On Tuesday, Jan. 16, regional author Dennis Ackison will talk about his recently released novel, Murder at Fontana Dam, at Kaplan Auditorium in the Main Branch Library in Hendersonville (301 N. Washington St.). The novel, which is set in 1940s Robbinsville, N.C., tells the story of a WW II-connected murder that happens at the newly constructed dam.
The book seems to have made little impact – it isn’t available from Amazon.com, for instance – and a Google search reveals only 24 mentions of the book, largely from regional calendar entries about Ackison’s readings. In fact, the only significant press the book seems to have gotten is a somewhat negative review which depicted the books as having “Hardy Boys simplicity”, which was written by typically forgiving Asheville Citizen-Times book reviewer Rob Neufeld.
So, what’s the story with Ackison’s novel? Is this a misunderstood masterpiece, or literary fluff? Perhaps Ackison’s talk will shed some light on the topic.
But what about you? Have you read the book, or attended one of Ackison’s readings? Give us your input by commenting below.
– Steve Shanafelt, A&E reporter
