Arkansas Seniors

Arkansas Traveler (Benni Harper Mystery)

Description

Soon after arriving in Sugartree, Arkansas-where she spent many lazy, languid childhood summers-folk art expert Benni Harper discovers that there's something seriously sinister brewing in this usually-peaceful small town...

"The sweet sentimentality of this paean to small Southern towns...is the glaze that holds this story together." (Houston Chronicle)

"Winning...Fowler delivers cozy entertainment without resorting to unrealistically syrupy solutions." (Publishers Weekly)

Benni Harper is coming home to Sugartree, Arkansas. The folk-art historian, ranchwoman, and unwitting detective of Earlene Fowler's Agatha Award-winning series is back in the Ozarks for Sugartree Baptist Church's Homecoming festivities. Benni's brought both her husband, Gabe, and her best friend, Elvia Aragon, from California for the occasion, which promises to be a celebration of the best of small-town Southern life. For Benni that will always carry "the memory of muggy Arkansas summer nights filled with the scent of sweet honeysuckle, fresh-mowed grass, and the taste of half-melted Dairy Queen chocolate sundaes."

But Benni's nostalgia is cut short abruptly when the worst of small-town Southern life rears its ugly head. Benni's childhood friend, Amen Tolliver, is running for mayor against incumbent Grady Hunter, whose son Toby--a fledgling white supremacist--will do anything to make sure a black woman doesn't win his father's office. When Toby is found with his head beaten in, and Amen's nephew Quinton becomes the prime suspect, Benni's idealism takes a backseat to curiosity--and to the painful consequences of exposing both the prejudices and the skeletons that Sugartree residents would prefer to keep deep in the closet.

Fowler is perhaps more concerned with local color than with the rigors of mystery plotting, lovingly creating a world bound by faith, friends, and food--especially food. Witness Benni's soliloquy to Ozark comestibles, sparked by her first glimpse in years of a Piggly Wiggly grocery store: "'Blue Bunny and Yarnell's ice cream,' I said gleefully. 'Delta Gold syrup. White Lily flour. Aunt Nellie's corn relish. Martha White cornmeal. Crowder peas! Eight flavors of grits. Eight! You can't get that in California.'" But so appealing are Fowler's characters and so enticing is that world, that the novel's essentially anticlimactic denouement will probably seem of little importance. Fowler is rapidly proving herself a master of the American cozy, and the Benni Harper series continues to improve with each outing. --Kelly Flynn

Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-07-13
Summary: "My favorite Benni Harper book so far...."

I have become a huge fan of the Benni Harper series. This was my favorite so far. I loved that you were able to get to know Benni on another level....her childhood. The author's descriptions of the state of Arkansas made me want to travel there and the dialect was amazing. The story line was excellent and she dove right into the racial theme and didn't back down and it made you cringe and feel uncomfortable (as you should) and really think about backgrounds and the differences that makes us all human. The scene with Gabe and the treatment of him by the police was heartbreaking to read but written so well. I love Dove & Gabe and it was such a pleasure to watch Dove interact with her sister. The "politics" portions of the story were real and not always pretty or "tied up in a neat bow." I can't say enough about this last book. I truly enjoyed it and kept thinking about it long after I was done reading it. I have read all of the previous books and now need to order more. I plan to box all of these up and ship to my sisters so they can enjoy them and we can have our own "book club" discussions!

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-06-13
Summary: "excellent mystery"

This is great--one of the better mysteries in this series. Arkansas is an interesting setting. Benni's relationships with friends from years ago is definitely not boring and the developing relationship between her two best friends is intriguing. The southern setting is a nice change from California. The solving of the murder takes some unusual twists which keeps one guessing until the end.

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Rating: 3 / 5
Date: 2008-08-19
Summary: "a little preachy"

In "Arkansas Traveler", main character Benni returns to Arkansas to a church "homecoming" with feelings of nostalgia for her small town. However the visit is marred by incidents of racism, many of them centered around an African American woman (and an old friend of Benni's) running for mayor. "Arkansas Traveler" is my first step into the series, so I am sure I was at a disadvantage as far as knowing the backstory of the characters, but the parts of it that I didn't enjoy were not really affected by my lack of knowledge.

First, what I liked. I loved the small town descriptions and the clear affection the author has for southern culture and life. Church, social conventions, and food are lovingly portrayed. I also liked the characters, especially the female ones. They are mostly well described, their behaviors seem real and consistent and they speak with voices that read like people we all know. I loved the constant rivalry of Benni's two female relatives, it was very funny.

What I enjoyed less. The preaching tone taken about race and poverty. I realize that the plot of the story hangs on a racial issue, but it came across to me as "oh these ignorant people, Benni is here to show them the error of their ways." It was offputting. And there seemed to be a patronizing view of the poorer folks in the book too.

I wondered about the quilting theme, there really didn't sem to be one, but maybe other books had more and I'll see more connection that just the title in other books. And I did like it enough to try other bookes in the series. I hope I learn to like Benni more since I liked her friends!

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Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2007-06-11
Summary: "Arkansaw Traveller by Earlene Fowler"

Most enjoyable with interesting insights into the race realtions of the South. The development of the characters and imsights are always more interesting than the plot.

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Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2007-01-05
Summary: "An enjoyable novel"

Benni Harper returns home to Arkansas with her husband Gabe Ortiz who, back home in California, is chief of police. Shortly after they arrive, the mayor's son a rowdy, disorderly bigot is found dead. The nephew of Benni's childhood friend is blamed for the murder. The primary plot thread is Benni's progress in identifying the real killer.

This novel falls clearly into the "cozy" mystery category. The major sleuth is both female and an amateur, the cast of characters is thankfully restricted, making it easy to track who they are even if the novel is read over a few days, and there is no gratuitous sex or violence.

Although I found it a bit slow going; once started its hard to but down. It is, in addition to a mystery story, a story of friends and their relationships along with a nostalgic look at memories of both people and things.

The novel appears to be aimed primarily at a female audience, considering the content of passages relating to Benni's PG-rated time alone with her husband, and the occasional female chauvinism reflected in some of the writing. However, although the author and lead character are female, and some of the writing will have a more feminine appeal, it would definitely be a mistake to consider this a "for women only" novel, as it will be interesting to male readers as well.

In conclusion, this is a gentle and very enjoyable novel, and one of the nicer ways to unwind.