The Legacy (Darla Cavannah Mysteries, #3) (2024)

This is the third of the southern Darla Cavannah series set in Mississippi. It works remarkably well as a standalone. However, it took me a little while to get into the story, but once I was hooked the story became compelling and is oiled by the comic touches and humour within it. Darla works as a specialist hate crime Lieutenant at the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations. Darla and her second husband, Stephen, are looking forward to adopting a beautiful baby girl from China. When she gets a call from Governor Burnett, she does not want to take any case that might jeopardise her heartfelt dream of getting a baby. Only this is huge, the Governor's daughter, Caitlin Burnett, is adopted and black, and found hanging from a tree on the night she was initiated as the first black woman into an all white sorority group at the prestigious Old Miss university. The media focus is intense and it awakens all the nightmares of the racist history of the region.

Darla has a colourful partner, the fabulous detective Rita Gibbons, who is real southern and describes herself as having trailer trash cred, and proves to be invaluable on the investigation with her deep roots in the local community. The case has a number of threads that Darla and Rita follow including the segregated sorority system, a white supremacist group and its leader Rolland, and the governor's enemies. It turns out that Caitlin was murdered elsewhere and the lynching scenario has been staged by the perpetrators of the heinous crime. This is a twisted story with a number of red herrings and where the truth is a much darker and murkier affair. This is a great story with wonderful characters that keep you absorbed in the book. A good series. Thanks to Random House Alibi for an ARC.

Darla Cavannah is back, now working for the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations and anticipating the adoption of a baby girl from China. Just as she's preparing to file papers for time off for impending motherhood, she's requested to lead the investigation of an apparent hate crime. A young Black woman was discovered hanging from a tree on the Old Miss campus. She's not just any girl...her father's the most well known man in the state.

Only Gusick could write this timely story of modern racism with wit, honesty and intelligence. You're drawn into the story, which is rapidly paced without being rushed. He doesn't indict anyone, leaving it up to the reader to form any judgments...or not.

Darla is one of my most favorite fictional characters and she has some moments here that are just outstanding. The breakout character, however, is her partner, Rita Gibbons, who will have you in stitches. But make no mistake, these are two extremely capable investigators who no one would underestimate.

The case has quite a few twists but not the kind that are done to entertain the reader. It's an excellent procedural and the culture of the region is perfectly captured. There are no caricatures here. I love this series and devoured this book, hoping for more to come. 4.5 stars

(I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

So much love for this series.
I feel like showing up uninvited to the Crime Fiction Writers Thursday night poker game, waving this book around and yelling, "This is what you should be writing!!!"
Gary Gusick will offend some people and for that I want to thank him.

Full review closer to release.

This is the second book I've read by this author, but the first in this series. I'm not sure where I was during the first two, but judging from this one, I've missed some good books.

When Darla gets a call that a girl has been hung from a tree on a college campus, she is torn. She's supposed to be leaving for China to pick up her adopted baby. However, work does come first. When she arrives and starts to work, she discovers that the girl is black. The other rest of the information she discovers on this case will blow you away. It seems to be only one suspect, however that soon changes once Darla starts on a new lead.

A great read that will definitely keep you enthralled and wanting to read more by this author. His writing and plot twists are like driving along a mountainous road. You just don't see them coming.

Thanks to Random House/Alibi for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Gusick’s hero, Detective Darla Cavanaugh, became an instant favorite of mine when I read the screamingly funny Officer Elvis, and so when I saw that Random House Alibi was about to publish this third book in the series, I scrambled quickly over to Net Galley to snatch up a DRC. Though Gusick is a tremendously courageous writer, one that seeks to stand uncompromisingly on the side of the angels, this time he’s stepped over a line in the sand that was better left uncrossed. I look forward to the next book in the series, but am not sure I can recommend this one.

The book will be available to the public December 6, 2016.

Darla has been planning a leave of absence. She and her husband, a doctor that runs the only remaining abortion clinic in Mississippi, have been unable to have a child of their own, and there’s a baby waiting for them in China. But she has to go quickly, or the adoption won’t go through. It is then that she receives a special request to investigate a murder. She says no; this is one time her family comes first. But the summons is from the governor. His daughter is dead, and he wants Darla to find out who did it.

