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The Spirit In The Skull (2014)

by J.M. Hayes(Favorite Author)

3.6 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1464202826 (ISBN13: 9781464202827)

languge

English

genre

Paranormal Fantasy

publisher

Poisoned Pen Press

review 1: Raven is a Spirit Man for the People, who are traveling to try to reach a new land based on something a holy man told them last year. There's a problem, though - as he returns from a scouting trip ahead of the People, he gets information that one of the tribesmen has died - worse, he's been murdered. And, even more frightening, the clues point toward Down, a young woman whom Raven has realized he wants as his own. But there are other problems with Raven's desires - Stone, the headman of the tribe, hates Raven because of Raven's power with the spirits, though Raven's been holding secrets of his own: He's never spoken to the spirits, he just realizes what seems to be the right path to take, and suggests the People do that. Stone has promised Down to one of his men - the firs... moret one killed - and then suggests to Down she would be best with a boy her own age, one of his choosing, rather than the boy she wants, Hair On Fire. And then, Hair On Fire dies, during a hunt on a mammoth, and Down turns to Raven for comfort. And that comfort leads to them having sex, and being caught - and that, in turn, releases something new to the People - a beautiful, frightening woman who is the Mother in flesh form, who insists Raven solve the two murders within twenty-four hours, or the People will be torn asunder. If that's not bad enough, Raven has, for the first time in his life, experienced his first spirit walk - and its to a future, so very frightening, it affects his own world. A very intriguing murder mystery, as well as a time-travel story. A quick read, but enjoyable, none-the-less.
review 2: I was thrilled to think someone had written an historical mystery set in PREhistorical era and those parts of the book were good but too much depended on what I call "woo-woo" or magic be it Earth Goddess abilities to direct human actions or characters being able to transcend time to see the future. In the end it sort of devolved into a rant against exploitation of the tundra by petroleum interests which is something that I can get behind but didn't feel it really worked as part of a mystery novel. The identity of the perp seemed to come out of left field as well. An interesting but not entirely satisfying attempt. Neither fish nor fowl. less

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