Continuing our journey through Women in Horror Month, I’m pleased to share my review of Donn’s Shadow by Caryn Larrinaga. Donn’s Shadow is the sequel to Donn’s Hill and if you haven’t read it, then I highly recommend you fix that as soon as possible.
Here’s the synopsis:
Return to the most haunted small town in America...
Mackenzie Clair finally has this whole ghost-hunting psychic thing figured out. The Soul Searchers are a hit, she’s got pet-parenting down, and she even has a plan to banish the poltergeist running amok at a lakeside cabin. Best of all, Donn’s Hill feels like home. But not everyone loves the town as much as Mac.
A world-famous paranormal debunker thinks the psychics in Donn’s Hill are lying about their abilities. His determination to destroy the Soul Searchers threatens Mac’s livelihood, and when a killer strikes, the sheriff’s suspicions threaten her freedom.
Mac needs all the help she can get to find the real murderer and clear her name… even if that help comes from beyond the grave.
This novel is a mystery novel so I’ll keep this review spoiler-free. One of Larrinaga’s biggest strengths is creating a cast of believable, three-dimensional, characters. At one point in the novel, we are introduced to a person who by all accounts is supposed to be an asshat; however, this character has been nothing but nice up to this point. That being said, the protagonist trusts her friends’ opinions, and therefore by proxy, because Larrinaga has created these believable characters, I too trust in them.
On top of this, there were several unexpected twists in turns in this book. I am pretty sure I said WTF out loud more than a few times. It’s refreshing to see a storyline go in new and different directions other than the expected.
Something else fun in this book is the exploration into the world of psychics, mediums, and diviners. It’s obvious that Larrinaga did her homework on the subject and I learned a thing or two from this story.
The last thing I’ll say (unless I get into spoilers) were the scenes that were full of creepy tension. Who knew the slightest creak of a floorboard could be unnerving in written form. My hat’s off to her for being able to paint a picture vivid enough that I could easily see it in my mind as I read along.
Larrinaga leaves the story open for another novel in the Soul Searchers Mysteries, and I for one can’t wait until it comes out.
While Donn’s Shadow stands strongly on its own, you’ll get so much more out of the tale if you read Donn’s Hill first.
Here’s the synopsis:
Return to the most haunted small town in America...
Mackenzie Clair finally has this whole ghost-hunting psychic thing figured out. The Soul Searchers are a hit, she’s got pet-parenting down, and she even has a plan to banish the poltergeist running amok at a lakeside cabin. Best of all, Donn’s Hill feels like home. But not everyone loves the town as much as Mac.
A world-famous paranormal debunker thinks the psychics in Donn’s Hill are lying about their abilities. His determination to destroy the Soul Searchers threatens Mac’s livelihood, and when a killer strikes, the sheriff’s suspicions threaten her freedom.
Mac needs all the help she can get to find the real murderer and clear her name… even if that help comes from beyond the grave.
This novel is a mystery novel so I’ll keep this review spoiler-free. One of Larrinaga’s biggest strengths is creating a cast of believable, three-dimensional, characters. At one point in the novel, we are introduced to a person who by all accounts is supposed to be an asshat; however, this character has been nothing but nice up to this point. That being said, the protagonist trusts her friends’ opinions, and therefore by proxy, because Larrinaga has created these believable characters, I too trust in them.
On top of this, there were several unexpected twists in turns in this book. I am pretty sure I said WTF out loud more than a few times. It’s refreshing to see a storyline go in new and different directions other than the expected.
Something else fun in this book is the exploration into the world of psychics, mediums, and diviners. It’s obvious that Larrinaga did her homework on the subject and I learned a thing or two from this story.
The last thing I’ll say (unless I get into spoilers) were the scenes that were full of creepy tension. Who knew the slightest creak of a floorboard could be unnerving in written form. My hat’s off to her for being able to paint a picture vivid enough that I could easily see it in my mind as I read along.
Larrinaga leaves the story open for another novel in the Soul Searchers Mysteries, and I for one can’t wait until it comes out.
While Donn’s Shadow stands strongly on its own, you’ll get so much more out of the tale if you read Donn’s Hill first.
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