Take My Hand by Peggy Mooers
The work of Jacqueline Colt, a SLU senior, has resulted in a very fine exhibit currently showing in the Rare Book Room of the Owen D. Young Library. It’s the culmination of a summer research project to develop an up-to-date bibliography of Adirondack literature. Jacqui notes in one section of the exhibit (all the books in the 1882-2104 bibliography are owned by SLU) that the largest increase within the genre has occurred in the subgenre of mystery and detective fiction set in the Adirondacks. Of the 103 titles she unearthed, over half have been published since 2000. Here’s the UU relevant fact: Make that 104 titles by adding Take My Hand, the mystery written and published recently by our very own Peggy Mooers. She has written many poems and numerous short stories, but this is Peggy’s first novel–and it’s a dilly!
Peggy has created a fascinating cast of characters. Detective Chris Bellini, his granddaughter Amanda, and his girlfriend Willi may be seen again should Peggy decide to write a series. While their home town, Euclid, is a made-up name (probably Potsdam), there are enough references to real places–Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake, Childwold, Burlington, Save-a-Lot–to make us all smile. The plot twirls around a cold case Bellini is working on, a kidnapping and murder, which is, of course, eventually resolved. The getting there is lots of fun and truly suspenseful. Peggy has created well-developed characters in a good story that unfolds in familiar territory. If you’re a fan of mysteries, you’ll love it. If you’re a fan of Peggy, you’ll love it. If the Coots Library copy is out, you can get it on Amazon.
Judy Gibson, October 2014