Lake of Sorrows

In this sequel to Haunted Ground, anthropologist Nora Gavin and archaeologist Cormac Maguire team up once again to solve the mystery of a pair of bodies found in an Irish bog. One man is from the Iron Age, and the other is from the twentieth century, but they have something in common: both men were killed in the ritualistic style of the “triple death.” As Nora and Cormac search for the identity of the modern corpse, they begin to uncover the secrets of the local villagers and the workers at the archaeological dig. Then more bodies begin to appear...and Cormac himself is one of the police’s main suspects. Will Nora be able to uncover the truth, clear Cormac’s name, and avoid getting killed herself?

By and large, I think Erin Hart show more is a very good writer. Lake of Sorrows is very atmospheric; as with Haunted Ground, I loved the evocative details of Ireland that she portrays. She also draws complex, well-rounded characters, which is unquestionably an attribute in a writer. However, in Hart’s case, I almost felt like she spent too much time on the various characters. There were so many of them, each with his or her own complete history and story line. I think the book would have benefited if she had cut a few of the characters and focused more narrowly on the central ones. The overall tone also felt a little dreary and depressing to me (although I guess I should have expected that, given the title!)…but maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood to read it. I do plan to continue with the Nora/Cormac books, as I believe there is at least one more coming out. show less

Sequel to Haunted Ground, though I suppose it can stand alone. Helps to have read the first to get the interplay between characters though. Anyway, Dr. Nora Devlin is back. She hasn't left Ireland for home yet, and her sister's killer is about to marry someone new. But more urgent is the discover of a bog body (YES, BOG BODY!!!!) near Loughnabrone (the Lake of Sorrows of the title) by some peat cutters. Nora and some colleagues from the National Museum arrive to take charge of the excavation. There's another excavation on site, a group of college students working on bog roads. One of the students comes across another bog body (!) that also seemed to die the triple death. Except this guy is wearing a wristwatch. So, one ancient murder, show more one new. Really good red herrings. I figured out some bits and pieces, but not others. As with her first book, Hart is great at evoking place and character. And well, bog bodies! I mean, two books and two ancient bog bodies--how cool is that? And she just does it so well. show less

Dr Nora Gavin heads to the midlands west of Dublin to oversee the evacuation of another body discovered in a peat bog.

The setting is fascinating and I like the atmosphere -- this has a strong sense of both place and mystery. However the multiple murders meant there’s more unpleasantness than I’d prefer. But it’s probably not enough to deter me from reading the next book.

The bogs of the Irish midlands reveal their secrets in all due time, more often now that the landscape is being increasingly carved up by the local farmers. As the turf is cut and dried to be burnt as a fuel, there is occasionally a find that excites archaeologists and the scandal lovers alike. When two bodies turn up in the peat bogs in as many days, both showing signs that they were victims of ritualized killings, the community is given something delicious to talk about.

Visiting American pathologist Nora Gavin is called in because of her past experience. The opportunity to examine hands on another peat bog body is an opportunity not to be missed in the name of research. The second recent find is not however that ancient and is quickly show more identified as belonging to a family that still live and work in the area.

Readers that like books with archaeology settings will love these books. They take place in Ireland and feature the same main character. This book provides a very enjoyable read, not compelling or tense and not too much distracting detail. It is what I consider lighter type mystery. show less

This was a good mystery. Great setting, and a story that didn’t give away too much of the ‘who dunnit’ end. Hart seems to want you to think one person is the culprit, and then springs someone else on you out of the blue. Kinda makes it hard to guess who was the murderer, but that is also part of the fun of a mystery novel.

I really enjoyed this book. I like to read about Ireland, since I am of Irish roots. Learning something about the bogs is very interesting as I knew nothing about them.
I have read books with great characters, and though some of characters here are not super in depth I still found myself having feelings toward them. I like Nora, tho she can be frustrating. I guess I like Cormac, he might need a little more depth. I did not like Ursula or Rachel but I found myself concerned for Charlie. So, I think if one has some feeling towards the characters then they are written fairly well.

While in Ireland to examine a hundreds-year-old body found in a bog, forensic pathologist Nora Gavin gets involved in investigating two other seemingly related murders and helping to prove her boyfriend’s innocence. This is a well-written, solid story with numerous suspicious characters to keep it interesting and a bit of darkness to keep it a little edgy.