Melissa Woods has captured the essence of the South and small towns in this mystery novel. You can practically feel the humidity pressing down on the characters as they go about trying to survive the past and present along a Louisiana bayou. Since she was a young girl, Patsy has been haunted by visions and ghosts.. Her best friend has been by her side, but even he's having trouble distinguishing between fact and fiction. When an imprisoned killer nears time for his release, the town's worst-kept secret - a murder - comes back into focus. The murder happened before Patsy was born, yet she is connected to the death. She feels - and acts on - the need to solve the case and help those left behind. The ending is a bit disappointing after all the build-up, but the novel is still entertaining and gripping.

The lush writing describing the Louisiana bayou really set the tone for this wonderful family story. The characters were interesting and multi-faceted (for the most part - Pierre was pretty much a cardboard cut out!) and the main storyline of Patsy and her relation to her mother, father, childhood best friend and his mother was compelling and moving.
However, this book felt like the outlines of three books in one - there is a suggestion that Patsy can sense/see the paranormal which is not really explained properly and the tone doesn't match the rest of the writing. On top of that, there is a murder mystery cold case that is more involved, but not really necessary to the book at all.
I enjoyed this book, but would have enjoyed it more had it focused only on the Southern setting and relationships.

Patsy has visions. Not visions of sugar plums but of death. This tale is one of family, friendship, love and death. It follows the life of Patsy as she grows up near the bayou. She can see things that have happened in the past and is labeled a witch. Coinciding with her visions, town secrets come to light. If you want a good family and mystery saga this is the book for you. Stay safe and stay home.

This is a story about people. Taking place in a small community and told from several characters points of view, a mystery unravels as the people reflect on the past and try to accept the present. The characters are complex and deep. The author tells a realistic story about growing up, aging, and coming to terms with life. It is engrossing and well written. I read it in one sitting. I quickly became invested in these characters.

Although not a bad story, I struggled to keep track of who was who in this one. Kept my interest to find out the ending, but felt a little confusing at times. Would recommend, if you like ghosts, witches and bayous.