Haunted Ground

Corpses missing body parts, two mysteries centuries apart, music, romance and a genealogy that ties everything together are found in Erin Hart's first novel Haunted Ground. Set in Ireland and highlighting the mystery inherent in all history, Haunted Ground has all the elements of a great history mystery. Nora Gavin an American pathologist and Irish archeologist Cormac Maquire become involved in trying to determine the identity of a red-haired woman while at the same time trying to find the whereabouts of a local Irish woman and her child missing for nearly two years. Irelands bogs, traditional music and tumultuous history play an interregnal part in the entire story. As the story progresses Nora and Cormac's attraction to one another intensifies. Hart writes two wonderful mysteries that have separate story lines and intersect in peoples lives, time and place. The red-haired woman's head has been severed and dumped in to a centuries preserving bog, but the woman's body is nowhere to be found. Good pathology, historical research, and a bit of luck begin to piece together a possible identity for the body-less woman. While searching for clues to the red-haird woman Gavin and Maquire search for and stumble on to clues to what happened to the missing woman and her child. Hart has a way of allowing Gavin and Maquire to be central to the story, while exploring the thoughts and feelings of the supporting characters as well. The story lines of these characters are as enjoyable as the relationships between the main characters and the two mysteries. Hart also has a wonderful feel for history and the pains-taking effort involved in historical research. Her characters have a feel for the pleasure a researcher gets from sifting through the everyday of history to find little details that sketch out a person or an event. If you love the mystery of the past and digging through the ordinary to find answers, Haunted Ground is a great read.

The richly textured voice of John Keating embodies the sights and sounds of Ireland old and new in this engrossing debut thriller. Unusual items are often found by farmers cutting turf in peat bogs - perhaps an ancient cooking utensil or a shard of pottery. Nothing has ever turned up in this remote Galway spot that rivals the shocking discovery Brendan McGann made one serene spring morning: the head of a young woman with long red hair. Irish archaeologist Cormac Maguire and an American paleontologist, Nora Gavin, take on the daunting task of solving what appears to be a heinous crime. Compounding matters is the fact that peat bogs act as a preservative, hence the head could have been hidden there for two hundred or two years. More mystery clouds the issue: Mina Osborne and her young son went for a stroll two years ago and never returned. Wed to local landowner, Hugh Osborne, she was Indian born. Did she want to disappear with her child or did the landowner kill them as is whispered by some in the village? Shrouded in folkloric fancy and polished with Irish charm "Haunted Ground" is a noteworthy first novel. Curl up with a pint of ale, and listen to this one! - Gail Cooke

I came upon this book in a bookstore recently, and, because this is Ms. Hart's debut novel, I thought I would like to read it. I won't tell you the plot, however, I will say that I could not put this book down. Ms. Hart develops her characters very well and puts enough twists and turns in the plot to keep the reader wondering. I hope this will be the first of many books from Erin Hart.

I have never written a review before. However, I hope this book will receive more attention from the publisher, reviewers and bookstores, who tend to promote books by their publicity, marketing and displays. I just happened upon this book at Books a Million. For some reason, this particular store, but not others, had the book on display, which grabbed my attention. I bought it and was thrilled to read it. The other reviews tell the potential reader about the plot. I just want to reiterate how well this book is written. I would much rather see this book on the bestseller lists, than John Grisham. I mean no disrespect to Grisham. But, Erin Hart has written a superb mystery with an emphasis on science. The book is well researched and well done from beginning to end. I hope more people will read it and enjoy the suspense and human interactions of the book!

Ms. Hart sheds a bit of light on the folk legend of the red haired girl in the bog. Throw in a bit of traditional Irish music, add a dash of history, spice it up with a bit of romance, and mix with complex characters and mysterious events and you have a first rate novel.