by Joanne Jackson
STONEHOUSE PUBLISHING
2022/$22.00/300 pp.
Open prairie fields spread out from the edges of Willowbend as far as the eye can see, the last streets of town edged with wheat fields on one side, residences on the other. For me, the setting of Saskatoon native Joanne Jackson’s A Snake in the Raspberry Patch, a young adult mystery novel set in the summer of 1971 and into the following year, brings forth a nostalgia of summer vacations spent in my Granny’s small town in Saskatchewan. Characters that use colloquial terms such as “bunnyhug” and the author’s mentions of the ubiquitous caragana hedges further root this novel firmly in place.
Jackson’s second novel (following The Wheaton in 2019, also published by Edmonton’s Stonehouse) has the feel of a classic “whodunnit” mystery. Aspiring young detective Rose Murphy drags her reluctant older sister Liz along, looking to discover who murdered an entire family—on the same day their new brother was born. Liz, oldest of now six children, recounts the summer and the year after the murders, with Rose offering important leads to solve a crime that local police seem unable to figure out.
After a tragic plot twist, things stay on edge for the Murphy family until near the very end of the story. As the ever-intrepid Rose closes in on the truth, her accumulated evidence seems to vanish. “Now what am I going to do? I need that yearbook. It’s the closest thing I have to a lead. And my notebook contains all kinds of pertinent information,” Rose says. While the author does lay out an obvious path of clues as to the identity of the real killer, the fact that the characters don’t know until the epilogue keeps the reader riveted.
Jackson allows room for the reader to draw their own conclusions about the killer’s motivations, and she creates a frightening killer, depicting their closed-off behaviour and mounting levels of anger as the situation escalates.
A Snake in the Raspberry Patch provides nostalgia for anyone who has fond feelings for small towns. Vivid scenes of everyday life on the prairies are painted with a feel for the details of plant and animal life that is accurate to the seasons. Young teenagers will easily relate to the main character, 13-year-old Liz, while her younger sister Rose helps keep Liz’s life from becoming too adult as she forays around Willowbend to find out who committed the crime.
While aimed at a female young-adult audience, this novel should also have a wider appeal to older readers looking for a light nostalgic read with a suspenseful plot that keeps the pages turning.
Adeline Panamaroff is a writer in Edmonton.
_______________________________________
Click here to sign up for our free online newsletter.
