Review: Connolly cleverly integrates small history lessons, descriptive passages of the area, and genealogical mystery
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 28, 2013
This was an incredibly clever little mystery set in the Lexington / Concord area of Massachusetts. If you aren't familiar with this little corner of New England, you really can't spit without hitting something of historical import.  Sheila Connolly cleverly integrates small history lessons, descriptive passages of the area surrounding Boston, and a genealogical search into the story, providing readers with an array of references and visualization options.Abby is a recent transplant to this area of New England with her boyfriend, Brad, and rather at loose ends without a job, or familiarity with her location.  After tiring of Brad's incessant badgering, she decided to venture out on one of the many historic house tours to pass her afternoon. Her last stop resulted in a curious phenomenon; she was seeing highly charged emotional events that took place nearly 100 years earlier. When she looks for a way to solve this mysterious chain of events, Ned, the witness to her first `episode' becomes advisor and tour guide, and soon trusted friend, providing her with ideas, suggestions and a sounding board for her concerns.I liked Abby, although I was surprised at her lack of response, at least verbal, to Brad's behavior.  When she started to develop her own interests, and was hired at the museum, her self-esteem got a healthy boost, and she was able to see him for what he was, and walk away. I enjoyed the interplay with Ned, bordering on the flirtatious, and his openness to the paranormal experiences despite his need for some sort of proof.The story unfolded in a logical way, taking time to outline the steps Abby took in her research, and the reader is able to unfold the clues as Abby does, giving a true sense of traveling the path with her.  While the ending did seem to arrive quickly and leave some unanswered questions, fans of history and mystery will truly enjoy this story: and it provides a nice insight into the area and historical treasures to be found there.I received an eBook from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.