The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt - by Andrea Bobotis (Paperback)

About the Book

"Judith Kratt inherited all the Kratt family had to offer - the pie safe, the copper clock, the murder that no one talks about - and she knows in her old bones that it's time to make an inventory of her household and its valuables. But she finds that cataloging the family heirlooms can't contain their misfortunes, not when her wayward sister suddenly returns, determined to expose secrets that the Kratts had hoped to take to their grave. Interweaving the present with chilling flashbacks from one fateful evening in 1929, Judith pieces together the influence of her family on their small South Carolina cotton town, learning that the effects of dark family secrets can last for decades"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

"Andrea Bobotis is a new, original voice as Southern as they come! In The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt, she unravels a complicated web of dirty Southern secrets. Using masterful writing and a perfectly calculated reveal of damaged history, she ends up weaving a tapestry that is so much more."--LEAH WEISS, bestselling author of If the Creek Don't Rise

In the hard-luck cotton town of Bound, South Carolina, some bury their secrets close to home. Others scatter them to the wind and hope they land somewhere far away.

Judith Kratt inherited everything her family had to offer--the pie safe, the copper clock, the murder no one talks about. She's presided over the Carolina house quite well, thank you very much, with a little help from her companion, Olva.

When her wayward sister suddenly returns, Judith must make an inventory of all that belongs to them--and her sister is determined to include the skeletons the Kratt family had hoped to take to their graves.

Interweaving the present with chilling flashbacks from one fateful evening in 1929, Judith pieces together the devastating influence of the Kratt family on their small South Carolina cotton town, learning that the effects of dark family secrets can last a lifetime and beyond.

Perfect for fans of Kim Michele Richardson, Hannah Pittard, and Sue Monk Kidd--Andrea Bobotis presents a book of small-town, Southern charm and dark family drama.

Review Quotes

"A mystery entangled in family secrets and racial tension, this tale will be enjoyed by fans of Southern fiction." -- Library Journal

"Andrea Bobotis has written an amazing novel, one which interrogates, with such controlled and beautiful writing, what it means to be Southern. Utilizing a unique form and a carefully crafted mystery, Bobotis is a writer capable of deep truths, and this novel announces her as a major voice." -- Kevin Wilson, author of The Family Fang, Perfect Little World, and Baby, You're Gonna Be Mine

"Andrea Bobotis is a new, original voice as Southern as they come! In The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt, she unravels a complicated web of dirty Southern secrets. Using masterful writing and a perfectly calculated reveal of damaged history, she ends up weaving a tapestry that is so much more." -- Leah Weiss, bestselling author of If the Creek Don't Rise

"As the keeper of the family treasures and the family secrets, Miss Judith Kratt is a Southern eccentric in the tradition of Faulkner's Miss Emily. But Miss Judith does not wallow in the past or embrace the dead. Instead, she works to protect the living. The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt is a universal and timely story that exposes the dangers of nostalgia and the value of assessing both things and people in a clear-eyed, honest way. It's a thoroughly captivating story and it's beautifully told." -- Tiffany Quay Tyson, author of Three Rivers and The Past is Never

"Capturing the unique, singular voice of a once-genteel South that hid its deadly secrets and brutal crimes behind facades of grand houses, Andrea Bobotis gently leads you down a garden path of one family's shameful story only to leave you gasping at its devastating, inevitable destination. If William Faulkner were still alive, I'm pretty sure he'd wish he had written this book." -- Emily Carpenter, author of Burying the Honeysuckle Girls

"The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt adeptly catalogs loss, hope, and redemption." -- Booklist

"The droll voice of Andrea Bobotis's heroine, Judith Kratt, might charm you - but don't be fooled into thinking this is simply one woman's trip down memory lane. The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt is a multilayered story about family, race, loss, and loyalty, featuring a complex cast of characters led by a woman who learns it's never too late for growth and change." -- Cynthia Swanson, New York Times bestselling author of The Bookseller and The Glass Forest

"The well-told tale unfolds like a magnolia, slowly revealing a languid beauty. Mystery fans will also be satisfied." -- Publishers Weekly