deepfriedfairy's reviews
757 reviews

This book was really long and left me feeling cheated. It is difficult to explain why without spoilers and I don´t want to do that. I was really drawn in by the initial story about the three kids that went into the woods and only one was ever found. I was intrigued by the potential for the new case to be related to the old one. I found myself wondering how anyone, especially murder detective, could be so dumb, moody, and odd. I stayed up all night to finish the book only to be annoyed with the ending.

This was such a sad, sad story. I cannot imagine going though those things and well, wanting to get through it. Alan had a beautiful wife, his own ad company, a nice home and suddenly it was all gone. He decided to go on a walk, a long walk, across the whole continent. He set his sites to a place over 3,000 miles away. As he walked he did a lot of thinking and met some people who gave him more to think about. He doesn't finish his walk by the end of the book because something happened that required him to take a break. The book seems to end abruptly but it is the first in a series. It definitely gives a person plenty flood for thought. I'm glad I finally read it.

This book was especially interesting to me because it is about people from the Scottish Highlands and I am part Scottish. The people had come to America to settle near a mountain. One of the customs they brought with them was the use of a Sin-eater. The person was chosen by lot to take on the sins of the others after they died so they could go before God free of sin. The dead was laid out at the cemetery with a try carrying wine and bread. They believed the sin of the dead was absorbed into the food. At the end of the ceremony the people all turned their backs to the grave and the Sin-eater would come and eat the bread and drink the wine and then say a quick statement absolving them of their sin. The children were all warned not to look at the man or some of the sin in him might come upon them. The people all shunned the man and he had to live in the mountain all alone, alienated from his family and friends. When Cadi's grandmother died and she was at her funeral, Cadi heard sadness in the man's voice and couldn't resist looking. He looked like a normal man. She had a terrible guilt on her conscious since the death of her younger sister and decided she needed to find the Sin-eater and ask him to eat her sins now, before she died, to ease the burden of her soul. Her mother was only cold to her and she knew it was because she blamed Cadi for the lost of her favored child. At the same time a preacher of God came to the area and she heard him talking by the river. Cadi and an older boy went to see what he had to say even though they were told to stay away by the clan leader. 

This story was interesting but I have a hard time believing the girl (Cadi) was only 10 years old. I think of kids of that age and this girl seemed so much older. Also, the things the preacher was saying was so scattered and it was all difficult language from the bible. I had a hard time following it but this 10 year old was able to understand and repeat it to others so that they understood as well. It really sounded like he was a crazy old man spouting nonsense but these two kids took it as gold and never questioned anything he said. That was difficult to believe but I did like the story anyway. I enjoyed the story about the cave and what they found there and how that story unfolded.

In this story Lt. Lindsay Boxer is out jogging with her dog when a nearby house suddenly explodes. After calling for help she goes into the burning building to see if there are any survivors. She finds a young boy and is able to get him out. She later finds out that the family was targeted because of the husband's business dealings. The group responsible left a note and it is clear that they plan to continue the killing. As Lindsay works to find the killer her friend Jill is having marital problems and the other friends try to help. When Jill doesn't show up to work one day with no explanation Her friends think maybe she decided to take off on a trip without telling anyone like she has done before OR maybe her husband did something to her. They are wrong though which Lindsay soon finds out.

This was very short but I enjoyed it. I always enjoy the stories with Charlie the most.