The Mysteries

Is it a detective novel? No. A thriller? No. Mystery? No. Fairytale? No. Fantasy? No. The truth is it's all of those things. Its seductive charm pulling me in, and not letting me go. Making me wonder, believe and disbelief.

It's the story of Ian Kennedy, an American working in London as a PI. His new case is about a girl gone missing 2 years ago. Why did Peri go missing? She was happy? Was it foul play? But then why did she call 6 months later? The more he investigates, the stranger it gets. And he is not new to strange. He had another case years ago that made him interested in things most people believe to be fairytales.

Scattered though out the book are small stories about people, I guess real stories? About people have gone missing. show more People taken by the Fae. Yes you so, hello, I call myself Blodeuedd online, of course I love Celtic mythology. So stories about the Tuatha de Dannan brings out my attention. Makes me wonder about every hill and what kind of fairies might be sleeping there.

But this is a mystery after all. He gets closer and closer to the answer. Will he find Peri, or can she not be found? Is she dead? Murdered long ago? I kept reading and hoping. And then the end, aww yes I want to read more of her books. She has a lovely style.

Now who to recommend it to? Honestly everyone. If you like fantasy, yes. Fairytales, yes. Mysteries and detective novels, yes. Just normal fiction, yes. So, go read it. show less

Meh. I'm usually a big fan of fae-touched fiction, but this one was a miss for me. The main character, Ian, is a wee bit self-absorbed and doesn't grasp that women don't see the world like he does. His history is reflected in his choices and, yes, the reader can feel sorry for him up to a point, but the whining got old. How quickly he developed feelings for Laura felt unrealistic. The fae sections were pretty good, but repetitious. And the ending is a cop-out.

I can't express how much fun this book was to read, and how it sucked me into its pages from the first sentence. I would definitely recommend it to either readers of fantasy or to mystery readers; for the latter, I would suggest you prepare to stray off the path a little bit and let yourself relax and have fun with the plot. I absolutely LOVED this book -- and I am a picky reader!

a very brief synopsis:
The main character of The Mysteries is Ian Kennedy, who is an investigator in London specializing in vanishings and disappearances. From the time he was small he had been interested in the topic, starting with the disappearance of his father. As the novel opens he has just found out that the authorities had found the body of the daughter show more of a client who he was hired to find. As he muses on about feeling like a failure and his worries about his bank account, he gets a visit from Laura Lensky, a woman whose daughter has also gone missing. But Laura will not tell her story until Ian agrees to meet with one Hugh Bell-Rivers, who tells him a story fresh out of Celtic mythology. Ian becomes more than a little interested and sets off in search of finding Peri.

In between the story of finding Peri Lensky, the author has interwoven flashbacks of Ian's life along with strange stories of people who have disappeared throughout history, pretty much with all the same elements in each story. This provides a way in which the reader not only gets to know Ian and what motivates him to do what he does, but it also helps to visualize what may be in Ian's head as the search continues. I thought this strategy was excellent...at first I had a little trouble getting used to it, but as time went on, I found myself looking forward to these little stories. Without giving away the show, Ian's search takes him to the moors of Scotland and a glimpse at the Otherworld, where he is convinced he will find Peri.

The book is simply wonderful, fun and incredibly interesting, taking you away from the beaten path of the PI format and literally into another world. I highly recommend it! show less

Ian finds lost people for their parents, when he can, and his latest case echos his first where finding isn't straight detection. A strange variation and fugue on Tam Lin where what's lost is not always as clear as an individual.

The book started very well. It had these asides where documented disappearances were described. I enjoyed the sections, and would google the names to find more details. The plot started off well, with cool ideas and well executed. The book didn't stay interesting though. The asides became annoying and not seemed to be based on actual events. The plot dragged in places, seemed to just be filler. I am not sure exactly what the ending was all about, and wasn't interested in thinking about it and re-reading it to try and figure it out. 240 members; 3.39 average rating; 3/17/2018

An urban fantasy along the lines of Gaiman's Neverwhere. Not quite as good as that one--for instance, the transition from skepticism to belief, which happens to several characters, isn't done believably--but good characters and a very well-elaborated central theme, good writing throughout.

I first came across this book in a publisher’s newsletter two years ago and was intrigued by the premise and so scooped up a copy of the book quickly. But as often happens with my books, it sat on the shelf awhile, until the right moment came to give it a whirl. I actually ended up reading another of the author’s books first, Silver Bough, earlier this year.

As with Silver Bough, Lisa Tuttle eases the reader into the more fantastical elements of The Mysteries slowly. She weaves Celtic myth into her tale seamlessly, creating an intriguing and eerie story. The Mysteries is a fantasy novel and a mystery all rolled into one. Bit by bit, the author brings the pieces of the puzzle together, never failing to leave the reader in wonder and show more sometimes even in awe.

The characterizations seemed somehow murky at times with even the protagonist not being quite fully fleshed out. And yet, it seemed sort of fitting given the story. The fairies and their kin always seemed to lurk just beyond the mist or in the dark, and the author, even in when writing about the “real” world, was able to capture that sort of atmosphere, as if the two were not all that different, and yet still worlds apart.

I know so little about Celtic folklore, and yet Lisa Tuttle’s novels never fail to entice me and make me wish I knew more. The Mysteries did not captivate me quite as much as Silver Bough did; however, I definitely plan to read more by this author. show less