Dance of the Mourning Cloak

Chase Bishop is a long-haul trucker who returns to Altuna, Pennsylvania from a trip to discover that his autistic sister, Cassie, has been murdered. He finds a business card in her possession, which leads him to Dark Hollow Lake, TN. Once he arrives, Melinda Bradley nearly hits him with her car, and he hits his head. Since she doesn’t want to leave him on the road, she brings Chase to her home to recuperate. Soon, they discover a crime that may be linked to Cassie’s death; they learn about some missing money, and Chase discovers an unexpected connection to the town. The paranormal aspect of this book occurs as Chase is able to read auras and can tell things about people, and he sometimes sees ghosts.

Chase and Melinda occasionally get help from unexpected sources, which adds some interest to the story. The story drags in places and keeps a moderate pace in others. The conflicts for each protagonist are clear, but Chase is mainly focused on getting some answers about his sister’s murder. The reason for the title isn’t clear until the end of the story, but it’s worth learning. There are some improbable actions, like the perpetrators getting tried, convicted, and sentenced all within a month, and a package including some valuable items getting mailed from prison to Chase, meaning the perpetrator had to have them on him when arrested, but most of the story flowed nicely.

Dan Caravetta does a wonderful job of narrating this story. His intonations aren’t dramatic, but they are enough to convey the spirit and meaning of each action and to differentiate each character. The sound quality is good and there aren’t any unexpected noises on the recording. The sound level stays even throughout, and he maintains the integrity of each voice as well.

Carey Sullivan