This reviewer actually has an elderly relative that was tapped to investigate the murder of a governor’s aide in the 1980’s, and he didn’t want to do it either. There was a question of organized crime being involved, and it was dangerous. But as he pointed out at the time, there are some things you can’t say no to. It’s like being invited to tea with the queen; you have to go. And so it is with Darla.

By far the most endearing character here is Darla’s partner, Rita Gibbons:

“Rednecked Rita was…half a licorice stick short in the manners department, a deplorable character flaw in the state of Mississippi.”

When a witness that’s being interviewed coolly inquires as to whether Rita is a “Natchez Gibbons”, Rita tells her that she is actually a “Red Hills Trailer Park Gibbons”, from outside of Louisville. And oh, how I wanted to engage, because this character is enormously entertaining, but there’s a problem, and it is at the core of the story’s premise.

You see, at the beginning of the story, we learn that Caitlin Barnett, the governor’s adopted daughter, who is African-American, was found hanging from a tree on the campus of Ole Miss. And once we have a lynching—whether it’s racially motivated and a real lynching, or whether there’s an ulterior motive and perhaps the body was posed there to deceive us—we can’t have any fun.

Here’s my litmus test to see if I am overreacting: I imagine giving this novel to one of my African-American family members to read, and I imagine what their reaction to it would be. Would they give Gusick props for pointing out that racism is still alive and flourishing in American society? Would they be glad that he has raised the issue of the Confederate flag? Or would they be slightly queasy, as I was? And immediately I knew that I would never, ever ask any of them to read this book, and if I did, they would probably take my husband aside sometime soon and inquire as to whether I was on any strange new medications.

In other words…no. Once there’s a lynching, or the appearance of one in a story, there can be no giggles, and we can’t rock and roll. It’s a hot stove top kind of issue; it’s not something we can touch, whatever our fine ultimate intentions might be, if we’re going to be partying anytime soon.

I still admire Gusick. Who else would have the rare courage to open oh, so many cans, and release oh, so many worms? But if one has the heart of a lion, one also needs some judgment, and this is where his story comes undone.

Although I cannot recommend this book to you, I look forward to reading this author’s work in the future. He’s done great work before, and he’ll do it again.

I received a free advance e-copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. An African American girl is found hanging from a tree on a college campus in Mississippi. She is the white governor’s adopted daughter and is pledging Delta Beta, an all white sorority of which her now deceased mother was a member. It appears that racism, white supremacy, and southern politics is still alive in Mississippi. The action never quits. The author grabbed my attention right from the beginning and didn’t let go until the very end. Deeply buried secrets from the past are revealed as the detectives follow the trail to the truth and a major manipulator. This is a well-written novel with a great plot and excellent character development. ‘The Legacy’ is well worth the read and I hope to read more about the detectives in the future.

Book Review The Legacy by Gary Gusick
Review by Dawn Thomas

205 Pages
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Alibi
Release Date: December 6, 2016

Mystery & Thriller, Police Procedural

Darla and her partner Rita investigate the hanging of the governor’s adopted daughter. Caitlin’s death was treated as a hate crime on the campus of Ole Miss University. During the investigation, Darla finds evidence Caitlin was looking for her birth parents. There is evidence she may have gotten close to finding the answers. Was that the reason for her death?

Darla follows leads which link to a similar death about twenty years ago. It is Darla’s job to determine if the deaths are related. This is the second book I have read by the author. If you like police procedurals like Rizzoli & Isles or the Women’s Murder Club then you will enjoy this book.

An exciting story with action, suspense and lots of surprises. The Mississippi environment provides many stereotypes in the story of the relations between white and black in the state. This story is an interesting police procedural, with many emotional hooks to make it engrossing for the reader. Points of interest abound throughout the story as music, food, college life and art rotate through the narrative while the investigation takes place. The book becomes spell-binding as the story continues. definitely a great read.

Good read.

