A barn with a wooden cow’s head peeking out of the loft, two girls bicycling on a September day in 1990, a body they find dead in the barn. Thus opens The Barn.
$16.99
For the next thirty years, the case lies as cold as the boy, Joseph. Deborah Strong has settled in the town, learning to heal after his murder and the deaths of her husband and child in an automobile accident. When Rachel Cummings returns, the precarious peace Deborah has found as the town’s librarian is threatened.
Against the backdrop of New Hampshire’s January cold and snow and freezing rain, the women reopen the cold case and uncover secrets that have festered, as they often do, in small towns. The Barn is a story of friendship lost and recovered, secrets buried and unburied, and the power of forgiveness.
Rating
I really enjoyed this book! It was fun to read a mystery written in the realm of King Arthur and all of the characters that are so familiar. Interesting take on Merlin too!
This was just flat out fun to read! The scene descriptions are so vivid that I still have strong images of the castles and land in my mind. I love the way the female characters are written so subtly but with such power and strength. Cant’ wait to get to the second book, "The Knight’s Riddle."
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I sat down with this novel. The premise was interesting–a murder mystery featuring Merlin? How could I pass that up? The book surpassed my expectations. Even though it’s quiet, more of an intellectual novel than a thriller, it is still full of suspense. I often find it hard to immerse myself in a book, but this one kept me turning pages. There are plenty of surprises throughout, and the historical details are masterfully rendered, but what really makes this book special is how fully realized the characters are. Young Gildas is so likable, you can’t help rooting for him. Merlin is irascible and complex.The knights seem so young and yet burdened by the cares of courtesy and honor. Guinevere herself is full of personality, thoroughly likable and sympathetic, though imperfect–a feat few other characterizations of her have ever managed to accomplish. The mystery itself is intriguing, with enough twists and turns to keep you going, but it is watching Gildas increase in confidence as he works with Merlin to puzzle out the murder, up against a figurative ticking clock, to save the Queen and set things right, that makes it satisfying. There is action, but not on every page. This is more Agatha Christie or Dorothy Sayers than it is Tom Clancy, but that’s a good thing. Can’t wait for the next installment.
I love historial novels and this one is no exception. Ruud’s pacing is perfect – I was fully engaged throughout the book and never felt it was moving too fast or too slowly. It’s a whodunit that isn’t revealed until the very end and I for one, didn’t see that one coming.
