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bjerz's review against another edition
5.0
The perfect combination of several of my loves: mysteries, archaeology and Ireland. Through in some very engaging characters and excellent writing and you get a terrific read. I highly recommend!
lisa_setepenre's review against another edition
3.0
The Book of Killowen is the fourth and most recent book in author Erin Hart's series of mysteries featuring pathologist Nora Gavin and archaeologist Cormac Maguire, who tend to find themselves entangled in modern murders as they study Ireland's ancient past. In this volume, an ninth century bog body is found in the boot of a car, atop the body of a minor TV celebrity.
I do like Hart's books a lot. I adore the mix of the past and the present and I find them very easy to read – I devoured The Book of Killowen in under 24 hours and found it hard to put down so I could get some much needed sleep.
Yes, the device that Nora and Cormac keep stumbling over bog bodies connected to a modern day murder and getting tied up in that case is a bit... predictable and growing a little stale... but Hart's books are well constructed, the mysteries engaging enough that I want to keep on reading and I probably wouldn't be so attracted to this series without the thread of the past being woven into it. That said, perhaps it is time to give Nora and Cormac a long break from the bogs.
One of the strengths of Hart's books has been the character development given to characters who aren't the leads. In [b:Haunted Ground|905451|Haunted Ground (Nora Gavin, #1)|Erin Hart|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1412217096s/905451.jpg|240718] and [b:Lake of Sorrows|702188|Lake of Sorrows (Nora Gavin, #2)|Erin Hart|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1272222593s/702188.jpg|688485], the people caught up in the current day murder, including the police detective, are well developed and given their own arcs. This was something I missed in The Book of Killowen. Stella Cusack, who is in charge of the investigation of Benedict Kavanagh's murder, is developed, but she doesn't come across as a particularly rich character – though I thought she could have been – and her arc is left teetering towards being resolved, rather than being resolved. Besides Stella, Cormac and Nora, no one else gets much development.
I did like that Hart, after introducing so many mysteries and mini-mysteries, did resolve them. I would have liked firmer confirmation on one, but all the evidence is there to let the reader come to the same conclusion.
All up, The Book of Killowen is a typically strong mystery and enjoyable book from Erin Hart, but perhaps a little weaker than her previous efforts. 3.5 stars.
I do like Hart's books a lot. I adore the mix of the past and the present and I find them very easy to read – I devoured The Book of Killowen in under 24 hours and found it hard to put down so I could get some much needed sleep.
Yes, the device that Nora and Cormac keep stumbling over bog bodies connected to a modern day murder and getting tied up in that case is a bit... predictable and growing a little stale... but Hart's books are well constructed, the mysteries engaging enough that I want to keep on reading and I probably wouldn't be so attracted to this series without the thread of the past being woven into it. That said, perhaps it is time to give Nora and Cormac a long break from the bogs.
One of the strengths of Hart's books has been the character development given to characters who aren't the leads. In [b:Haunted Ground|905451|Haunted Ground (Nora Gavin, #1)|Erin Hart|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1412217096s/905451.jpg|240718] and [b:Lake of Sorrows|702188|Lake of Sorrows (Nora Gavin, #2)|Erin Hart|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1272222593s/702188.jpg|688485], the people caught up in the current day murder, including the police detective, are well developed and given their own arcs. This was something I missed in The Book of Killowen. Stella Cusack, who is in charge of the investigation of Benedict Kavanagh's murder, is developed, but she doesn't come across as a particularly rich character – though I thought she could have been – and her arc is left teetering towards being resolved, rather than being resolved. Besides Stella, Cormac and Nora, no one else gets much development.
I did like that Hart, after introducing so many mysteries and mini-mysteries, did resolve them. I would have liked firmer confirmation on one, but all the evidence is there to let the reader come to the same conclusion.
All up, The Book of Killowen is a typically strong mystery and enjoyable book from Erin Hart, but perhaps a little weaker than her previous efforts. 3.5 stars.
kellitea_reads's review against another edition
4.0
The fourth book in the Nora Gavin series and interestingly enough, the lead is little more than a side presence in her own series. After three novels with the crux of Nora's existence being driven by the death of her sister, I was excited to see what the next installment would reveal about a woman no longer tethered by the past.
That was not this book. Instead Nora is merely a passenger in the mystery du jour. Trading family tension over a dead sister for family tension over a boyfriend's ill father, the beats and rhythms of the novel are familiar and well worn. The discovery of a bog body followed by the discovery of a modern mystery. What really impressed me was that for an author who had previously woven her stories through the tight lens of Nora and the lead investigator, The Book of Killowen veered hard in the other direction.
No less than 10 suspects, all fleshed out with mysterious pasts and possible motive. The story is split between the narration of Nora, Cormack and the DI but reveals each character and thier lies in turn. The mystery itself is satisfying and the historic context for the bog body is curiously fascinating.
If you're here for the next phase of Gavin's life I suspect you'll be disappointed, but if you want a mysterious body from a bog and a good who done it, this more than fits the bill.
That was not this book. Instead Nora is merely a passenger in the mystery du jour. Trading family tension over a dead sister for family tension over a boyfriend's ill father, the beats and rhythms of the novel are familiar and well worn. The discovery of a bog body followed by the discovery of a modern mystery. What really impressed me was that for an author who had previously woven her stories through the tight lens of Nora and the lead investigator, The Book of Killowen veered hard in the other direction.
No less than 10 suspects, all fleshed out with mysterious pasts and possible motive. The story is split between the narration of Nora, Cormack and the DI but reveals each character and thier lies in turn. The mystery itself is satisfying and the historic context for the bog body is curiously fascinating.
If you're here for the next phase of Gavin's life I suspect you'll be disappointed, but if you want a mysterious body from a bog and a good who done it, this more than fits the bill.
andizor's review
4.0
When a body is found in a car boot in a bog, Cormac Maguire and Nora Gavin are called down to the scene to investigate. Maguire is an archaeologist, and Gavin a forensic pathologist. Maguire's expertise is needed because the body is from the ninth-century, preternaturally preserved in the bog. Unfortunately, underneath the bog man is another body, this one much more recent.
I really enjoyed this - a cross between the historical fiction of Susanna Kearsley and the contemporary mysteries of Tana French. The story took some twists that I didn't anticipate (and some I had a bit of a hard time believing - e.g. the ring ). I did like the sense of place here. I had a good feel for Killowen, but not as much its inhabitants. I think Hart did a good job setting up each character with motives and as a suspect, but I think that she could've spent more time developing characters a bit more. That being said, I'll happily pick up the other three in the series.
I really enjoyed this - a cross between the historical fiction of Susanna Kearsley and the contemporary mysteries of Tana French. The story took some twists that I didn't anticipate (
cspiwak's review
3.0
Enjoyed the book for the details it provided about illuminated manuscripts. The number of different crimes & solutions it offered seemed a bit staggering-but the characters were likable enoough and it's a brisk read.
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