Patty Jo Tilde is a person that is a friend to no one and loves no one other than Patty Jo Tilde.  Her mind is so poisoned that she can sit calmly in her house while her husband is desperately crying for help in the barn.  She hears him but has no intention of calling for help.  It is in her best interest that help comes too late.  Patty Jo resides in Fort St. Antoine.  This is the same town where the Sheriff's Department employs Claire Watkins.  Their paths cross in Poison Heart in a most unpleasant way.

Claire and her young daughter Meg have recently moved in with Rich Haggard.  Rich Haggard is quite a catch from the author's description.  Meg is in sixth grade and just beginning to notice boys.  She is left alone one morning while Rich and Claire go into town to meet with friends.  When she hears a strange sound she runs outside to confront a very large animal with deep brown eyes.  What happened to the animal and how it wound up standing and starring at Meg is just one of the many mysteries presented in this book.

Before you get to the end of the story Patty Jo will be suspected of neglect, arson, cruelty to animals to name just a few of the crimes attributed to her.  But did Patty Jo commit all of these crimes or are they not linked at all?  You will have to read Poison Heart to answer this question.

Fort St. Antoine sounds like a fun place to visit once Claire solves all the mysteries set forth in Poison Heart.  With only 142 residents per the latest census it sounds like the biggest percentage of the residents are people you would welcome as a friend.

REVIEWED BY PATRICIA E. REID

DO NOT REPRINT WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE REVIEWER, PATRICIA E. REID