Is the past better left undisturbed, or unearthed?
When a body is found half-submerged in a molten mud pot in one of Rotorua’s famous geothermal wonderlands, forensics expert Alexa Glock spots a way to prolong her stay in New Zealand, which she has been visiting for work. Teeth are her expertise, and the investigation needs her help, as other ways of identifying the body may have… melted away.… melted away.
Joining Detective Inspector Bruce Horne and his team, Alexa discovers that the murder victim, a city councilman, had trespassed on an island sacred to the Maori. The ancient punishment for such a transgression is disaster, demonic possession, or death… and when she visits the island to investigate, the same outcome is promised for her. Alexa doesn’t believe in ancient spirits returning to exact revenge, and when another victim turns up dead she begins to wonder whether the real threat is something¿or someone¿much closer to home.
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This book is set in New Zealand, and the main character is an American forensic specialist working on contract there. I enjoy learning new things in fiction, and this story contained many interesting descriptions of forensic techniques, as well as many Maori sayings and traditional beliefs. I thoroughly enjoyed this mini vacation to New Zealand.
I thoroughly enjoyed this trip through real and imagined parts of New Zealand in this first book in the Alexa Glock series by Sara E Johnson as a twisted tale of murder, betrayal, dishonor unfolded to the reader from the fist page to the very last. It was also a slow developing potential love story which I’m sure will be further explored in future books in the series. In addition to learning much about the ancient New Zealand tribes along the way, the plot of the book continued in a smooth and most readable manner. The characters were introduced in such a manner as to make them all very individualistic rather than a general person in the population, with their own wants, needs and desires kept somewhat secret throughout. I am definitely looking forward to reading the further tales of Alexa’s exploits and adventures. This is a voluntary review of an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Hidden Gems Books.
Thank you to Hidden Gems for providing a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
3.5 stars…Molten Mud Murder is a thriller by Sara E. Johnson. Over all the book was well written, I just found it a little boring. It started to pick up towards the end, but I felt let down at the ending.
While this was a satisfying mystery, the draw for me wasn’t so much the character of Alexa or the murder mystery she set out to solve. The draw was the location and the Maori culture. One day I might just get to visit New Zealand but, until I do pack my bags and go, this will fill in nicely.
Alex is an American teaching a university class in Rotoua and she has fallen in love with it. Her visitor status is at its conclusion and she wants to figure out how to stay longer. Her speciality is odontology – the subject that brought her to New Zealand might just help here to stay when a body is found boiled to death in a mud pot and teeth are just about the only thing identifiable. Eager to get involved, Alexa offers her considerable forensic experience to the local police only to be brushed aside. Things change when the police expert on the case is called away and the police finally accept her help. One corpse will lead to another and, in my opinion, Alexa becomes a bit of a loose cannon, going off on her own to interview and otherwise investigate. That can become dangerous for a Yank in New Zealand without much of a clue of how to maneuver the Maori cultural rules, especially regarding their sacred grounds. Alexa’s assistant is attacked – will Alexa be next? Because she seems to have a nack for putting herself in harm’s way, that might be in her future if she isn’t careful.
Having enjoyed this literary trip to New Zealand, I’m looking forward to more mysteries with Alexa Glock.
procedural, law-enforcement, New Zealand, cultural-exploration, culture-shock, forensics, romantic, murder-investigation, Maori
***** As an exploratory into Maori customs and the lack of respect from non-Maori locals and tourists I found it to be quite well done. As an introduction to forensic sciences I felt it was also quite well done. As a cosy mystery I really enjoyed it! Lots of misdirection, plot twists, and red herrings along with some really great imagery of a land I will never be able to visit. Personally, I could have done with less romantic obsessing by forensic odontologist Alexa over Senior Constable Horne but I suppose it sells. Nevertheless, I highly recommend it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
Molten Mud Murder by Sare E. Johnson is the first book in a new mystery series that proved to be entertaining.
Alexa Glock is from the United States and has been in New Zealand working at university but her class is now finished and she’s at loose ends. She’s fiercely independent but facing a crossroads in her personal life which often entered her thoughts throughout the book. The mystery is smoothly paced and there were few suspects to consider. Ms. Johnson’s descriptive writing of New Zealand, the Maori culture and wildlife made this book a fascinating read for me.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.