POISONED GROUND (Sandra Parshall)

I was just thinking about what words would best describe Poisoned Ground.  It's a mystery, it's a thriller, it's a political, neighbor vs. neighbor tug-of war over money and property, and it's a love story.  It is also the last in Parshall's Rachel Goddard series.  I can understand the thinking behind this decision.  The author herself commented that she didn't want Mason County to become the next Cabot Cove, and I suppose it is pretty unrealistic for one veterinarian to end up in jeopardy over and over again.  I will look forward to reading Parshall's stand-alone thrillers in the years to come, but there will always be a soft spot in my heart for Rachel Goddard and Tom Bridger.

In this book a development company is looking to build a giant, upscale spa in Mason County, expecting to cater to a rich and famous clientele.  The problem is that they need to buy up land in order to accomplish their goal, which will surely ruin both the landscape and the charm of the area.  Offering exorbitant amounts of money for local properties, the developer pits neighbor against neighbor.  Naturally, those who need the money or are thinking about moving on or retiring are starry-eyed over the prospect of the financial security of selling, while those who wish to remain on their property, continuing to enjoy the land where their parents and grandparents lived and worked, have no interest in the spa project.  The catch is that it's an all or nothing deal.  The developers want ALL the land or the deal is cancelled, so when someone starts killing off land owners, the natural speculation is that the deaths are related to the spa deal.

Parshall, as usual, maintains suspense and keeps the reader guessing from the first page to the last.  I had a hard time putting this novel down once I started.  The sad thing is, though, that I can't wait for the next installment, but there won't be one!  I guess I'll survive as long as Sandra Parshall comes though with her promised stand-alone thrillers.  Hopefully by this time next year I'll be writing enthusiastically about one of those!