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Title: Haunted Ground: A Novel by Erin Hart ISBN: 0-7432-3505-3 Publisher: Scribner Pub. Date: 20 May, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.47 (19 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: An Impressive Debut
Comment: I approached Erin Hart's "Haunted Ground" with some trepidation. First, this is a story of Ireland, written by Hart, an American from the Midwest, as well as a first novel. The pastoral Irish moor provides the backdrop for the teaming Cormac Maguire, a brawny/brainy Irish archeologist, and Nora Gavin, equally eligible American pathologist, providing all the necessary ingredients for a breathless "Harlequinesque" romance. Fortunately, my fears could not have been further off the mark. Rather, Hart demonstrates remarkable talents as a storyteller, lyricist, and historian in this unusual and captivating mystery.
While in the bog cutting turf for fuel, farmers find the severed head of an ancient red-haired girl, perfectly preserved in the damp, dark peat. Meanwhile, Mina Osborne, wife of local gentry High Osborne, and her toddler son have been missing for over two years. Husband/father Hugh is the prime suspect, but there are neither bodies nor solid evidence to convict him. Hart moves deftly between the twin plots of solving the circumstances behind the apparent execution of the red-haired girl centuries before, and those of the disappearance and apparent murder of the Osbornes. The author does a great job of capturing the culture and landscape of rural Ireland, building credible characters in believable situations. The rainy bogs and dark, decaying manors of central Ireland lend a spooky, gothic, air to the tale, which twists to a mostly unexpected and cleverly conceived conclusion.
"Haunted Ground" is a well researched, well written, and refreshing change of pace from the more-standard mystery fare. I would suspect that fans of Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child and Dan Brown would appreciate the history and science Hart blends with her fiction. I would also recommend Martin Cruz Smith's "Rose". In summary, a very impressive debut - I'll look forward to reading more from Erin Hart.
Rating: 4
Summary: gothic ambience
Comment: A peat farmer discovers a severed head of a red-headed woman in a bog. Peat prevents decay so the head could have been from a grisly death from a time long past or it could be from a recent disappearance of a local woman.
When there is no clear-cut answer, archaeologist Cormac McGuire and pathologist Nora Gavin are called in to investigate. Local landowner, Hugh Osborne, whose wife and young son disappeared two years ago has Cormac and Nora staying with him at his manor house. Past and present intertwine as answers are sought for both the death of the redheaded woman and the disappearance of Mina Osborne.
Set in a small Irish village, the author's Irishness is evident in this richly atmospheric, slightly gothic-feeling mystery. The pacing of the novel was rather slow for the first half of the book and the ending was a little obvious, but overall the richly developed characterizations made this a book worth reading. HAUNTED GROUND was a good first effort by Erin Hart.
Rating: 5
Summary: A Captivating Read
Comment: I am a college student with ADD and, when I saw the book on the 'New Fiction' shelf in the library, I was a bit curious. Now, I am quite picky about my books and it takes something really good to pique my interest because of my short attention span. Being snowed into campus as it were, it's been a good opportunity to get in some reading and I do love a good mystery. I started reading and quickly fell into the story's pace, trying to read as much as I could in between classes. I simply devoured this book and I am quite glad to say that it's some of the best writing I've read in quite some time. Hart really paints a beautiful scene and her characters are brilliant. I'm going to keep an eye out for her work in the future.
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Title: A Place of Hiding by Elizabeth George ISBN: 0553801309 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 29 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $26.95 |
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Title: The House Sitter by Peter Lovesey ISBN: 1569473269 Publisher: Soho Press, Inc. Pub. Date: 01 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
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Title: Now May You Weep: A Novel by Deborah Crombie ISBN: 0060525231 Publisher: William Morrow Pub. Date: 07 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
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Title: O' Artful Death: A Mystery by Sarah Stewart Taylor ISBN: 0312307640 Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur Pub. Date: 06 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
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Title: Fox Evil by Minette Walters ISBN: 0399150544 Publisher: Putnam Pub Group Pub. Date: 12 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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