This was a gem among the crime novels that I have seen at Deseret Book, mainly because it also had elements of historical fiction—a genre that I treasure.
Summary
Flight attendant Skye struggles to come to grips with her aunt’s sudden disappearance after she herself is rescued by a handsome Scottish stranger. However, after discovering an ancient document in a lockbox that her aunt had left her, Skye finds herself on the run from a hoard of shady characters who seek what is now in her possession. Now with the help of her Scottish hero and professor friend, she must race against the clock to find the two other missing pages of this ancient tome so that she can save her aunt before it is too late. As she does so, she discovers her heritage may be connected to this centuries-old mystery.
Likes
Genre. Historical Fiction has always been by bread and butter of the literary world, and this author blends both history and fiction very well in this tale. A lot of the time, historical fiction puts you right in the center of the time-period, but this one stays in modern time for most of the story and does so while still being able to show the history in a non-boring or distant way.
Setting. I enjoyed following the characters to famous medieval landmarks, some of which I have had pleasure of visiting myself, so it was a nice callback to those places. Medieval history is something that I have a particular interest in, so it was neat that the characters got to see and learn about specific landmarks while in a high-stake battle.
Love interest. Who isn’t attracted to a foreign love interest? Not only is he handsome, but he seems to have his head on straight, which always helps the protagonist look good. I would have liked a little more of his backstory, though.
Dislikes
I would have liked more of a backstory to the historical mystery surrounding the main character. I wasn’t a fan of how out-of-the-loop she was because it made me feel out of the loop.
Conclusion
I enjoyed this story more than I thought I would since I seem to have a lot of connections to the story: I appreciate a historical plot, I too have a Scottish heritage, I have a family member who is a flight attendant, the protagonist is around my age, and I am a sucker for love-interests with accents! I have never read anything else by this author, but this book has made me interested to see what other books she has written.
Ashley Weaver 