Author: Rebecca Alexander
Series: Sage Westfield (Book 1)
Publication: Titan Books (May 1, 2018)
Description: Archaeologist Sage Westfield has been called in to excavate a sixteenth-century well, and expects to find little more than soil and the odd piece of pottery. But the disturbing discovery of the bones of a woman and newborn baby make it clear that she has stumbled onto an historical crime scene—one that is interwoven with an unsettling local legend of witchcraft and unrequited love.
Yet there is more to the case than a four-hundred-year-old mystery. The owners of a nearby cottage are convinced that it is haunted, and the local vicar is being plagued with abusive phone calls. Then a tragic death makes it all too clear that a modern murderer is at work . . .
My Thoughts: Archaeologist Sage Westfield and a couple of students are excavating an old well from the 1580s and find bones - human bones. The dig was begun because the new owners of the cottage had planned to add an extension before the husband was diagnosed with cancer. Now the wife and young daughter are dealing with a gravely ill husband and father and are also dealing with a cottage that seems to be haunted.
The discovery of the bones of a baby and woman send Sage, who is also pregnant, on a hunt to discover who they were and how they ended up in the well. Her hunt leads her to the local lord of the manor and the historical society and also to the local pub which is a great resource for the stories that have been passed down for hundreds of years.
Sage is also having a difficult time in her personal life. She has tried to break things off with her married lover, but he isn't willing to get out of her life. She also learns some disturbing things about her parents when their marriage crumbles. And she meets a new man - widowed Vicar Nick Haydon - and begins a romance with him.
Meanwhile, we are given glimpses of the Tudor past of the area via the journal and memoirs of Vincent Garland who was the illegitimate son of the previous Lord Banstock and the Steward of the present Lord.
The two stories echo each other in forbidden love, obsession, and murder. I really enjoyed the way the stories were woven together. I liked the information about archaeology. I liked the way the past spawned stories and legends still told in the present.
Sage was an interesting character. I liked getting to know her and see her life.
Favorite Quote:
Favorite Quote:
'This is your uterine wall. This.' she indicated a line, 'is the edge of your placenta, lying low, possibly over the cervix. It's called placenta praevia.''I know. It's one of those complications you skip over in the books.'
Sounds such an intriguing book. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteSuch an interesting topic. I like stories with an archeological angle but there aren't many good ones out there. Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway series is a good one that comes to mind.
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