October Read: A Death in Door County (A Monster Hunter Mystery #1) by Annelise Ryan

 

The cover of this mystery caught my eye and led to me checking it out of my library. Then last week, I was at my book group and one of my friends talked about it--I made sure he didn't give the ending away because I wasn't quite done with it!

 I finished it and enjoyed traveling to Door County, WI. I'm putting it on my bucket list of places to visit. It's not terribly far from where I live now, and even though my family took vacations every summer to Rhinelander, WI when I was little, we never got to Door County. 

Anyhow. This was kind of like a cozy mystery, but one with a little more oomph to it. Morgan Carter owns a unique bookshop called Odds and Ends in Door County. Her hobby, inherited from her parents, is the study of cryptids. Crypids are creatures people are sure exist, but just have never had definitive proof: Bigfoot, Loch Ness, Abominable Snowman. New police chief Jon Flanders hires Morgan to investigate the possibility of a cryptid swimming around Lake Michigan, after two men are washed ashore drowned but showing signs of being crushed by something powerful. Could it be a lake creature? 

As Morgan begins to dig into her research, she uncovers more questions than answers. We also get to meet her employees Rita and Devon, her beloved and very protective dog Newt, and see her cautious relationship develop with Chief Flanders. There is some uncovering of Morgan's past that answers some questions of how she is an expert at cryptids, and why she has such an unusual bookstore. 

I was deep into this mystery pretty quickly. It's clear Annelise Ryan knows Door County. It sounds absolutely lovely and she painted a heck of a picture. I deliberately kept away from looking online so I could keep it all in my head. There are a few sad moments, but overall I just let the mystery reveal itself as I read. There's no "ooh, maybe this person did it" as there is in cozy mysteries. I truly had no idea until the end. 

I'm happy to say the last few sentences lead to the possibility of the next mystery in the series and I'll be picking that up--it involves Bigfoot! 

Rating: 5/6 for the vivid writing that brings Door County to life, along with a very interesting main character with a special knowledge unlike any other mysteries I've read. I like the slow development of Morgan and Jon's relationship which leaves something for more mysteries to explore. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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October Read: A Death in Door County (A Monster Hunter Mystery #1) by Annelise Ryan

Old Bones by Preston & Child

This is just the kind of story I love to dive into, and even though it was my first Preston & Child novel, it won't be my last. 

First of all, bless Grand Central Publishing for taking the time to list all of Preston & Child's novels by series! Makes reading their previous works much easier. I wish every publisher did this for prolific authors. Old Bones is another new series, with characters from previous novels, but this is the first in the Nora Kelly series. I can't wait to read more. 

This novel involves the mystery of the Donner Party, and the Lost Camp. After the Donner party became lost and stuck in the Sierra Nevada area in the winter of 1847, they became part of western legend and lore. Very few people survived the months long ordeal as they starved, survived blizzard after blizzard, and some resorting to cannibalism to survive. The party was broken up into three camps, each a distance away from each other. One camp, known as the Lost Camp, remained  undiscovered over a hundred and fifty years later. 

Archaeologist Nora Kelly is called in to lead an expedition up into the wilds of the Sierra Nevadas to attempt to discover the "Lost Camp". Traveling with Nora is Dr. Clive Benton, a historian (and descendant of one of the Donner party families) who has discovered Tamzene Donner's long lost diary, which describes the location of the lost camp. Finding this lost camp, and the remains of the people who died there, would be a huge historical find, and answer a lot of questions. There is also a big chance that twenty million dollars in gold coins is also somewhere in the camp, stolen from one of the Donner party men, who was murdered by two men who died at the lost camp. 

Another interesting addition to this story involves FBI Agent Corrie Swanson. Just learning her job, she's assigned to a simple case: investigating the murder of a man found in a recently disturbed grave. Doesn't seem like it would have anything to do with the Donner lost camp, but oh, it does. It seems that someone has been digging up graves and making off with parts of the remains. Corrie makes a connection between seemingly random events, but no one believes her--it's rookie enthusiasm, after all. 

Yet, there is a big link to these two big events, and that is what is most fascinating about this novel. I seriously couldn't put it down. The blend of archaeology, legend, lore, and history hooked me good. I've always been interested in the Donner tragedy and have read a lot of books about it. That's what  drew me to this novel, too. I wasn't disappointed. It was a heck of a good read, and a great introduction to Preston & Child novels. 

I've had friends tell me how much they enjoy Preston & Child novels, and now I know why. I'll be working my way through all of them, and looking forward to the next Nora Kelly novel. I liked both Nora and Corrie--two strong women,  navigating through the politics and machinations of their chosen fields. Both experts in what they do, they make a great team. Did I say I loved this novel?! I sure did! Fans of historical mysteries, anthropology, archaeology, and police procedurals will enjoy this one. I'm a fan of Ellie Griffith's Ruth Galloway mysteries, which also feature historical mysteries and forensic archaeology. I'm excited to have found another series with all the elements I enjoy. 

I know I read a lot of magical realism, foodie, and contemporary women's novels, but oh, the nerdy history and forensics girl in me loves this type of novel, too. 

Rating: 5/6 for a thriller that combines history, action, adventure, archaeology, forensics, and a race against time. The Donner Party tragedy continues to echo down through the years. It's never too late to bring peace to those who died tragically in the most horrible of circumstances. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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Old Bones by Preston & Child

The Woman in the Lake by Nicola Cornick

I'm diving back into reading again with some great historical novels this month. In a previous post, I talked about discovering Nicola Cornick's historical fiction, and checked out all three of her latest paperback novels from the library. The Woman in the Lake is her newest, just published this year. 

