Erin Hart is a theater critic and former administrator at the Minnesota State Arts Board. A lifelong interest in Irish traditional music led her to cofound Minnesota's Irish Music and Dance Association. She and her husband, musician Paddy O'Brien, live in St. Paul, Minnesota, and frequently visit Ireland. Erin Hart was nominated for the Agatha and Anthony Awards for her debut novel, Haunted Ground, and won the Friends of American Writers Award in 2004. Visit her website at ErinHart.com.
"A textured, multifaceted plot that holds the reader from beginning
to end. And a high energy, exciting finale [that] only adds to the
pleasure. Another strong entry in an outstanding
series."--Booklist
Hart combines powerful insights into human nature andpristine prose
with history and archeology in her stellar fourth crime novel...
[TheBook of Killowen] offers food for thought that persists beyond
theimmediate thrill of a well-told tale."--Publishers Weekly
Can the arcane science and lore of the Irish "bog people," who
often died alone and in agony, be fuel for a mystery that actually
does what The Da Vinci Code tried to do? A thousand times yes, if
Erin Hart's storytelling witchery is at work. Intelligent, eerie,
utterly compelling.--Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of
the Ocean and What We Saw At Night
Pathologist Nora Gavin and archeologist Cormac Maguire are called to the bogs of Killowen to investigate the remains of a ninth-century man found in the trunk of a car along with the body of a controversial medievalist and television talk show host. Mixing work with pleasure, they choose to stay at the spa-lodge of Killowen, once a monastic settlement. Its permanent residents are an eclectic mix of artists and organic farmers who are not entirely appreciated by the locals. Nora and Cormac quickly learn that murder is not uncommon in this remote corner of Ireland and that the residents of the lodge, particularly the estranged wife of the dead TV host and her lover/assistant, all have secrets to hide. Working alongside a prickly group of local Gardai (police officers) and representatives of the National Museum, Nora and Cormac unravel a fascinating tale of ancient scribes, illuminated manuscripts, obsessive treasure hunters, and death. -VERDICT This welcome fourth addition (after False Mermaid) to Hart's Irish archaeological series offers a richly atmospheric read full of medieval Irish lore and a provocative contemporary mystery. Sure to be a huge hit with readers of Aaron Elkins, Elly Griffiths, and Erin Hart's earlier Gavin/Maguire stories. [See Prepub Alert, 10/8/12.]-Susan Clifford Braun, Bainbridge Island, WA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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