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 Two
farmers cutting turf in the west of Ireland
make a grisly discovery—the perfectly preserved severed head of a
beautiful young woman with long red hair. Called out to the bog to
investigate,
Irish archeologist Cormac Maguire and American pathologist Nora
Gavin are
thrown together by their shared curiosity about her fate.
Archaeologist
Cormac Maguire is quickly called to
the scene—“bog bodies” are always a remarkable find, sometimes
centuries old
but still close to their original condition. Cormac and Nora embark on
a
mission to determine the identity of the beautiful young woman
and what
led to her brutal fate.
But
there are other mysteries buried within this
small Irish town as well. Villagers are still suspicious of Hugh
Osborne, a local
landowner whose wife and young son disappeared abruptly two years ago
without a
trace. As Cormac and Nora dig into the background of the
enigmatic
redhead, policeman Garrett Devaney quietly reopens the Osborne case. As
deeper
layers of secrets are revealed in each mystery, sleeping dangers are
awakened,
and past deaths could translate into future murders.
Meticulously
crafted, and resonating with traditional music and folklore, HAUNTED
GROUND considers Ireland’s turbulent history, revealing the
eternal,
subliminal connections between past and present.
Scribner trade
paperback ::: ISBN: 0-7432-7210-2 ::: March 2005
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HAUNTED
GROUND
was published simultaneously in the U.S and
Canada, Britain and Ireland, and has so far been translated into
German, French,
Dutch, Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Portuguese, Norwegian, Swedish,
Japanese, and
Russian.
FROM
THE CRITICS...
 “Hart
writes with a lovely eloquence about how character is shaped by the
music, the
architecture and the history of this harsh and beautiful land...”
—
Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review
“In
addition to a complex,
multilayered plot that involves both contemporary and historical
crimes, Hart’s
novel is rich in local color: evenings at the pub, the petty feuds and
jealousies of the townspeople and the traditional music and folk
culture of
Ireland are evocatively rendered.”
— Publishers Weekly
“Spooky
and
compelling...does for Galway what Sharyn McCrumb does for
Appalachia.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Hart
breathes life into local
history the way Graham Swift did in Waterland; reinvents the DuMaurier
formula
for Gothic suspense; and brings new texture and psychological acuity to
the
usual suspects from the generic village mystery. In every way, this is
a debut
to remember.”
— Booklist (Starred Review)
“The
most auspicious mystery debut of
the year, with a unique feeling for place and a depth of forensic
details that
chill.”
— Book-of-the-Month Club
“Not
since P.D. James and Minette Walters have I
been so excited about a mystery author. Erin Hart’s Haunted Ground
is
atmospheric, romantic, as rich in contemporary mayhem as it is in
archeological
history...Some authors write characters so well they don’t have to
bother with plot. Others do plot so well, their people are cardboard.
Yet a
third group knows all about forensics, and nothing of anything else.
Erin Hart
is the first author I’ve read in years who does it all, and does it all
absolutely right. This is stunning in atmosphere and forensic detail,
rich in
history, and has characters whose longings are so palpable you feel
them as
your own.” — Victoria Skurnick, Book-of-the-Month
Club
Editor
“Inspired
by a true
story, this is a riveting tale, which grips from the first
page.” —
Publishing News (UK and Ireland)
“The mystical Irish countryside provides the perfect backdrop for this
carefully crafted novel, where a hundred-of-years-old mystery collides
with a
contemporary crime. Enigmatic, well-developed characters cement this
read into
a beguiling, multifaceted mystery... — Romantic Times
Book Club
Magazine
“The setting, the humanity of the characters, and the sympathetic
portrayal of
Irish history, landscape and music all come together in a well-written
mystery.” — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“A chilling murder mystery that spans centuries...Masterfully weav[es]
Irish
folklore and traditional music into an eerie plot... Immensely
enjoyable...a
talented newcomer.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Impressive... Haunted Ground is a mystery, but it's
more correct
to categorize it as a literary mystery since Hart takes plenty of time
to
explore her characters' inner lives.” — Madison (WI)
Capital
Times
“Highly atmospheric... One of the best mystery debuts of 2003.”
— Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel
“A fine
thriller... the brilliance is in the way
Hart presents her story, which reeks of bogs and superstition and even
thick,
milky tea... Haunted Ground deserves your
attention.” — Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“Remarkably assured and highly readable...Absorbing.” —
Denver Post
“…a riveting debut mystery. It is written with an intensity and
fluidity that
begs to be read slowly and savored because it is not just a grand story
but
because it is filled with interesting information about Celtic culture
and
folklore, Irish music and history.” — Andrea Sisco,
Armchair
Interviews FULL REVIEW
FROM
FELLOW AUTHORS...
“In
Haunted Ground, the
past is not buried underground, it lives and breathes. Erin
Hart's beguiling
debut novel probes the mysterious connections between the dead and
living in a
moody Irish song of innocent blood, shattered hearts, and life's
unquenchable flow.”
— Perri O’Shaughnessy, best-selling author of Writ
of Execution
“Out
of the Irish mist and into the
ancient bogs, Erin Hart spins a dark tale of gothic suspense fused with
modern
forensics. This bright new talent lays bare all the buried bones, in a
murderous tale of intrigue and betrayal.”
— Linda
Fairstein,
best-selling author of The Bone Vault
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