Carrie Stuart Parks

Dear Readers,

New author Carrie Stuart Parks’ new book A Cry From the Dust is one you don’t want to miss reading.  Especially if you are a mystery lover like me.  It was a bit different in that the main character is a forensic artist.  Gwen is just coming to the end of a time in her life that has been extremely difficult.  She fought breast cancer, her husband divorced her and then wrote a bestselling book which did not paint her in the best light, and her daughter has now entered her teenage years and it is not going well.  Oh and don’t forget she is entering early menopause because of the chemo she had.   It really has not been a great year or two. 

Finally landing a job reconstructing the faces of the victims of a massacre in 1857, Gwen is thinking things may just be turning around.  It isn’t the best situation for her daughter because the job is in Utah, but it is a start.  But someone or a group of someones does not want those faces knows.  First there are the protestors and after that there is the attack on the site following a murder.  Gwen is beginning to think she should not have taken this job after all.

Of course the mystery continues from there, but I don’t want to reveal any more to you as that is no fun and will ruin a good chunk of the book.  I loved following the trails of clues and "un-clues" that Carrie laid down for us.  As any good writer of mystery can tell you, a few rabbit trails to throw you all off is a good thing and Carrie was very good at it.   

She also includes loads of history of the Mormon church, which made the book even more interesting.  It is not done in a dry history book way, but a way that made it very much a part of the story.  I have read books that just include history of a story and boy does that make for dry reading, but Carrie doesn’t do that.  I learned a bit more about the LDS and how they ended up in Utah and who their leaders were.  It even delves into some of the beliefs they have for the end of the world. 

If you are looking for an interesting mystery to read, this is a great one to start with and I am looking forward to seeing what Carrie writes next.

Happy Reading,