At first, I was a little confused as I was reading, trying to get all my ducks in a row. It took about 40 pages before I felt on solid ground with this plot. One of my favorite plot devises is dual timelines and this one bounces from 1765 to 2014 and involves spousal abuse, love affairs, murder, and smuggling. And the one thing that links both timelines is a golden gown that has a dark power over anyone who possesses it. 

1765: Lady Isabella Gerard has just been viciously assaulted by her husband after refusing to wear his latest gift: a golden gown he had made special for her. Their marriage is downright toxic; he is always parading mistresses and spending money he doesn't have; she is trapped and has illicit affairs with members of the aristocracy. Isabella's maid, Constance, is Lord Gerard's spy; she keeps tabs on Isabella and reports her every move to Lord Gerard. He's both filled with obsession and hatred for his wife. 

2014: Fenella is starting her life over after a divorce from a possessive and abusive husband. As a teenager, she stole the gold gown from Lydiard Park while there on a school visit. The gown has an unhealthy hold on Fenella, causing her worst trait to manifest. She hides the gown in her grandmother's home and eventually runs away at sixteen to start life away from home. Now an adult, a teacher and a vintage antiques dealer, she receives the gown in the mail after her grandmother has died. Once again, the gown exerts an unnatural hold over Fenella...

The novel moves back and forth between the two timelines, and after settling into the story, I quickly became engrossed. At first I wasn't a big fan of Fenella, but as I read more of the novel, my opinion changed and I became a fan. When Hamish enters the picture, and romance is a possibility, I had big hopes for the both of them. What I really liked was Fenella's decision to confess to Hamish and her friend Jessie the odd happenings both now and as a teenager. This helped push the plot forward. I am not a fan of characters keeping key issues quiet for a long time. Spill it! In this case, it made Fenella's experiences valid and helped build her relationship with Hamish. 

There's magic, time travel, deadly plots, stalking, and a bit of historical interest all mixed into this novel. Just the kind I like! Oh--and dysfunctional families. That's another big part of the novel: loyalty, missed opportunities to make things right, regret, and acceptance. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and can't wait to read more of Nicola Cornick. Fans of Susanna Kearsley, Barbara Erskine, and Kate Morton will want to add Nicola Cornick to their list of favorite authors. 

Rating: 4/6 for an intriguing plot, twists galore, and just enough other-worldliness to make things interesting. Can an object hold intense emotion from the past and influence the present? 

Available in paperback and ebook. 

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The Woman in the Lake by Nicola Cornick

The Outcasts by Kathleen Kent....And A Shout Out To Followers

Before I begin my review, I have to say "Welcome!" to all my new followers.  Golly, I am so pleased you decided to read my reviews.  I read a mix of things:  historical fiction, science fiction/fantasy, contemporary fiction, and some non-fiction, too.  And yes, I do read Teen novels.  Whatever catches my fancy.  So welcome, and thank you for reading my reviews.  I hope you find something wonderful to read :)

Kathleen Kent.  A wonderful writer.  I read The Heretic's Daughter a few years ago and just loved it--what an emotionally wrenching novel!  I was pleased to see this new novel sitting on our new release table at work, and it fit neatly into my class assignment for reading a western.  Yes, a western.  Kathleen Kent jumps from witch hunts in New England in The Heretic's Daughter to the Texas Frontier in 1870 in her new novel.  

Center stage are two characters:  Nate Cannon, a Texas lawman, and Lucinda Carter, a prostitute who suffers from debilitating epileptic seizures.  Lucinda is a complex character; a woman who was put into an asylum as a child, and has a knack for geometry and complicated mathematics.  She's also been forced into working at a brothel and meets a man who promises her a way out.  But first she must follow his plan.  

Nate Cannon is a young lawman who is assigned to send news of an escaped criminal and notorious murderer--McGill--to two lawmen who have been chasing him for years.  Dr. Tom and  and Deerling are two seasoned lawmen who, for personal reasons, are determined to find and capture McGill.  You soon quickly learn that McGill is an unrepentant, cold-blooded, horrible man who will kill anyone for money--or just because he can.  Nate finds himself bonding with the two men and helps them on their journey through Texas and into Louisiana on a breathless chase to find McGill before he kills again.  Once again I am amazed at how long people could ride a horse and how far they could travel.  Exhausting and hard work.

So what's the connection between Lucinda and Nate?  Lucinda's mysterious man is McGill himself.  Does she realize he is a murderer and go along with him anyway?  I'll leave that for you to decide.  Lucinda is a study in a woman who does what she needs to in order to survive, yet at the same time is yearning for a quiet life and some peace.  She is complex, sorrowful, yet devious at the same time.  Will she end up as McGill's next victim?

This was a really good novel; Lucinda's character has equal time with Nate's character as both move closer to the inevitable meeting in New Orleans.  Nate is an example of always being tested; he struggles to keep his sense of fairness and honesty as he delves deeper into the ugly side of life.

Kathleen Kent's The Outcasts is a blend of western action, female struggle, and making choices for good or bad.  Lots of action; great characters both major and minor.  You will turn the last page and take a deep breath.  

Rating:  8/10 for an action novel that features a complex female lead; an ending that neatly ties up loose ends yet leaves you wanting more.  

Available in hardcover, e-book, and audio.

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The Outcasts by Kathleen Kent....And A Shout Out To Followers