Haunted Ground

Just as Hart evokes an authentic Irish ambience in this debut gothic suspense set in Galway, Jennifer McMahon uses a variety of accents to enhance the listener's visit to the British Isles. Cutting turf in Drumcleggan Bog, farmers discover a severed head. Irish archaeologist Cormac Maguire and American anatomist Nora Gavin are called in to investigate. Their investigation leads to connections between ancient and contemporary puzzles featuring the music, architecture, folklore, and history of Ireland. McMahon's female voices are lilting, low, and sensual, but she strains to produce acceptable masculine sounding characters. Nonetheless, a well-modulated and clear reading, with pacing modulations to enhance the suspense and drama, results in a pleasing experience. S.C.A. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

April 14, 2003
Cutting turf in the peat bogs of his Ireland farm, Brendan McGann occasionally finds old oak beams, oxcarts or tubs of butter and cheese buried ages ago and forgotten. But he's hardly prepared for the gruesome discovery he makes one pleasant April morning: the perfectly preserved head of a woman. So begins Hart's debut thriller, which follows archeologist Cormac Maguire, maverick local detective Garret Devaney, and Nora Gavin, an American anatomist lecturing at Trinity College Medical School, as they investigate the farmer's grisly finding, which could date back quite far, given that peat bogs can preserve bodies for centuries. Cormac and Nora stay in the house of Hugh Osborne, the owner of a decaying manor who also happens to be the prime suspect in the unsolved disappearance of his wife and infant son two years ago. The accommodations are not quite the Ritz. Osborne's dour cousin, Lucy Osborne, is the housekeeper, and her son, 17-year-old Jeremy, who drinks too much, also lurks around the estate. Nora finds a filthy, dead crow on her bed, as well as broken glass littering her bathroom floor. What's going on in this malevolent household? 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. Agent, Sally Wofford-Girand. 3-city author tour.

April 15, 2004
Hart's complex debut novel weaves together various cultures and time periods into one suspenseful literary offering. Irish farmer Brendan McGann unearths the head of a flame-haired woman, but owing to the preservation of the body, it is not known how long it has been in the peat bog. Archaeologist Cormac O'Callaghan, detective Garret Devaney, and American anatomist Nora Gavin work together to discover the woman's identity and her cause of death. As these characters interact, they become involved in another mystery: local inn owner Hugh Osborne is suspected in the disappearance of his young Indian wife, Mina, and their son. Jennifer McMahon's dialectic inflections (Irish brogue, American and Indian accents) require getting used to and can be distracting when trying to grasp the story's numerous details and unfolding plots. Overall, Haunted Ground is suitable for public library collections, but it is not an essential purchase.-Nicole A. Cooke, Montclair State Univ. Lib., NJ

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