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Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2015
It took a long time to get into this book. Interesting but very much a 'formula' book. I recommend it for its Florida history
Robert Krueger
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2014
The novel begins with an historical back-story. Osci, a Seminole, is furiously paddling his canoe trying to escape his pursuers who are in faster boats. In his canoe is a small, and to Osci precious, bundle. Is escape possible? The scene is so well drawn it comes alive in the reader's mind.Then, the story jumps to the present. The protagonist, Tucker Lee Anderson, is a sports writer for the local newspaper. Because the investigative reporter is sick, Tucker is assigned to checkout a story, supposedly just a follow-up. But it turns out to be much more than that, big enough to shock the community.The past and the present come together in a mystery of a different mode. Bad, good, unusual, and ordinary characters -- and a ghost seeking justice -- inhabit the story. The characters are life-like and interesting (I've me them all). Tucker is the type we sometimes meet in life: a good natured wiseass. He is someone you (at least us guys) would immediately like.The story is told in the first and third persons with a touch (or more) of humor that plays agreeably with the mystery. This is an intriguing story well-told, a combination of the surreal and the not so ordinary. Reviewed by the author of The Children's Story, About Good and Evil.
B. T. Clifford
Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2013
Walter Ramsay paints a vivid picture of Florida in this gripping mystery. I had trouble putting it down to deal with those inconvenient things like work, kids, life. Walter's characters are great, particularly Tucker, the protagonist. We get a good sense of what makes this guy tick. He's an overgrown kid who never really left the glory days of youth behind and is now in the middle of some serious, big boy games. Walt never really lets go of that adolescent attitude with Tucker though, and it makes everything else more believable.The plot moves along well. We don't get bogged down in a lot of mundane unnecessary activity which makes the pacing quick but comfortable. I rarely like the first person perspective, but for this genre it works. It has a great Dashiell Hammett meets Jimmy Buffett feel. A great weekend read I highly recommend.
pugzzz
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2013
I thought the plot was good but I was a little confused at times as to what was happening....not sure I like the back and forth between the past and present.
Carrie J. Bylina
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2012
Walter Ramsay's slim book, Beneath the Dune, packs a lot into a small space as Tucker Lee Anderson, a local sports writer, is thrust into covering the finding of a skeletal body that is identified as the missing fifth victim of a convicted serial murderer of children. Tucker investigates beyond the surface facts of the case after meeting the death row inmate and feels that not everything is right with the official version of the investigation. Along for the ride, we are introduced to his family and a host of other key players that fill up his life that's on cruise control.Soon, events have Tucker looking for answers using visions from a distant Indian relative at night and trying to keep the investigation alive in the daytime. Late onset maturity and a growing sense of civic responsibility might push Tucker in the right direction or into the path of the rich and powerful who play by a different set of rules.A quick summer read, Ramsay gives us easily-identifiable characters, a few unexpected twists, and a final twist that was, well, a bit twistier than believable to this reader. Still, it is a solid, well-written debut novel that touches many sidebar life issues and provides some insight to this part of the Florida coast. A Solid four-star book.
mustangtrainer
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2011
Beneath the Dune is definitely a page turner. Tucker Anderson works as a staff reporter for a newspaper. When a child's skeleton is discovered and the paper's investigative reporter is out sick, his boss asks Tucker to follow-up on the case of a known serial killer. Tucker's boss believes the child's skeleton could be the serial killer's fifth victim. Tucker is, after all, the publishing tycoon's go-to-guy in a clutch. The serial killer, Ed Ventara, was sent to prison after being convicted for killing five children, although only four bodies were ever found.Tucker begins investigating the case and starts researching ancestral records for any sort of clues. Not only does Tucker have to perform a job that he is not trained for as an investigative reporter, but he also has to deal with his own problems of being a divorced dad and dealing with an ex-wife. The shocker comes when a spirit contacts him in order to put right a long-ago injustice. And this spirit won't take no for an answer.Without out giving away spoilers, I love how the author uses American Indian beliefs, believable characters, and the affecting way he weaves his convincing, interesting story with just the right touch of humor. It most definitely is a great mystery read.
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