A Snake in the Raspberry Patch by Joanne Jackson

(21. - 1160.) A Snake in the Raspberry Patch by Joanne Jackson - In the summer of 1971, Liz Murphy is 13 and the oldest in a family of 5 girls and a boy. The youngest girl, Alexandra, is blond and blue eyed. All the others have green eyes and red hair. Their mother, Patricia, calls them her raspberry patch.

Liz evocatively describes their Saskatchewan home:

“Here in Willowsbend, in the middle of farmland from horizon to horizon - except for an invasion of gophers, a deluge of hail, or a plague of grasshoppers - nothing ever happens.”

A quiet summer awaits the Murphy children as they will be adjusting to the arrival of their baby brother.

There is another exception. The Tremblay family has been slaughtered at their farm home. Both parents and 5 kids have been efficiently shot. The mother's tongue has been cut out.

A neighbour, Stanley Drummond, recently released from jail is the community suspect though most residents lean to a mysterious stranger being the killer.

With the mass murder Willowsbend is dominated by fear amongst the adults. Every day with no arrest adds to the tension. The children are less scared. They play, they go to the outdoor pool, they focus on friends. They worry little about an unknown murderer.

Liz is a bright girl. As the oldest she has significant responsibilities to help with the younger children. She is maturing from a girl to a young woman.

Her sister, Rose, at 11 is going on 30. She is an avid photographer and reader with an adult vocabulary, in all ways, and lots of attitude. She does not react well to requests / suggestions / orders from Liz.

Rose is almost as precocious as another 11 year old crime mystery sleuth, Flavia de Luce. Alan Bradley, the creator of Flavia, lived and worked in Saskatchewan for decades. 

While Flavia is devoted to chemistry Rose is passionate about words and photographs. Rose aspires to be a forensic crime scene photographer.

The Murphy’s are a traditional family. Father, Jim, is dedicated to Murphy’s Hardware store. A serious, even remote, man he spends little time with the children.

While mother, Patricia, is a “no nonsense” direct parent she provides all the children with abundant affection. 

Suddenly, in the middle of the book I was so shaken by an event I took a break from reading. As what I want to write most about the plot would be a huge spoiler I will not comment.

As it should, the weather of our province is a constant presence. From the frigid winter to the baking summer weather controls our lives. When the baby, Cole, is chosen for the role of the Baby Jesus in the creche before Midnight Mass he is bundled in a bulky snowsuit. It was fitting that as I finished the book on Canada Day, July 1, evening a wild wind drove me off the deck and into the house.

As the story progresses the murders fade into the background. Beyond extra caution for the children, life returns to normal. Liz is worried about having a friend in high school.

To Liz’s dismay, Rose is a determined sleuth. She has to know who killed the Tremblay family. She keeps an eye out for “clues” and, contrary to her father’s directions, regularly spends time around the Tremblay home. She develops her own theory on the murders.

Jackson writes with assurance and confidence. The dialogue of the children is very well done. The language of all 5 girls reflects their respective ages or, for Rose exceeds her age.

Jackson also has a keen ear for the manner of speech in Saskatchewan in ‘71. The phrases, rhythms and tones are all familiar.

A Snake in the Raspberry Patch is a book about family life in rural Saskatchewan with murder simmering through the story. Few mysteries deal with the challenges of a family of 6 children 13 and younger. While crime fiction the book, like Anthony Bidulka’s book Going to Beautiful, defies easy characterization.

Jackson kept me wondering until the very end. A Snake in the Raspberry Patch is a challenging book that left me reflective. It is well written and a worthy winner of the 2023 Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence for best crime novel set in Canada.