Customer Reviews

Haunted Ground: A Novel

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This stunning, lyrically written debut novel was nominated for the Anthony Award for Best First Novel and for the Agatha Award for Best First Mystery. The author was also the recipient of the Romantic Times Best First Mystery Award, as well as the winner of the Friends of American Writers Award. Having read and loved the book, I fully understand why the author has been so lauded, as this Minnesota native can certainly write.

When the perfectly preserved head of a beautiful woman with log red hair is unearthed in a peat bog in a rural village in County Galway in Ireland, a mystery is born, bringing together Irish archeologist Cormac Maguire and American pathologist Nora Gavin. Together they join forces to try to unearth the mystery of this grisly find. While doing so, they become enmeshed in a more contemporary mystery, that of Mina Osborne and her young son, who one day went for a walk, never to be seen again. Suspicion has rested upon Mina's husband, Hugh Osborne, a wealthy landowner, as the likely suspect in the disappearance of his wife and child. As in small villages everywhere, such suspicions are often toxic.

As both mysteries slowly unravel, the reader is drawn into this rich atmospheric tale of past and present. The village and its inhabitants come to life under the skillful pen of the author, who weaves a suspenseful and intriguing multi-layered mystery that keeps the reader riveted to the pages of this book. As the reader slowly peels back the layers, the reader is transfixed by the richness of the author's prose, the depth of its characters, and the complexity of the tale. Redolent with rich atmospheric detail of contemporary village life, the book also delves into Ireland's tumultuous history under Cromwell, providing a feast for those readers who enjoy both historical and contemporary mysteries.

This novel is a suspenseful mix of forensics, history and archaeology delightfully crafted around traditional Irish folklore.

The story is set in a tiny village in Ireland and opens when two farmers make a grisly discovery while harvesting peat. They discover the head of a young woman with long red hair perfectly preserved in the peat bog. Archaeologist Cormac Maguire and pathologist Nora Gavin are summoned."Bog bodies" are a remarkable find and time is crucial in order to preserve their original condition. Using years of experience and cutting-edge technology Cormac and Nora piece together the puzzle leading to the girl's identity and her brutal murder.

The plot interweaves with another case, two years previously, the wife and child of Hugh Osborne disappeared without a trace leaving a cloud of suspicion. Policeman Garrett Devaney suspects the head may belong to Mina Osborne and secretly reopens the case in parallel to Cormac and Nora's investigation. The combined exploration uncovers many secrets and they find themselves deeply embroiled in the developments. At this point, the writing is so descriptive and evocative I couldn't help but feel a chilling and menacing aura permeating from the story and this eerie feeling stayed with me till the end.

Haunted Ground is an engaging read with well constructed characters facing devious plot twists which kept me guessing and enthralled till the last page. A little romance was thrown in to soften things up making a delightful novel.

I was very disappointed in the flimsy mystery the characters took way too long to solve. Another reviewer called the characters cardboard...I thought of them as wooden. Dialogue that was blah and filled with cliches made yawning inevitable. I only stayed with it to the end, even though the killers identity was easy to figure, because I hoped to get my moneys worth. I didn't.

I too looked forward to reading this after seeing some good reviews. I read a lot of mysteries, if this is good writing then I don't get it. A lot of detail but cardboard characters I never felt I knew, I couldn't wait for it to end and didn't care who did it by that point. No drama, no excitement, just an excruciatingly slow read. Who cares?

In central Ireland, farmers cutting into peat bog to obtain a means of fuel make a grizzly discovery. The severed head of a woman is found. Given that it has rested in the frigid water of the bog, it is in remarkably good condition. Features could easily be recognized including the bright red hair. The question is- who is she? It is up to Irish archaeologist Cormac Maguire and American pathologist Nora Gavin to discover her identity. In the meanwhile, people wonder whether this is the remains of Mina Osborne who disappeared two years before while returning home with her son from a shopping trip. The main suspect is Mina'a husband Hugh Osborne. Policeman Garrett Devaney investigates.
HAUNTED GROUND is a literate crime novel. Ms. Hart is American, yet her writing style is purely British. The great sense of locale will immediately bring to mind the exceptional novels of Stephen Booth or Charles Todd. Her pacing is quite leisurely and the reader will find it difficult to traverse these pages rapidly. Characters are well fleshed out, however, I could not feel a connection to any of them. The writing is strong and sure, yet, when all is said and done, in spite of Ms. Hart writing a fine book, it is one I just did not enjoy reading.

I am a college student with ADD and, when I saw the book on the 'New Fiction' shelf in the library, I was a bit curious. Now, I am quite picky about my books and it takes something really good to pique my interest because of my short attention span. Being snowed into campus as it were, it's been a good opportunity to get in some reading and I do love a good mystery. I started reading and quickly fell into the story's pace, trying to read as much as I could in between classes. I simply devoured this book and I am quite glad to say that it's some of the best writing I've read in quite some time. Hart really paints a beautiful scene and her characters are brilliant. I'm going to keep an eye out for her work in the future.

It's hard to belive that this is Erin Hart's first book. The story is wonderfully woven and the writing is beautiful. I would recommend this novel to anyone and I look forward with anticipation to her next novel.

Erin Hart has launched a first rate mystery.She has crafted two tales in one and brought two mysteries to the light of day.Her knowledge of pathology and anthropology is to be applauded in her first thrilling novel.She leaves Patricia Cornwell's latest "BlowFly ", in the dust.A far superior work, that brings the old and new worlds of Ireland and it's music, singing into the reader's heart and mind.
It is hoped that she brings us again to the main character Dr. Nora Gavin, pathologist.This character is very real in her telling.
Thank you again Erin Hart for this novel, and I look forward to experiencing your master craftmenship.

Being a fan of all things Irish, I truly enjoyed this foray into the Irish countryside, with a bit of a mystery thrown in. The book was well written and captured the beauty and history of a small Irish village. I wouldn't call it a page turner, but it mixed in interesting characters with a subtle murder plot. It is a worthwhile read and I look forward to more novels from Ms. Hart.

A peat farmer discovers a severed head of a red-headed woman in a bog. Peat prevents decay so the head could have been from a grisly death from a time long past or it could be from a recent disappearance of a local woman.
When there is no clear-cut answer, archaeologist Cormac McGuire and pathologist Nora Gavin are called in to investigate. Local landowner, Hugh Osborne, whose wife and young son disappeared two years ago has Cormac and Nora staying with him at his manor house. Past and present intertwine as answers are sought for both the death of the redheaded woman and the disappearance of Mina Osborne.

Set in a small Irish village, the author's Irishness is evident in this richly atmospheric, slightly gothic-feeling mystery. The pacing of the novel was rather slow for the first half of the book and the ending was a little obvious, but overall the richly developed characterizations made this a book worth reading. HAUNTED GROUND was a good first effort by Erin Hart.