Phil is on the verge of signing Native American country singer, Troy Blackfeather. However, there are some unsavory rumors about Troy’s past, and Phil fears that if UpShot signs Troy and the rumors are true, the company will fold. To make matters worse, Phil fears his very own employees are trying to sabotage him. He wants to hire Kate to investigate Troy’s past, and he’ll pay her handsomely. Kelly wants to head back to New England for summer camp, and Kate needs the cash for a deposit, so she accepts his offer.

Shortly after Kate starts her investigation, Troy’s songwriter girlfriend, Shay disappears. To top it off, no one at UpShot seems concerned or wants to go to the police. Is Shay’s disappearance just a stunt? Was it a lover’s quarrel? Why is Shay lying about her past? Are the UpShot employees involved? And what about Troy?

Cryin’ Time is an enjoyable story, but with a few problems. The writing style sometimes is a little hard to follow. Most characters in books think or talk to themselves. When Kate does, it’s in short, abbreviated sentences that don’t always make a whole lot of sense.

“Let it. More tries at persuasion could backfire. The woman’s dark eyes darted back and forth. Eenie, meenie. Kate tried to look pleasant. The moment seemed long. It was a relief to see the trailer door open wider.”

Some of Kate’s actions are slightly annoying, too. She can’t understand why no one wants to go to the police about Shay’s disappearance. She seems to be the only one concerned. So does she go to the police? Nope. Kate is concerned about her daughter’s welfare, and swears she won’t take any more risks. What does she do? Take risks, and not just little risks, try breaking and entering.

For the second book in a series, the background information on Kate’s past exploits is sparse. Tishy mentions several of Kate’s stints in sleuthing from her days as a police reporter in Boston. These episodes are mentioned, then glossed over, which left my curiosity unsatisfied.

Cryin’ Time is an acceptable addition to a series that was started with Jealous Heart. Kate is a wonderful amateur sleuth, with oodles of curiosity and lots of nerve. I also enjoyed the Transplanted-Yankee-In-Good-Old-Boy-Country aspect of Kate’s life and personality. On originality alone, this book is worth a look, but holes in the story had this reader singing the blues.

--Wendy Crutcher