A little racist overkill, but good plot. Good characters with personal touches. Enjoyed the main women characters. Like the location.

A racial murder in Mississippi?

Lieutenant Darla Cavannah; an officer attached to the Mississippi Bureau in the Major Hate Crime Division, is at home with husband Dr Stephen Nicoletti looking at photos of the little Chinese girl they are hoping to adopt. When the phone rings, Darla answers, expecting it to be the Adoption Agency. She needs to quickly hide her disappointment when the caller identifies himself as the Governor of Mississippi; Wilson Burnett His (black) adopted daughter; Caitlin has been found outside her University residence in Oxford (Mississippi) strung up. The method used is that of a typical lynching.

Darla reluctantly agrees to work on the case and once again put her personal life on hold. She and her partner Detective Rita Gibbons soon find themselves entangled in one of the nastiest most complicated cases of pure racial hatred, with one person the main suspect, but is the case more complicated than just proving this man’s guilt? Their investigation is going to lead them down many twisted lanes.

Gary Cusick has matured as an author since the last book I read by him; Officer Elvis. This book had my undivided attention from the first page. It is a horrible murder of a young girl just trying to fit into university. She’s been brought up among the elite society which surround her father’s status as governor. She is expecting the same equality at university. Little does she know just how alive and well! racism is at the institute and particularly amongst the sorority members of Delta Beta, her late mother’s sorority.

The characters who play a role in this storyline are so alive as is their interaction with each other. Those whose moral code goes against my own particular beliefs, were well portrayed and I think that it’s thanks to these racist and bigoted characters that I’ve been forced to take a good hard look around the world at the fact that as much as we’d expect that living in the Twenty First Century, racism would be a thing of the past; it is as prevalent as ever before and in some instances, even more so.

I want to congratulate Gary Cusick for tackling the subject of racism and bigotry. Once again, I’m being forced to look at society and ask; “Are we all racists in some shape or form?” “Do we fully understand our own behaviour towards others of colour or religion?”

Treebeard

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

What is this about?:A young African American girl has been found killed and she just happens to be the daughter of the Governor of Mississippi. He calls and asks for Darla's help in investigating her murder.

What else is this about?: Darla and her new husband Stephen are in the middle of an adoption when this is happening, and the case brings up some insecurities for her.

Stars: 3.5/5

I did a bad, bad thing

This has been languishing in my Netgalley queue since early December and I should have read it sooner. SO much sooner. As soon as I started reading this I was hooked.

HOOKED.

Yes, this is book 3

But you're not missing much. This is pretty much a self-contained story, with references to previous relationships and books (which at 2, isn't so bad). I read book 1 and then this one, and I didn't feel like I missed anything relevant -- including her marriage. It's enough to know they're in love, and they're ready to adopt. Which brings us to the case...

Darla is called in to investigate Caitlin's murder -- she's the daughter of the Governor, so there's a heap of pressure on Darla to find her killer. But, Darla is in the middle of an adoption, and she could be called away to pick up her daughter at any time. And here she is investigating the death of a girl who was adopted herself, and as it turns out searching for her biological parents.

It gives you enough of an insight into her, into how much she wants this child and how afraid she is of it not working out -- and Caitlin is living her nightmare when Darla discovers she was investigating her biological parents.

Darla and Rita

You may not have seen how these two became partners, but the easy friendship and banter between the two is electric -- dialogue leaps off the page, making this such an easy book to read because these two just draw you in.

They propel this investigation, sending it careening towards an unexpected end -- not a twist. The search grows complicated with the racial overtones and prejudices Caitlin faced and they come up against when they try to investigate. But in the end, this is engaging storytelling and a superbly plotted case.

I'm going to have to read Book 2. I just know it. Have you ever found yourself unexpectedly taken by a book in a series and just engrossed so much you just didn't care what happened before? Or by a partnership that just makes you sit up and read and read and the next thing you know it's 1:30am?

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Alibi via NetGalley. I received an ARC Kindle e-book of The Legacy: Darla Cavannah Mysteries, #3 by Gary Gusick.

The novel is well written and kept me in a grip the entire way through.

