Eden Crossing

478 pages

4 stars

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I requested this book. What I got was a wild ride, complete with the slightly paranormal, Amish folk, murders, stalking, terror, a drug ring and a set of great investigators. The best part was the surprises aplenty!

I can’t say enough about this book. Hardly anything is what it seems. Just when the reader has an idea of what’s going on, it changes into something else. I truly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who loves to read about various cultures, the paranormal, serial killers, murder and mayhem, and fantastic investigators.

The book was very well written and plotted. The characters are so well drawn that I felt I personally knew them.

I want to thank NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for forwarding to me a copy of this book so that I may read, enjoy and review it. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.

The book draws one in as it becomes so much more than a murder story. There is history about the area of Pennsylvania - the rich family who now have an errant son spoiled from having whatever he wanted. There is the Amish Community involved as bodies were found on their land and the reappearance of one of their own who had been shunned for her curiosity about the English way of life. There are some rather bizarre English local all based around the local bar/restaurant and many of whom have history. There is a strange woman who takes in young women who are running from something and she has a very strong mystical background - shaman, Sioux and Lakota. Well-written and the characters are complex, as are the twists and turns. Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

<i> Eden Crossing</i> is a complex murder mystery that balances the Amish culture with the broader philosophy of mysticism. A team of detectives struggle with their own relationships while trying to focus on a murder involving a possible serial killer. <i>Eden Crossing</i> is written by David Stocker is a creative storyteller who like to weave mystical and spiritual elements into his stories.

Lenore is found floating in a river by her brother. She has a serious bump on her head but fortunately she is alive. Lenore has been shunned by the Amish but her parents willingly take her back in because she has no memory of what happened to her. A body is found in the same location in the river a few days later and detectives are called in from a nearby town. At first, they are not certain if there has been a murder but an obvious murder does take place and the detectives try to find connections between the two incidents. Adding complexity to their investigation are frequent sightings of a ghost and a large wolf that seem to be in and around locations where the murders are being investigated. So now there are suspects from within the Amish community, from among people who live in the town, and from a group of women who live in an isolated cabin for runaway girls. The result is a complex and confusing case for the detectives.

I really enjoy the story because there are a lot of twists and turns that add a certain depth to the story beyond that of a serial killer and a detective investigation. The reveal at the end of the story is left right until the very end so the reader is left hanging for quite some time. One needs to read the whole story before we see the full picture which is an excellent way to keep people involved.

I have to say that I generally did not like the characters in the team of detectives. They did not seem to show respect for each other or for their superior. The inspector struggles when he tries to get the team carry out his orders and there seems to be a lot of infighting and teasing between team members. I do not think this adds to the investigation nor to the story. Generally, it isn’t a team that I find endearing nor do I sympathize with them.

I recommend this story to people who like complex murder mysteries. I give the story 4 on 5 primarily because I don’t sympathize with the investigating team. I want to thank Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with the digital copy of this book. I provide my review voluntarily.

This is an extremely difficult book to summarise! Murder, the Amish community, a Sisterhood in the woods run by an ethereal woman- Ariella who appears to be able to cross between worlds & rumours of lost treasure. However it works. I was totally transported to Eden Crossing & its variety of characters. It was a really enjoyable & unique police procedural. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.