 |
 |
Sign in/joinLanguage: English [ others ]
Over forty million books on members' bookshelves.
|
Loading... Haunted Ground: A Novelby Erin Hart
LibraryThing recommendationsMember recommendationsLoading...
won't like
will probably not like
will probably like
will like
will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. Skillfully textured with lush Irish landscape, folklore, and music, this well-executed first novel weaves together Ireland's turbulent past and its rapidly emerging technological present in a wonderfully entertaining plot; it also introduces a pair of appealing amateur sleuths. Highly recommended for both fiction and mystery readers. LJ bookfinder | Jun 15, 2009 |   http://leperdbunny.livejournal.com/28... Title: Haunted Ground Author: Erin Hart Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction # of pages: 326 Start date: 5/10 End date: 5/12 Borrowed/bought: borrowed from the library My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best]: A Description of the book: At the start of this Irish mystery, archaeologist Cormac Maguire and anthropologist Nora Gavin go to investigate the discovery of a red haired woman "cailin rua" who was been preserved in the bog. With the help of the investigator Garrett Devaney they set off to discover the whereabouts of the Osborne Wife, Mina. There are many turns, and we are left to wonder who and why? Review: Wow, there was a lot going on in this book. At page 200, I began to wonder if the author would rap up everything in time, as the book only goes at 300+ pages. But, in the end, she did an awesome job! I loved the mystery, and forensic anthropology aspect of this story as well as the beautiful cultural references to Ireland and Gaelic language. I would love to read more books with this kind of theme to it, as the has certainly piqued my interest! I'm also quite impressed with the historical fiction aspect of it, and there's of course, a nice twist at the end! I would have liked to see the author resolve Nora's issues with her sister's killer. Maybe Hart will explore it in the next book? (  )leperdbunny | Jun 12, 2009 | Eh. "Haunted Ground" was okay. I very much enjoyed the two mysteries that were the focal points of the novel: an ancient beheading and a more recent missing-persons case. The timing was a little off, with all the solutions coming at once, wham bam, but the puzzles were interesting enough that I didn't notice that while I was reading; I just wanted to find out what happened. My main dissatisfaction with the novel was that the romantic bits seemed awkward and pasted on. There ...more Eh. "Haunted Ground" was okay. I very much enjoyed the two mysteries that were the focal points of the novel: an ancient beheading and a more recent missing-persons case. The timing was a little off, with all the solutions coming at once, wham bam, but the puzzles were interesting enough that I didn't notice that while I was reading; I just wanted to find out what happened. My main dissatisfaction with the novel was that the romantic bits seemed awkward and pasted on. There were some explorations of a few characters' family lives, and those were okay, but... you know how "Law & Order" will sometimes try to shoehorn in the personal stuff, and it seems forced? It was like that. I would have preferred this book without the romance. There were also details in there (along the lines of "she held the carton up to her nose to see if the milk had turned") that I guess were supposed to help set the scene, but felt awkward. On the plus side, Erin Hart has a knack for atmosphere. I don't know much about Ireland, so I can't say how authentic the setting was, but I enjoyed the place descriptions and use of local language. (  )karinnekarinne | May 19, 2009 | It all begins when the head of a beautiful red-haired girl is found in a bog in western Ireland. Archaeologist Cormac Maguire and anthropologist Nora Gavin arrive at the scene to inspect the remains, trying to learn all they can about when and how she died, as well as the historical period she came from. This mystery of the past soon becomes linked to contemporary affairs: a local woman and her child disappeared two years ago, and her husband, Hugh Osborne, is the number-one suspect in their possible murder. Policeman Garret Devaney, who was taken off the Osborne case, nevertheless can’t get it out of his mind, and he teams up with Maguire and Gavin to solve this mystery as well. As the three investigators are drawn deeper and deeper into the case, they must come to terms with their own past secrets…but their own lives might also be in danger. This book was actually about eight mysteries for the price of one. Who is the red-haired girl, and what happened to her? Where are Hugh Osborne’s wife and son? What happened to Nora’s own sister? Why does Irish farmer Brendan McGann hate Osborne so much? Who is the father of Una McGann’s child? As you can see, there are a lot of plot threads going on, and a lot of characters to keep straight. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this book. There were a few flaws in the characterization, and sometimes I did feel like there was a little too much going on. But Hart created an absorbing world, and that’s what kept me reading – she depicted modern Ireland with such beautiful descriptions that I felt like I was there. I also really liked the way she wove history and culture into the story: the mystery of the red-haired girl turned out to be one of my favorite plot lines, and there are several wonderful scenes in which the characters play traditional Irish music. This was a very satisfying read, and it’s definitely something I plan on buying! Can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel, Lake of Sorrows. ladyc72385 | Apr 13, 2009 | "Haunted Ground" is a rare find, an amazing book. It is not too often one finds a book that speaks to them. Hart's book does exactly that. I was hooked from the very first and savoured every page. The location is a wonderfully haunting part of Ireland, with its bogs that can preserve history as fresh as yesterday. The use of song to vocalize and hand down history adds a traditional aura. Perhaps it was best said in the review by The New York Times: "Hart writes with a lovely eloquence about how character is shaped by the music, the architecture, and the history of this harsh and beautiful land." I was so enveloped by the story that I could hear the voices as I read, feel the emotions and see the locale and happenings as though I were witness. The mystery remained true to itself throughout the book, with a separate underlying mystery from 400 years earlier. The characters are honestly depicted, growing throughout the book and arriving full-fledged by the end. I've read several exceptionally good books recently but I was invested in this one. Hart’s fluid writing is reminiscent of that of Sharyn McCrumb’s Appalachia series. My only regret is that it sat on my bookshelf so long before I was able to get to it. I wholeheartedly recommend "Haunted Ground" and will be on the lookout for more of Erin Hart's books. ( )readerbynight | Jan 30, 2009 | 0.206 seconds to build listing  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Book Description (ISBN 0743235053, Hardcover)A dazzling debut -- already an international publishing sensation -- combining forensics, history, archaeology, and suspense.
When farmers cutting turf in a peat bog make a grisly discovery -- the perfectly preserved severed head of a young woman with long red hair -- Irish archaeologist Cormac Maguire and American pathologist Nora Gavin team up in a case that will open old wounds. Peat bogs prevent decay, so the decapitated young woman could have been buried for two decades, two centuries, or even much longer. Who is she? When was she killed? The extraordinary find leads to even more disturbing puzzles. The red-haired girl is clearly a case for the archaeologists, not the police. Still, her tale may have shocking ties to the present, and Cormac and Nora must use cutting-edge techniques to preserve ancient evidence. And the red-haired girl is not the only enigma in this remote corner of Galway. Two years earlier, Mina Osborne, the local landowner's Indian-born wife, went for a walk with her young son and never returned. Did Mina simply decide to disappear, or did mother and child become lost in the treacherous bog? Could they, too, be hidden in its depths, only to be discovered centuries from now? Or did the landowner, Hugh Osborne, murder his family, as some villagers suspect? Bracklyn House, Osborne's stately home, holds many secrets for Nora and Cormac and policeman Garrett Devaney. But time is running out. Devaney's superiors want him off the Osborne case. Now. He wants to stay and find a killer. Meticulously crafted and resonating with traditional music and folklore, Haunted Ground celebrates Ireland's turbulent history, revealing the eternal, subliminal connections between past and present in a riveting novel that heralds the arrival of a bright new crime-writing star. (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:57:56 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
LibraryThing AuthorErin Hart is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing.
Abebooks |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