I think that the cover threw me off from diving in when I first received it.

It is representative of the dynamic 'Yankee' detective Darla Cavannah who is transplanted to Mississippi. Darla carries a gun and knows how to use it. She is smart, can schmooze the politicians and other policing agencies she must deal with.

Married to an OBGYN who performs legal abortions - the only one in MS who does. In most cases that could pose a problem for her career, but she is also a widow of the late and great Old Miss Quarterback "Hugh the Glue Cavannah."

A few things missing from the cover: Darla's partner "Redneck Rita." The Mississippi Blues road houses. Old Blues posters. A carved statue of an African American warrior. Kudzu and a white Governor whose adopted African American daughter is lynched in the middle of the Old Miss campus.

Yes, I love this book, but there is a lot going on that could use more time and development.

Wow, the subplots running through this novel are vast enough to have created three more novels. I will go back and read The Last Clinic: Darla Cavannah #1 and Officer Elvis: Darla Cavannah, #2 and perhaps there I will find what I seek.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. I will recommend Gary Gusick books for our library collection.

When a young African American woman is found hanging from a tree on her college campus, Darla Cavannah is called in to track down the killer. But what seems like an obvious hate crime might be covering up something even more sinister. Told from the perspective of multiple characters, The Legacy explores the hatred hiding in the hearts of many, and the extremes to which some people will go to bury their secrets. This novel was well-written and the main characters were fully developed, especially with the subtle introductions to their backstories. My biggest complaint was the reveal at the end. While there are plenty of red herrings throughout the book, the identity of the killer is pretty obvious from the beginning.

Darla Cavanaugh Investigates a Hate Crime at Ole Miss

Darla Cavanaugh and her husband, Dr. Stephen Nicoletti, are on the verge of adopting a baby girl from China, but Darla must leave immediately or the adoption won’t go through. A call from Mississippi Governor, Wilson Burnett, derails her plans.

An Afro-American student and Burnett’s adopted daughter, who was just inducted into a previously segregated sorority, has been found hanging from a tree on the Ole Miss campus. This immediately appears to be a hate crime, but as Darla and her partner Rita Gibbons investigate the case becomes more complicated.

Darla and Rita are enjoyable characters. Darla is all business, but Rita provides some comic relief. She’s a red-neck and proud of it. I love the way she punctures the pretensions of the society girls in the sorority.

The setting is well described giving a good background for the question of whether this was a lynching, or a crime with a different motivation. The complications of the segregated sorority, a white supremacist group, and the governor’s political enemies, provide a number or twists. I was not surprised by the ending. It’s not easy to guess, but the author provides enough clues that you feel satisfied by the outcome.

I recommend this book if you enjoy mysteries with believable female detectives.

I received this book from Alibi for this review.

Darla is an officer whose specialty is hate crimes. She and her husband are hoping to adopt a baby soon and she plans on retiring so she can stay at home and raise the child. She gets a call from the governor of Mississippi that his daughter, who was African American and adopted, was murdered and found hanging from a tree and he asks her to find out what happen. Everyone assumes a white supremacist group was behind it and as Darla and her partner, Rita, start to investigate, they wonder if it isn't too convenient and obvious.

This is the third book I've read by this author and I liked it. I liked the writing style and thought it was well-paced. It's written in third person perspective with the focus on wherever the action is. It was an interesting read especially if you are a fan of Delta blues music (like B.B. King). The language at times is for a mature reader.

It is the third and latest in the Darla Cavannah series, a Philadelphian transplant in Mississippi, but it works as a stand alone. You don't have to read the first two (I have) to know what's going on as there's enough background given.

I'm enjoying this series.

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2016/11...

The fact that this book was in Mississippi drew me into reading it. I came in, apparently, in the middle of this series. Darla and Stephen were adopting a daughter from China. I was also drawn to this book because I know other people who have adopted children from China.

Enter a frantic Governor. His own adopted daughter from China, is dead. She was going to Ole Miss, and just joined a sorority, so she should have been popular and dong ok, only she isn't. Instead of thriving, was publicly hung, or did she killer herself, or what is happening exactly?

