BOOK REVIEW - "A WIND IN THE HEBRIDES" (MONASTERY MURDERS BOOK 7) BY DONNA FLETCHER CROW

 What connection does a Spiritual Director conference have with a revival that occurred nearly three quarters of a century ago? Is a girl's missing boyfriend able to help solve a mystery of a disappearing corpse? And are there enigmas that might put Father Antony and Felicity in danger yet again, only this time with their five year old son?

"A Wind in the Hebrides" is the seventh in Donna Fletcher Crow's Monastery. This one has a different feel, because this novel moves back in forth between the conferences, church history stories, and worship services Father Antony and Felicity frequently enjoy and singer Aileana Mackay's search for her sister's love interest during a post WW2 revival in an isolated part of Scotland. As a reader of several of Crow's books, this seems like a cross between the Monastery Murders and her 10-part Celtic Cross series, each of which follow a story between a couple in 1993 and various church history stories of Scotland and Ireland.

This novel may start slow for some readers, but don't give up on it. Crow does a masterful job of weaving the two stories together, with their similarities and differences. She helps make them distinct by having the 1949 in italics.

I recommend this book, which I received for an unbiased review.

BOOK REVIEW - THE FORGER OF A NATION: OF KINGS AND KINGDOMS, BY DONNA FLETCHER CROW

Can Kennneth mac Alpin, King of the Scots, forge an alliance among other kings against the Vikings from the West and the Picts from the East? An alliance with other kings who don't trust Kenneth, for legitimate reasons? And what can three young people in the mid 1990's learn from the tension of a 9th century monarch with vicious invaders, skeptical allies, and uncooperative family members?

This is the second of Donna Fletcher Crow's ten part The Celtic Cross series. Originally, she had written a historical novel about Scotland and Ireland; now, she has divided it up into ten novels, the first four focusing on Scotland and the remainder on the Emerald Isle. She also has added the story of three young people in 1993 and how the history applies to their lives.

Donna is a superb story teller, and keeps you interested in her tale. She also is excellent at interweaving history into her novels.

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series. 

REVIEW OF KEEPER OF THE STONE BY DONNA FLETCHER CROW

 

Yes, I deliberately timed this review to be posted around the time of Reformation Day/All Saints Day (respectively this Sunday and Monday). After all, I often hear people talk about celebrating Christmas all year long - why not celebrate Reformation Day and All Saints Day all year long? (Of course, I'm trying to figure out what celebrating Groundhog's day all year long would look like.)

The Keeper of the Stone: Of Saints and Chieftains is Epoch One of the Celtic Cross Series.  In it, Donna Fletcher Crow does an excellent job of telling history in story form, where you keep your attention throughout. 

You can call The Celtic Cross a re-release of her previous books, The Fields of Bannockburn and The Banks of the Boyne, dividing these historical stories into a set of ten books (the former being a four part look at Scottish history, and the latter being six dealing with Ireland). In this new version, she also adds a story of three contemporary young people in modern times.

The beginning and ending of the book take place in current times. The rest of this book jumps back to the 500's and looks at Saint Columba. Personally, I thought the transition could be smoother between present and past - the present story occupies only the first couple of chapters and the final one, with the rest a millenium and a half ago.

The major part of the story focuses on Columba, and I found his story inspiring, especially with him wrestling with his past sins. It deals well with the conflict missionaries faced in the 500's - and in the 2000's, as well as any other time following Pentecost - struggling against the native religious beliefs of a society. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip into the past and getting to know some history. Which, considering how strong a story-teller Donna Fletcher Crow is, doesn't surprise me at all. 

I'm looking forward to reading on in the series. The ending doesn't have the resolution I'm used to in Crow's series (such as the Monastery Murders, Lord Danvers Investigates, and the Elizabeth and Richard Literary Suspense series, all of which also are good at looking into the past). So I'm not just interested in learning about what will happen to the characters, but also in learning more about the history of Scotland and Ireland.

I did receive a copy of this book for my unbiased review.