The Mountains Wild Review

Author: Sarah Stewart Taylor
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Release Date: June 23, 2020
Purchase Link: Amazon

My Rating:  4 Missing Hearts

*A special thank you to Minotaur Books for an arc of the book via Netgalley. #MinotaurInfluencers

Book Synopsis & Author Bio following review.

Review:

Twenty-three years after her cousin's disappearance during a visit to Ireland, now Detective Marcy D'arcy is called back to the scene by a message from the Gardaí that new evidence has surfaced.  A bloody scarf belonging to Erin has been found, and another young woman is missing.  Marcy's frustration and anguish over her cousin's vanishing without a trace is evident as she is drawn back into the past looking for answers.  What clues are they missing?  Did her sister fall victim to a serial killer - one who's preying on young women again?  Can authorities get to the truth before anyone else dies?  Not without Det. D'arcy's help.  And she'll give it to them with or without their permission.

The Mountains Wild is a highly atmospheric, twisted read with a killer setting in the mountains of Ireland.  The author's descriptive prose denotes a scene of beauty with hints of malice, propelling a steady suspenseful pace.  Revealed through Maggie's point of view, we are privy to her thoughts both as a smart detective and profiler and as a woman recalling her youth and days gone by with her strange cousin.  Through chapters of past and present, readers become part of the original unsuccessful search in 1993 as well as the present one in 2016.  Taylor's execution of the intense plot is excellent as are the police procedural elements.  The story is riveting and best read with as few breaks as possible to maintain the flow and allow readers to follow the chain of evidence and introduction of various characters.  While I wasn't totally shocked at the big reveal in the end, the groundwork was laid and it was expertly executed.  The Mountains Wild is the study of a complex woman who must deal with the past in order to move into the future.  It's also a study of a land, its history, and people. Fans of mystery, suspense, thrillers, and police procedurals will love this beautifully written book.  Highly Recommended.

My Rating:  4 Missing Hearts

Cross My Heart . . . xxx

♥Sandra♥

Synopsis: 

Twenty-three years ago, Maggie D'arcy's family received a call from the Dublin police. Her cousin Erin has been missing for several days. Maggie herself spent weeks in Ireland, trying to track Erin's movements, working beside the police. But it was to no avail: no trace of her was ever found.

The experience inspired Maggie to become a cop. Now, back on Long Island, more than 20 years have passed. Maggie is a detective and a divorced mother of a teenager. When the Gardaí call to say that Erin's scarf has been found and another young woman has gone missing, Maggie returns to Ireland, awakening all the complicated feelings from the first trip. The despair and frustration of not knowing what happened to Erin. Her attraction to Erin's coworker, now a professor, who never fully explained their relationship. And her determination to solve the case, once and for all.

Sarah Stewart Taylor grew up on Long Island and was educated at Middlebury College and Trinity College, Dublin. She lives with her husband and three children on a farm in Vermont where they raise sheep and blueberries. Sarah is also the author of the Sweeney St. George mystery series, about an art historian who studies funerary art, "the art of death," from Minotaur Books. The first book in the series, O’ Artful Death, was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel.  Her non-fiction has been published in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and many other publications.