de Castrique, Mark - GRAVE UNDERTAKING

[LJ Roberts]

GRAVE UNDERTAKING (Amateur Sleuth/Former Policeman) – VG Mark de Castrique – 2nd in series
Poisoned Pen Press, 2004 – Hardcover

Former policeman Barry Clayton now manages the family funeral parlor, in a small North Carolina town, for his father with Alzheimer’s. But when he oversees the moving of a grave and finds an extra body with a bullet hole in it’s head, a gun by it’s feet and the photograph of Barry’s girlfriend in it’s pocket, he employees the skills of his former career to find out why.

This is a very good series. Barry is a fully dimensional character with strong family ties and good friends. The sense of place is wonderfully done and dialogue is very true. He provides an interesting look into the human side of the funeral business, which I very much enjoyed. And, it’s still a tight mystery with very good suspense. If you’ve not discovered this series, I definitely recommend giving it a try.