Rookie cop Tana Larsson is the only RCMP officer manning Twin Rivers, which has a population of 320. Her patch is in the Northwest Territories and covers some 17,500 square miles, a huge area for a single police officer to service. A call comes in reporting the fatal wolf mauling of two students in a remote area of this barren wilderness.
In the Barren Ground is a great mixture of a story. There is suspense, mystery, gothic elements, romance and a regular tale of police procedures that you get in most crime thrillers. The writing is first class with a huge vocabulary and great attention to detail. Loreth’s descriptions of her scenes and the surrounding environment is top rate. You really feel you are on an outdoor adventure holiday.
In the Barren Ground is a creepy tale with lots of suspense. From very early on you wonder about the fatal wolf maulings and every character you meet raises your suspicions. Character development is spot on and each character has a good and a dodgy side to them.
There is lots of mystery in this novel as the chapters chart the history of this remote region. The culture of living in the bush is fully explored and I loved the details of hunting and surviving in this wilderness.
There are some gothic elements woven into this story. I do not read books in the gothic genre, so these elements came as a surprise to me. But these gothic elements added so much more to the story. They fitted in really well and added to the mystery a great deal. Then to add a character who happened to be an author of a gothic novel, was just icing on the cake.
As with Loreth’s other novels, romance takes a part in the story. It should appeal to both genders and adds so much to the fullness of this novel. Again like her other novels, the love is not just shown between humans but between dogs and their owners too.
The police procedure and job frustration parts are great. How can you preserve a crime scene when you are the only police officer around AND there is falling snow to contend with? Throw in the problem of wild animals eating the evidence and it is a huge challenge for Tana to deal with on her own.
Each character has the ability to be a criminal and you can point your finger at every one of them. The plot of this novel is very good indeed. There is no need to second guess if there is a bad guy or if the fatal wolf maulings were simply an accident, just enjoy this novel for what it is. I found this book a pleasure to read, it gave me plenty to think about. I really engaged with this story and felt I was there. Loreth makes great mention of her characters wearing Baffin boots. She wrote about them as commonplace. I love wandering about and I live in the UK but have never come across these Baffin boots. So involved I became in this novel, I felt I had to check these boots out online. Oh yes, they are the genuine item, roughty, toughty, snow hiking boots!
I found In the Barren Ground to be an outstanding read. It coupled regular reading enjoyment with a sense of adventure and a cultural learning experience. No risk of frostbite as I sat back in my favourite armchair with this top scoring 5 star read.
In the Barren Ground was published in 2016 and is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook.
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