I liked the MS setting, and that the author nailed a good bit of the racism that can exist in certain areas. I didn't grow up with that, but I have seen a great deal of it in some places. I loved the adoption from China, because it is more real to me because of people I know.

Over all, a good read. My copy came from Net Galley. I wasn't required to leave a review, I wanted to. My thoughts are all my own, as are my opinions.

Kindle Copy for Review

It is the deep south in Ole Mississippi where racial tension still exists. Darla Cavannagh and her assistant are summoned by the Governor to investigate the death of his black adopted college daughter. What appears to be a racist crime as she is found hanging from a tree appearing to be lynched but is it really just stage since that was not the real cause of death.

During this time Darla and her husband are close to adopting a daughter from China making her sympathetic to the situation. As she delves further into the case, she learns who the young woman father was and how he died in the same way decades ago as secrets are exposed.

Who are really responsible for the deaths and the real reason as they are numerous possibilities. Interesting read that moves along.

Darla Cavannah is a complex character, dealing with complex emotional issues in her personal life and in her job with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.

When Darla's told to investigate the lynching death of Caitlin Burnettt, adopted daughter of Mississippi Governor Wilson Burnett, Darla insists her MBI partner Rita Gibbons joins her.

As the investigation begins to confront racial issues at Old Miss campus and the state's various groups, Darla finds herself dueling with the head of Alabaster Empire's Rolland Morton.

Inbred racial discrimination is deep rooted and the key to solving Caitlin's murder is in finding her birth parents.

The plots twists and turns are tension filled with humor relief provided by Rita & Uther.

A well-written page turner.

I received a copy of this book through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Darla is called in by the Governor of Missisippi, who is white, to investigate the death of his black adopted daughter, Caitlin. Caitlin was found hanging from a tree, which looked liked a lynching, but further investigation reveals that she may not have been lynched, but murdered elsewhere and the body staged to look like a lynching. Darla was first loathe to take on this case as she and her husband are just on the verge of adopting their daughter, and she wanted nothing to interfere with that. But she felt empathy that the young girl lost her life and she wanted to explore the racial tensions that were apparent.

This novel takes place in Mississippi where the white Governor's adopted college aged daughter is murdered and shown as having been lynched. Our protagonists are a pair of female detectives who act procedurally and instinctively. The senior detective is a Lieutenant and from the north; her partner is from Mississippi. I won't go into the plot any further because of spoilers but will say this was good, fast reading and will quickly engross the reader. Thanks to Net Galley and Alibi for an ARC for an honest review.

This is a fast action southern style detective novel with plenty of local color (no pun intended). A young African American student is murdered and Detective Darla Cavannah and her sidekick Rita are challenged by the Governor to solve an apparent hate crime. But nothing is, as it seems. The author cleverly unfolds the clues along with digressions about local culture, prejudices and customs of the old South. The end will surprise you.

I was given an electronic copy in return for an honest review.

This is the first of this series that I've read and it won't be the last. I love books that are set in the deep south and Darla being a transplant from up North makes it even more interesting. The witty dialog exchanges between Darla and her not so polished partner, Rita is catchy as well. There wasn't a lot of things that I didn't like about this series, I've got some catching up to before the next release comes out.
I received a copy of this e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

The Legacy is the latest story in the Darla Cavannah series by Gary Gusick. Darla and her sidekick Rita make an interesting police pair and offer an enjoyable mystery giving the reader some bread crumbs to follow. I'm looking forward to the next story of their adventures. I was given an early copy to review.

Another exciting offering by Gary Gusick.. The story was one that held my attention throughout (and I am all about the story when it comes to fiction). Darla and Rita are fun to watch work; an unconventional team that gets the job done and takes the reader along for the ride. A must read for anyone that likes a good murder investigation story. (Just my opinion.)

This book is the third instalment in the Darla Cavannah series. This was another solid book with great characters and interesting story. Another recommended read.

I really enjoyed this latest Darla Cavannah Mystery. It was a great addition to the series. It had a mesmerizing storyline and great characters. I will be looking forward to seeing where the series takes Darla next.