It's All About the Book

Reading an ARC is always a crapshoot. The reader has to be flexible and overlook things like excessive description, disjointed story arcs & grammatical errors and concentrate on the story. In Sharyn McCrumb’s The Unquiet Grave, scheduled for publication in June 2017, there’s none of the negative and ALL of the story.

I’ve read McCrumb’s work for years and remain a true fan of her Ballad novels featuring Nora Bonesteel, but also admire her ability to weave folklore and history into compelling stories. In Unquiet Grave, McCrumb tells the story of the “Greenbrier Ghost,” where we meet Zona Heaster Shue, murdered by her no-account husband “Trout” Shue, whose dirty deed is uncovered only after Zona’s mama Mary Jane Heaster claims to be visited by Zona’s ghost, who tells her what happened on the day she died.

McCrumb has taken an old story from the hills of West Virginia and put flesh on its bones through meticulous genealogical and history research. That approach to storytelling can sometimes fall flat if the author is not skilled at character development. There are no worries about that here, though, as McCrumb creates characters that pop off the page. We have Zona Heaster Shue, the beautiful “Greenbrier Ghost,” her swine of a husband, Erasmus “Trout” Shue, and Zona’s Mama, Mary Jane Heaster, who form the triangle that results in Trout Shue’s trial. Truth be told, I didn’t much like Zona or Trout, but Mary Jane? Oh my! Her dislike of Trout Shue leapt off the page, and I *felt* her cold rage when she was given the news of Zona’s death. McCrumb skillfully conveys Mary Jane’s helplessness, rage, and grief as she copes with the loss of the only beautiful thing in her life.

The companion story to the Heaster-Shue murder introduces attorney James P.D. Gardner and Dr. James Boozer. Gardner served as Second Chair in the Greenbrier Ghost trial, and lived a seemingly fulfilling and successful life and career. We find him at a crossroads, having lost his second wife and not seeing any point in continuing to live. After a suicide attempt, Gardner is committed to an asylum, where he meets Dr. Boozer, who attempts to understand Gardner and get him well through conversation. Gardner tells the story of the legal side of the Greenbrier Ghost, lending insight into 19th century law and the concept of “justice” in a small, mountain community.

By juxtaposing the two stories, McCrumb communicates the emotion of the situation through Zona, Trout, and especially Mary Jane. Gardner’s story provides the factual side of things, with the lead lawyer Mr. Rucker grasping at every straw possible to save his client. We get some insight to the tactics used by lawyers to get their clients off, as well as a quick peek at “mountain justice.”

There are one or two places throughout the story that could use some editing for length, such as the pages devoted to describing Rucker’s exploits in the Civil War, but on the whole, The Unquiet Grave is remarkable. I will be buying this in hardcover when it comes out in June. Recommended.

The Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James detective series by Deborah Crombie became a go-to for me when my favorite British detective series, Martha Grimes’ Richard Jury, petered out. I found Crombie’s writing similar to Grimes, but with a fresher, modern style. Crombie’s development of the Kincaid and James characters has always been nicely handled, with just the right amount of mystery, suspense, and spice, and the crime stories have been clever and well-plotted. So, you may presume that I have looked forward to the release of Garden of Lamentations for awhile.

Unfortunately, my expectations seem to have been misplaced. While the story ties up loose ends from previous books, I was surprised and disappointed to find Kincaid and James some how less. Less in tune with each other, less trusting, less smart. I spent a good deal of time shaking my head at some of Kincaid’s actions. I was especially frustrated with how he seemed to forget that James is his partner in every sense of the word. Sure, he thought he was protecting her, but come on, she’s totally kick ass! She doesn’t need protecting. You’re supposed to be partners, man!

I will say that the back story to the Angus Craig/Ryan Marsh arc from the previous book was tied up nicely, and the parallel story of Reagan Keating was clever…exactly what I’ve come to expect from Crombie. It really was the sudden-stone-in-road with Kincaid and James that made me like this book less than others in the series. Kincaid’s behavior just did not make sense.

