Review: The Seeker by R.B. Chesterton

When graduate student Aine Cahill uncovers a journal proving that her aunt Bonnie was an intimate companion of Henry David Thoreau s during his supposedly solitary sojourn at Walden Pond, she knows that she has found the perfect subject for her dissertation.

She decides to travel to Walden Pond herself to hunker down and work on her writing, but it quickly becomes clear that all is not as it seems in Thoreau s woodland retreat. The further Aine delves into Bonnie s diary the more she finds herself wondering about her family s sinister legacy and even her own sanity is there really a young girl lurking in the woods?

As tragedy strikes a nearby town and suspicion falls on Aine, she scrambles to find the truth behind Thoreau s paradise.

Hardcover, 352 pages

Expected publication: March 6th 2014 by Pegasus Books
  

Kristine's Thoughts:

* I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.*

My feelings were mixed when it came to this book. It started out quite slow but at the same time it was extremely busy. There were so many different plot points that it was hard to keep it all straight and determine what the book was actually about. There was the Cahill curse, the Bonnie and Thoreau connection, murder and a paranormal twist. It made it difficult to follow along and I found myself skimming paragraphs on numerous occassions. The story didn't really start to pick up until around the 70% mark for me. The characters in the book I could take or leave. I didn't fully connect with any of them.  The story leaves you hanging at the end which indicates a sequel but I'm not to sure that I am interested in reading the rest. Having said that, I probably will because I always feel the need to know how a story ends.

The sentences were well written with beautifully descriptive phrasing but it was the story itself that fell a little bit short. I am guessing that perhaps the next book will be a little more exciting as the ending of The Seeker held my interest more than the rest of it.

About the Author

R.B. Chesterton is the pseudonym for Carolyn Haines, who was the 2010 recipient of the Harper Lee Award for Distinguished Writing, the 2009 recipient of the Richard Wright Award for Literary Excellence, and the 2011 RT Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Amateur Sleuth. She is the author of more than sixty books in a number of genres. She is an assistant professor of English at the University of South Alabama where she teaches fiction writing.