The Hunted Hare - Fay Sampson (review & giveaway)

5 Stars!
ABOUT THE BOOK -
Pennant Melangell lies at the head of a mountain valley in North Wales. It consists of a church, with the medieval shrine and pilgrimage site of St Melangell, a few cottages - and a newly constructed hotel, the House of the Hare, built by its imposing director Thaddeus Brown. To the House of the Hare come Aidan and Jenny Davison, with their seven-year-old daughter Melangell. Jenny has advanced cancer: will the sacred location become a place of healing? Or will the hotel's new facilities - for instance, its impressive archery range - become a place of death? In this secluded setting, who might be the victim? 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR -
Fay Sampson is a widely published author with a particular interest in fantasy and Celtic history. She has been shortliste for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize on three occasions and is a winner of the Barco de Vapor award.
 Visit Fay at her website - HERE




MY REVIEW -
Bravo! Great mystery (and I am not a huge fan of mysteries.) This book had so much going for it - a great murder mystery,  a wonderful strong woman dying of cancer, a setting in beautiful North Wales, and the history of St. Melangell. 

The mystery - It kept me guessing right up to the end (although I did have my suspicions), and what a great ending too. It was very believable, not overdone. It kind of reminded me of "Clue", a group of unrelated people, one found dead, everyone a suspect.

The family - The character development was great. I loved this family. It was a very "real" family. The husband and wife argued a bit, but were still very loving and had a great relationship. I loved Melangell, the 7 yr. old daughter named after the Saint. What a cutie. The book had a very serious murder mystery that kept you on the edge of your seat, but was also very heartfelt as you go through what is probably Jenny's last days with her family.
"She saw Aiden's eyes go up to hers, sharp, worried. I know what you're thinking, she told him internally. That anything I start now may never be finished. But I can't stop living, can I, just because I'm dying? May be dying, she corrected herself. Nothing is certain." - I hate books about Cancer... No, I don't, I just hate Cancer!
North Wales - The descriptions in this book are fantastic! I could really picture everything - The countryside, the waterfalls, the church, and The House Of Hare. I feel like I just took a trip across the world via book!

St. Melangell - I looked it up - its real! I love when an author uses real history in fiction books.
Here is a picture of the church from wikipedia -
As far as I can tell the "House of Hare" is not a real place but the rest is there. Here is a link for the Wiki pages - HERE & HERE

Put all of these things together in one book and it makes for fascinating reading!

THE ALL-IN-ALL -
All in all this is a very suspenseful but heartwarming murder mystery. You fall in love with Jenny and her family. You fall in love with the countryside!
It is very clean, no swearing, no sex.


Thank you so much Kregel Publications for sending me this wonderful book to read and review!

THE GIVEAWAY -
I am giving away my copy of this book.
To enter to win this book - fill out the form below.
* Please US & Canada only.

* Winner will be chosen on Nov. 8th.
* Winner will have 48 hrs. to respond.
* Leave a comment for an extra entry!!! 

 

Comments

  1. I'm not sure this one is for me, but it sounds like you had a lot of fun with it, and that it exceeded your expectations. Glad to know that you got on so well with this book!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love mysteries.
    Nice review....
    Thanks
    RJB

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm a big mystery fan so this should be right up my alley!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love mysteries, and this one sounds really good. Thanks for having this giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This sounds great, thanks for sharing! That is truely a beautiful place.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am very picky with mysteries but this one has caught my interest.

    Wendy, I really love your reviews!

    ReplyDelete
  7. That book trailer is one of the better ones I have seen - showing off the country side and giving a sense of mystery. Thanks for sharing that.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm a huge fan of mysteries, and that book cover is gorgeous~

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts