Review: A Distant Grave by Sarah Stewart Taylor (print/audio)

Publisher: Macmillan Audio / Minotaur Books

Published: June 22, 2021

Source: ALC via Netgalley / ARC Paperback via Minotaur Books

 

Summary:

In the follow up to the critically acclaimed The Mountains Wild, Detective Maggie D’arcy tackles another intricate case that bridges Long Island and Ireland.

Long Island homicide detective Maggie D’arcy and her teenage daughter, Lilly, are still recovering from the events of last fall when a strange new case demands Maggie’s attention. The body of an unidentified Irish national turns up in a wealthy Long Island beach community and with little to go on but the scars on his back, Maggie once again teams up with Garda detectives in Ireland to find out who the man was and what he was doing on Long Island. As the strands of the mystery lead Maggie to a quiet village in rural County Clare and back to her home turf, they also lead her in range of a dangerous and determined killer who will do anything to keep the victim’s story hidden forever.

With the lyrical prose, deeply drawn characters, and atmospheric setting that made The Mountains Wild one of 2020’s most anticipated summer reads, Sarah Stewart Taylor delivers another gripping mystery novel about family, survival, and the meaning of home.

 

My thoughts:

Last year I read, and loved, The Mountains Wild, and have been waiting for the next book in this series. And I was so torn when I had the option of reading or listening to it…so I did both. And I loved it…both the story itself and both formats!

I cannot tell you how much I love this series! I will just say that while this book does stand on it’s own, I strongly urge you to read the first book before picking this one up. You will have a much better appreciation for what Maggie has already been through and her connection with Ireland. Yes, the author does give some backstory, but in my opinion, it’s always better to read the series in order if you can.

Once again, we have another completely atmospheric, engaging read that pulls you in right from the start. This time, the murder mystery starts on Long Island – not too far from where I live, incidentally!!! – and I love that there is such a strong sense of place throughout this entire book, whether it be on Long Island or in Ireland.

While this one starts off slow, it ramps up the pace to as things come to a stunning conclusion and I loved the way this worked because there were a lot of moving parts. I had no idea where this was heading, and the twists and turns were so expertly placed that it really kept me guessing.

I loved the balance of police work and character development. Sarah Stewart Taylor has managed to find the sweet spot with this and I am totally here for it. I was totally immersed in the case of why the murder mystery but I also loved getting that deep dive into our characters. There is a focus on the relationship between Maggie and Lilly that will tug at your heartstrings and of course there is focus on Maggie’s long-distance relationship with Conor and where that is heading.

I love this series and after that ending, I need book 3 right away! There are so many possibilities of what can happen next and I need to know right now! If you haven’t started reading this series, do yourself a favor and pick up these books now…I highly recommend them!

 

Audio thoughts:

As I mentioned, I toggled back and forth with the audio and print for this book. The audio is narrated by Marisa Calin and she’s a new narrator to me. Overall, I thought she did a good job with the audio, though as a Long Islander, I will say she did sometimes over-do the Long Island accent on a few words – coffee in particular. And it wasn’t consistent, but as I’m very conscious of my accent, it’s something I’m aware of. Other than that, it was a good audio to listen to.

 

Books in this series:

1. The Mountains Wild
2. A Distant Grave