They Call Me Crazy by Kelly Stone Gamble

Cass Adams is crazy, and everyone in Deacon, Kansas, knows it. But when her good-for-nothing husband, Roland, goes missing, no one suspects that Cass buried him in their unfinished koi pond. Too bad he doesn’t stay there for long. Cass gets arrested on the banks of the Spring River for dumping his corpse after heavy rain partially unearths it.

The police chief wants a quick verdict—he’s running for sheriff and has no time for crazy talk. But like Roland’s corpse, secrets start to surface, and they bring more to light than anybody expected. Everyone in Cass’s life thinks they know her—her psychic grandmother, her promiscuous ex-best friend, her worm-farming brother-in-law, and maybe even her local ghost. But after years of separate silences, no one knows the whole truth. Except Roland. And he’s not talking.

 Lori:  Carolyn?? What were you thinking when you told me to read this?

I loved it.

I thought it was a romance because I read it without knowing anything about it and then pow! Cass is nuts, she's killed her husband and is this supposed to be a romance?

I do have a complaint with the book and that was that it was multiple character POVs and all in first person which I didn't find well delineated at the beginning. But once everyone was clear in my mind, we were off to the races.

Cass is a great heroine. She isn't written to be easily liked but the more time you spend in her head, the more likable she becomes. Her ex isn't a horrible man who beat her or was even evil. Not really. But he wasn't a good guy either. Did he deserve to die? Read the book and decide.

And yes, there is a romance. And secrets. And psychics. And best friends with babies of dubious daddydom.

What did you think, Red?

Carolyn: I think the ending was the best part, heh. And that's saying a lot because this book gets two thumbs up from me. My memory ain't worth shit anymore, but parts of this book pop into my head and I have to laugh and the ending was a shocker.

I too liked Cass. Well, you know I like eccentrics and I would call her an eccentric rather than crazy. I did like there was a good reason for her craziness. It was not something that ever went completely away as the book went on. I know we've all read books where one of the main character's bad traits - grumpy men, bitchy women - suddenly disappear, never to return again and the first chapter person is not recognizable as the last chapter person. Not so here. I liked Cass, Roland had his moments. Clay ... Clay took some getting used to, lol.

Lori:  Clay was an interesting character because he slowly developed whereas everyone else was bam! in your face. But I liked him because he was the calm in the middle of Cass' storm.

I'm very much not into reading romance right now although a story with romantic elements is all up my alley. And a strong woman is what I want and need more than anything else.

Cass, despite her crazy, is a strong character. She affects everyone around her. She brings out people's feelings. And even at the end when she's facing everything that happened, understanding how her family works and why she needs them, she's the center of their storms. They need her too. 

There's a second book with Cass and I downloaded it but I'm not sure about reading it. I really liked this book. I'd really hate to see the author misstep in a continued story, you know? But if it reads like this one did then I really want to go there. Cass might be too much to have in your life on a constant basis but she's sure someone I'd like to visit with occasionally.