This is one I may have to go back and read again later, just to see if my first reaction was really to the story, or my state of mind when reading it. Sometimes, it’s not good to anticipate too much. If you’re a Crombie fan, definitely read this and tell me what you think. Am I off?

The Haunting of Maddy Clare is a compelling blend of ghost story, romance, history, and psychology, which could have made it a jumbled mess but which works very, very well.

We first meet ordinary Sarah Piper living her dreary London life as a temporary girl, on her way to meet a new employer. Alastair Gellis, author and ghost hunter, hires Sarah as his assistant and proceeds to turn her world inside out. He needs her, you see, to engage a ghost who hates men. Gellis and his male assistant and fellow WWI soldier, Matthew Ryder, are determined to publish evidence of a ghost no one has ever recorded. However, when they send Sarah into the barn where the ghost lives, they trigger the final chapter in a sordid, painful story involving a young girl, Maddy Clare, made mute by a horrifying experience at age 12 who ends her life at age 19. When Maddy’s ghost is released from the barn, no one is safe, including Sarah, Alistair, and Matthew.

Simone St. James has produced a suspenseful ghost story full of creepy, frightening imagery. Maddy is a vengeful ghost, for sure, and St. James writes her part with just the right amount of description to make you shiver and look over your shoulder. St. James also has produced a decent romance between Sarah and Matthew, into which bleeds the psychological effects of war. Alastair and Matthew both fought in WWI and each experienced different levels of horror, both physical and psychological. The whole reason behind their ghost hunting is intriguing. At one point, Matthew talks about how Alistair had always been interested in ghosts, but that he, Matthew, wondered what happened to the ghosts of all the men he watched die in the Somme and at Ypres. Matthew says “I think the war annihilates ghosts. If we have mechanized death — and we have; I’ve seen it — then where do the ghosts go? I find that most frightening of all. That the ghosts disappear with our humanity.”

There is especially good character development here for Matthew and Sarah. We see Sarah transform from a timid girl with a “soft shell” to a confident, assertive woman ready to finally live her life. Matthew, it seems, begins to come to terms with the physical scars left on his body from the war, but is only slowly beginning to unfold emotionally. I hope St. James writes another book with all these characters because I’d really like to see how they develop.

Readers who like a little romance with their scary stories will find this book very enjoyable. Recommended.

First in the Oxford Medieval Mysteries series, The Bookseller’s Tale follows the adventures of Nicholas Elyot, the titular Bookseller, as he investigates a mysterious death in Oxford, 1353. Elyot discovers a young university man dead in the River Cherwell, and quickly comes to understand the young man did not die a natural death. As Nicholas and friend Jordain look into the death, they discover a plot involving a priceless Irish psalter, blackmail, an artistic nun, and greedy aristocrats.

Swinfen includes A LOT of geographical description here, which I found off-putting. I read the e-book version, so am wondering if a map of old Oxford is included in the print edition, which would make the description less tedious and confusing. Beyond that minor annoyance, I found an entertaining story full of colorful, well-drawn characters. Nicholas Elyot and his household – sister Margaret, children Alysoun and Rafe, and puppy Rowan – are nicely detailed and their backstory told succinctly and with sensitivity. (Nicholas and the rest of Oxford are recovering from the plague years where so many died, including Nicholas’ wife and Margaret’s family.) Nicholas’ bookshop provides a wonderful backdrop to the story, and Swinfen is not stingy in including fascinating tidbits of information about the early (pre-printing press) days of book-making. I especially liked the scene with the parchment maker.

The plot itself meanders a bit, but is eventually all tied up nicely. I finished the book wanting more, and will definitely move on to The Novice’s Tale, where the enigmatic Sr. Benedicta plays a larger role.

Recommended for fans of historical mysteries, especially those by Ellis Peters.