One of the most rewarding experiences for a writer is to feel as if all the difficult things you've struggled so hard to describe are being taken in and understood by readers. So it's doubly rewarding when one of your readers also communicates that understanding to the wider world. That's why I'm crazy about Booklist's Bill Ott. He gets what I'm trying to do. As in:
"the culture of traditional Irish music is integral to her stories, not merely as set decoration but as a key, plot-driving mechanism. Similarly, the folklore and mythology of Ireland give the novels a thematic depth and metaphorical richness that sustain the reader far beyond questions of whodunit."
When I first conceived of an archaeological crime novel set in Ireland (way back in the mid-Eighties), I couldn't really find anything that fit the ideas tumbling around in my head. You'd imagine, wouldn't you -- and I certainly did -- that the very act of unearthing of human remains was a situation ripe for mayhem and skulduggery.
Imagine my delight, then, in the recent discovery of a new series of archaeological crime novels by Elly Griffiths, set in the English coastal marshlands, full of Iron Age artifacts and holy places... Here's a short review!
THE CROSSING PLACES by Elly Griffiths Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ISBN 978-0-5472-2989-8
Against the eerie backdrop of the Saltmarsh—a dangerous, desolate stretch of coastline that’s not quite earth, not quite sea—forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway stirs up fears and passions among the living even as she unearths Iron Age remains. Although she’ll admit to being a walking cliché—she’s an overweight, unmarried, cat-loving academic—Ruth Galloway actually defies such slender classification. She’s an uncommon, down-to-earth heroine whose acute insight, wry humor, and depth of feeling make her a thoroughly engaging companion on this spooky, sometimes harrowing ride. Early on, Ruth is called to a site where the body of a young girl has turned up on the Saltmarsh; the police fear it might be a child who went missing ten years previously. That’s where ancient history begins to cross paths with a not-so-distant past, and Ruth must tread carefully on the shifting quicksand of the Saltmarsh, and fathom the depths of her own history to determine whom to trust—even among her closest circle of old friends. Like her protagonist, author Elly Griffiths has a strong affinity for ‘the crossing places,’ the borderlands between realms, those liminal places in the human psyche that link past and present.
And the good news is that there are three more books in the series!
Okay, modesty really should forbid, but what the heck... I'm verklempt!
"Rich in human drama, complex relationships, and vivid local color. Few writers combine as seamlessly as Hart does the subtlety, lyrical language, and melancholy of literary fiction with the pulse-pounding suspense of the best thrillers." —Booklist (starred review)
"Readers will find this passionate, complex novel almost impossible to put down." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Pinpoint plotting and sure sense of place make this tale a winner." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A haunting, eerie page-turner..." —Irish America Magazine
"Rich with atmosphere and Irish legend, this exceptionally crafted story of murder, family secrets, and redemption is a welcome addition to Hart's suspenseful series. Nora Gavin is an intelligent and engaging protagonist who leaves the reader anxious for her next adventure." —Library Journal
"Wherever she goes, Nora Gavin is haunted by the unsolved murder of her sister. Now she is ready to make a final assault on the man she believes to be guilty. Her efforts will unearth dark secrets, and bring closure to old wounds. There is a subtle, lyrical quality to Hart's writing, coupled with an emotional insight into even the most peripheral characters. Immensely enjoyable, especially for fans of her earlier work." —Jennie Turner-Collins, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Cincinnati
Hardcover copies of FALSE MERMAID are supposed to be arriving next week, and the giddiness is setting in. I'm trying to revisit all the images that helped shape the story, to begin putting together the multimedia presentation that will resemble the slide show that plays in my head: a leaf-littered riverbank, scullers on still water, the polychromed ceiling of a library reading room, an abandoned village, craggy cliffs and seabirds and curious seals. These are all the pictures in my head as I think about FALSE MERMAID, and that I hope to conjure in the reader's imagination. I'll start posting some pictures here to give you an idea...
Am in the midst of watching a great archaeology program about Ireland's megalithic and other ancient stone monuments! Excellent visuals of carvings, plus the most spectacular aerial shots of earthworks at Carrowmore, Tara, Newgrange, and Knowth. I wish they'd spent a little more time explaining the science of geophysics, but maybe that's just me!
Hope you'll grab a trowel to pitch in and have fun exploring and excavating this site. I'm hoping we can use this space to start conversations about a host of different topics:
news of archaeological discoveries made in Irish bogs and elsewhere
the latest cutting-edge ideas in forensic science
other fascinating information we happen to stumble across during the course of doing research
musings on the creative process and/or the world of publishing
new book reviews and interviews people might enjoy reading
what we're currently reading/viewing -- books, magazine articles, television, movies
pictures of the people and the places that inspire our stories
announcements of upcoming book signings and other events of interest
I'm hoping that visitors will feel free to post their own interesting discoveries and observations.
FALSE MERMAID, the third novel in the Nora Gavin/Cormac Maguire series, will be on bookstore shelves in March 2010. Meanwhile, I'm already hard at work on Book #4, and will keep everyone updated here.
