Charlaine Harris tends to use heroines that are a little bit dark and gloomy. Lily Bard really isn’t the happy-go-lucky type. She’s a loner, but it’s because something horrible in her past has led to even her closest friends and family not knowing how to interact with her. So she lives by rote and routine — if nobody bothers her, she won’t bother them. Unfortunately, someone has chosen to use her garbage cart to dump her landlord’s body in the park across the street from her house. Lily also isn’t a detective, but she can’t help but be observant. She starts to come out of her shell and actually live her life as the book progresses and the mystery deepens. I think Harris has built an interesting cast of characters here, and I look forward to continuing the series.
