Points of Origin

By: Darden North

Narrated by: Fred Wolinsky

Small southern towns are not always sleepy—particularly in Larkspur, Mississippi, where homes burst into flames and lives crumble. It is the suspicious death of a young woman that costs premiere plastic surgeon Dan Foxworth his surgical dynasty, his life, and that of his wife. Devastated by the loss of both parents and unable to meet a bitter grandfather's expectations, Sher Foxworth tries to save an elderly woman from her burning home. Suddenly the accidental hero, his life is turned upside down by disturbing twists of fate. To dig his way out, Sher makes a deal to wear a fireman’s hat and remains the hero. But it is the philandering, wealthy trial lawyer Cordell Pixler who collects the enemies. Many in the boiling southern town seek revenge against Pixler—some because of sex and some because of money—and it’s a race to see who nails him first. Points of Origin was awarded nationally in Southern Fiction by the Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Awards and is the second novel by Darden North. The audio book is narrated by Fred Wolinsky.

©2006 Darden North (P)2014 Darden North

Critic reviews

“Points of Origin... heart-stopping, spellbinding ending ... haunted me for days after closing the cover.”-( Reader Views)

“I devoured (it) ... uncanny character development along classic southern lines.”-Kathy Spurlock, Executive Editor, ( The Monroe, LA News-Star)

“North reminds readers that things are not always as they appear.”-( The Clarion-Ledger)

twists & turns

If you could sum up Points of Origin in three words, what would they be?

interesting quirky characters

What does Fred Wolinsky bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

At first, I didn't particulary like Mr. Wolinsky's southern accent, true it was southern sounding just not Mississippi southern sounding, was able to get used to it before book ended

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Cher raced to save Mrs. Artchesell and Dickens, a turning point in his life

Any additional comments?

I travel a lot and listening to Points of Origin on Audible was great! Very convenient!

An intriguing, multi-level story brought to life

Any additional comments?

This book is hard to categorize, but it definitely kept my interest throughout. It is not really a mystery, though a lot of mysteries unfold. It is not really a romance, though several romances are central to it. It is not really a thriller, though it is full of excitement and twists and turns. It is the story of numerous lives in a small Southern town, that interconnect through various twists of fate, with each ripple in one person's life creating a tidal wave in another person's life. Before you realize it, you get drawn into the lives of these people, and become a fascinated voyeur.

The narrator moved the story along with perfect pacing and emotion, and created a unique voice and personality for each of the characters. It really brought the book to life! The audiobook version is definitely worthwhile, as the total is greater than the parts.

4

Very good. I've read lots of mysteries. This one carries us into a behind the headlines world
- not of victims, their mourners or their detectives --
but of others standing close enough to tragedy to be dusted by the collision of worlds. I found it facscinating.

Not a thriller, more of a southern fiction

This book was marked as a thriller/mystery. To me, it was not a thriller at all. There were a few mysteries throughout the book, but more like a southern fiction novel. This is a story of numerous lives in one southern town, how they all collide and how little things that one person or multiple people do ripples throughout many other lives. It is an interesting book, but don't expect a thriller.

Fred does an excellent job of narrating the story. I have listened to him before, but this is the first time I've heard him do a southern accent. It was a little strong to begin with, but smoothed out pretty quickly and was quite enjoyable to listen to!

Made me feel like I was living the story

If you could sum up Points of Origin in three words, what would they be?

Hot southern revenge

What other book might you compare Points of Origin to and why?

Any Greg Iles novel

What about Fred Wolinsky’s performance did you like?

The narrator's diction and cadence are easy to follow, although the southern accent he assumes is more typical of a South Carolinian than a character from Mississippi, the setting of the novel. The book has many characters, both male and female, a challenge for any narrator but the writing assists the reader in following the dialogue.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

For me there were many powerful moments in this novel. Two that come to mind are when the plastic surgeon realizes his mistake with the young girl and knows he is powerless to reverse it and when Sher Foxworth visits his grandfather, finding him talking to squirrels that his grandfather calls by name.

Any additional comments?

The ending caught me of guard but did not leave me hanging. I hope there will be another Sheridan Foxworth novel and look forward to more work by North and Wolinsky.