Silent Words

The dying mother of San Francisco newspaper reporter and amateur detective Tyler Jones makes her daughter swear a death bed promise that she will return to their Minnesota roots to "shake the skeletons in the closet" and learn the truth. With the death of her mother, at 39 Tyler feels a bit alone. Her sister Magdalene will barely talk to her because she and her conservative spouse do not wish to expose their children to the family lesbian. The will is read and Tyler gets her mother's entire estate. Magdalene blames it all on her sibling's lesbianism, a sexual preference of their mother's attorney also. In truth, their mother's decision was only to counterbalance their father's decree to disown Tyler years ago due to her lesbian inclination. For Tyler, honoring her mother's last wish is important because her mother had accepted her as she is. Tyler, with her dog Aggie returns to her grandparents' hometown on the shore of Lake Superior with no real idea what her mother wanted her to learn. As she gets reacquainted with old friends, Tyler realizes that her family has passed down through the generations many lies and half-truths wrapped up in mystery and legend. The community, especially the males, remain silent and refuse to answer Tyler's inquiries. With the help of some strong women, Tyler begins to put together a history of misogyny and prejudice festering inside the hearts and minds of many of the local residents. SILENT WORDS is an interesting entry into the mystery genre. Joan M. Drury brilliantly and colorfully explores family relationships, interactions between neighbors, and sexual phobias (especially homophobia) that makes readers want to relook their own personal beliefs and relationships. Regardless of the audience's gender or sexual preference, Tyler Jones, in her second outing, is one of the better amateur female sleuths in nineties literature. Harriet Klausner -----