'd have passed it right by; I can't really say why! But this was a surprisingly well-written and intriguing book. This is my first book by M.K. Preston and I'll now try another!

I couldn't put it down!

This was a wonderful read. The story moved and I was caught up from the first page. The mystery was cleverly devised; even though all the clues were placed, I was surprised by the outcome. The characters were intriquing and felt like real people. Their conversation was natural and engaging; I loved the interraction between Chantalene and Drew. It was tantalizing and fun. Marcia K. Preston's first novel is like experiencing Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma's house. You want to eat your fill, but you don't want to wait too long for another helping either. Once while away from the book, I kept sensing a scene, returning to it in my mind like one does with a song that will not be banished from the brain. Eventually, I realized that it was Tetumka and Chantalene's ranch and Whipporrwill's corral that I was seeing in my mind. That desolate place was with me...and I was longing to be back with the characters and see what might happen next. An excellent first book that leaves the reader begging for a sequel.

Bravo! Preston's debut is very impressive.

I finished the book this morning with the satisfied feeling of having spent my time on worthy reading. I sincerely hope the author is hard at work writing a follow-up, because I'd love to follow these characters as they continue to grow. Highly recommended.

A hate-to-put--it-down read

Chantalene is hip, a protagonist with an attitude. She is tough, funny, sentimental and, bottom-line, isn't going to leave Tetumka Oklahoma until she finds out who murdered her daddy and what happened to her mother. Trouble is, it happened 15 years ago, but that doesn't stop her. She shakes up plenty of trouble in Tetumka when she comes back and starts asking questions. Perhaps She'll Die is a great read--humorous, intriguing, with a little romance, and a surprising ending. Rural Oklahoma comes to life, and Preston's characters have all the bite and edge reminiscent in Flannery O'Connor's short stories...an opinion not tendered lightly. I hated to put Preston's book down, and hated even more when it ended. Hope to see Chantalene again. Hat's off to M.K. Preston.