Review: Excellent Mystery
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 3, 2014
This story is a wonderful example of how to mix a contemporary mystery with the colonial period.  The authors have done a terrific job of researching to get so many accurate details into their story, from Miles Standish to the Native Americans, how they hunted, lived and even the societal demands placed on those who lived in this time period.The authors have created a marvelous set of characters that are put in situations where anyone really could be the possible killer of colonists and Native Americans alike and the little mini-mysteries, as I like to call them, that were placed throughout the story added an extra layer of possibilities that kept you on the edge of your seat.If you wish to read more of my full review, please scroll on down and I hope it helps you to pick this wonderful book up.After reading this terrific Plymouth colonial mystery I have to applaud the authors for their extremely well done research in order to get so many details accurate, at least as accurate as we can know them to be from that time period.  Adding characters such as Miles Standish gave it an extra air of authenticity that helped you to believe what you were reading was real history rather than a fictitious mystery.  From the very beginning you got a great sense of ideals that Parley, Remmie as well as Tisquantum, who I found very interesting, possessed.Early in the story, Remmie's father, Pastor Wilkes and a few of the other colonists struck a raw nerve in me simply because such usage of religion in order to persecute others who thought differently than them was a real part of the early settlers and that even runs true to today's society. The constant disappearances and lies of the Pastor made you think something was fishy with him and he wasn’t quite the honest, all godly religious leader he portrayed himself to be to his “flock”, which made you add him to your suspect list so that it could’ve been any of several different characters that could be causing the killings inflicted on both colonists and Native Americans alike.It was also very interesting to see how the colonists viewed certain things that we today take for granted.  Back then you had to keep all your emotions practically hidden or others would think you were "sinning" and the internal struggles they had to go through day in and day out in order to cope with their own emotions while at the same time behaving as society expected them to had to be extremely  Their lives weren't just hard because of the wilderness but also because of how they had to behave within their own society and anything outside of the considered "norm" could get you not only ostracized but possibly put to death.The authors’ ability to create the characters speaking in actual old English was a tremendous touch which took a little adjusting in the beginning but once you’ve read a couple of chapters you’ll find yourself having fewer issues with reading the old English.The way the authors kept you guessing so even when the characters saw the killer they didn't immediately state the killer's name which kept you wondering if your thoughts on who it was, were correct and even though that was agonizing to your curiosity, it really kept you involved and wanting to continue the story and in my view anyways, is a wonderful way to involve the reader in the story and draw them in further.In conclusion, this was a terrific story that has something for almost everyone.  If you're into history, romance or mystery, you will not be disappointed in picking up this book and having a good read.