4 march The Alpine Advocate

March/book 4/The Alpine Advocate by Mary Dahum

Alpine used to be a real place (town).  the owner of the Alpine Mill was related to Samuel Clemens who wrote as Mark Twain. The authors mother grew up in Alpine: there is interesting history in this fact.

The main character is Emma Lord, the owner of a small town newspaper called "The Alpine Advocate."  Emma thinks,"Unfortunately, I was now wide awake."  In her role as owner and editor of The Alpine Advocate there are times when it is difficult to keep up with duties and still have time to herself.

Like all small towns they have a group of characters who keep the social aspects of town in order The sheriff, newspaper reporters, and town council.  And, they are not used to murder so there is an element of fear for the townspeople who are not sure how to react to the situations in which they find themselves.

Like in many small towns gossip does not always have the element of truth it needs but spreads prolific behind the scenes.  The story shows how people hide the truth behind the stories they make up and causes difficulty when solving the crime.