Reviews
There is nothing of the standard mystery novel here. Very good....The English village of Noddweir has done its part, even if reluctantly, in accepting children from the big cities suffering through the blitz of German airplanes in the summer of 1941. These children do not always settle easily into the fabric of a small isolated village, so different from their city homes. The problems begin with mischief which the residents of the village lay firmly at the feet of the mischievous children who have been billeted in the village. Unfortunately, a local young girl disappears, then non-resident children begin to go missing. Have they run away or has something more sinister happened? When the pranks escalate to real damage and danger the villagers have no idea what could be happening in their isolated community overlooked by the mysterious Guardian Stones on the hilltop....This novel is categorized by the publisher as British, historical, mystical mystery. I would like to add horror to that list. The tension in this story builds ever so slowly so that you get the full impact of the local superstitions as well as the privations of daily living in England in June of 1941. Small rural villages might not have been quite as hard hit by the food shortages and rationing because they had more opportunity to grow their own food, but life was still harsh and people were extremely wary of any stranger suddenly appearing in their midst. The main character in this novel is a recently widowed retired professor from the United States who has come to study the Guardian Stones. The official police officer of the village has gone to fight in the war and his replacement is definitely in need of instruction in how to investigate any kind of case, never mind something as serious as the cases which confront him here. There is a lot of unease built into this novel and you are definitely not going to be reading a standard mystery. There is nothing standard about this at all. This is the first novel featuring this character and I can't find any information that indicates it will become a series. Probably best as a stand-alone anyway., During WWII, evacuee children disappear from an English village in this disturbing novel from Reed, the pseudonym of Mary Reed and Eric Mayer, the authors of the John, the Lord Chamberlain series (Murder in Megara, etc.). In June 1941, retired American professor Edwin Carpenter comes to Noddweir in Shropshire to study an ancient stone circle and prepare some talks on historic British monuments, though certain locals are less than thrilled that the United States has not yet entered the war. When young Isobel "Issy" Chapman and troublemakers from Birmingham go missing, villagers point fingers at Issy's reputedly abusive father, Jack Chapman, and surly Harry Wainman, a farmer, while Special Constable Tom Green is more interested in seducing Edwin's landlady, Grace Baxter, than solving any crimes. Further complications ensue with the folk remedies and superstitions of Grace's grandmother; the sudden deaths of Green, a dog, and a town shopkeeper; and cases of arson. The violent climax may upset cozy fans. (Jan.), Not the type of mystery I usually read, otherwise I might rank it higher. Very dark. Two drawbacks for me were the death of the dog, and the fact that the ages of most of the characters were unclear, which makes it hard for me to relate to it. Otherwise well-written....Read this because I really like the authors' John the Chamberlain series., Eric Reed's' The Guardian Stones was not what I expected from Poisoned Pen Press, a publisher I associate with standard mystery series centered on a single detective. In The Guardian Stones, the "detectives," if I can call them that, are Edwin Carpenter, an American professor who has inexplicably decided to go to England in the middle of World War II to investigate the titular stones (think Stonehenge on a much smaller scale), and Grace, a resident of the village those stones "guard." A series of disappearances and other crimes has followed the arrival of several children who have been evacuated from Birmingham to the village as part of Operation Pied Piper, which was intended to protect England's urban children from bombing attacks.~~~I found the clashing interactions between the street-tough children and their resentful (though mostly well-intentioned) hosts to be one of the most emotionally engaging aspects of the book. I also enjoyed the way in which Reed teases the reader with a variety of possible solutions to the crime wave, including a supernatural explanation, before the final reveal, which I thought was excellent. What brought The Guardian Stones down from 4 to 3.5 stars was its slow beginning, which might well have discouraged a less determined reader. I'm glad my persistence paid off in the end., During WWII, evacuee children disappear from an English village in this disturbing novel from Reed, the pseudonym of Mary Reed and Eric Mayer, the authors of the John, the Lord Chamberlain series ( Murder in Megara , etc.). In June 1941, retired American professor Edwin Carpenter comes to Noddweir in Shropshire to study an ancient stone circle and prepare some talks on historic British monuments, though certain locals are less than thrilled that the United States has not yet entered the war. When young Isobel "Issy" Chapman and troublemakers from Birmingham go missing, villagers point fingers at Issy's reputedly abusive father, Jack Chapman, and surly Harry Wainman, a farmer, while Special Constable Tom Green is more interested in seducing Edwin's landlady, Grace Baxter, than solving any crimes. Further complications ensue with the folk remedies and superstitions of Grace's grandmother; the sudden deaths of Green, a dog, and a town shopkeeper; and cases of arson. The violent climax may upset cozy fans. (Jan.), Eric Reed (actually Mary Reed and Eric Mayer, co-authors of a series set in 6th century Byzantium) is/are American, and can be forgiven for a portrayal of English village life which owes more to Thomas Hardy than Foyle's War. The book's greatest strength is the atmosphere. The dark, looming forest on the edge of the village seems to exude fear and malignity. Unlike most real-life stone circles, the Guardians attract unsavoury elements; and when, quite late in the day, the body count begins to rise, the stones act as a focus for the village's despair.... The Guardian Stones is an interesting take on wartime mystery: no spies, no plots against the enemy, just ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, with an extra layer of spookiness thrown in for good measure., Not the type of mystery I usually read, otherwise I might rank it higher. Very dark. Two drawbacks for me were the death of the dog, and the fact that the ages of most of the characters were unclear, which makes it hard for me to relate to it. Otherwise well-written.~~~Read this because I really like the authors' John the Chamberlain series., There is nothing of the standard mystery novel here. Very good.~~~The English village of Noddweir has done its part, even if reluctantly, in accepting children from the big cities suffering through the blitz of German airplanes in the summer of 1941. These children do not always settle easily into the fabric of a small isolated village, so different from their city homes. The problems begin with mischief which the residents of the village lay firmly at the feet of the mischievous children who have been billeted in the village. Unfortunately, a local young girl disappears, then non-resident children begin to go missing. Have they run away or has something more sinister happened? When the pranks escalate to real damage and danger the villagers have no idea what could be happening in their isolated community overlooked by the mysterious Guardian Stones on the hilltop.~~~This novel is categorized by the publisher as British, historical, mystical mystery. I would like to add horror to that list. The tension in this story builds ever so slowly so that you get the full impact of the local superstitions as well as the privations of daily living in England in June of 1941. Small rural villages might not have been quite as hard hit by the food shortages and rationing because they had more opportunity to grow their own food, but life was still harsh and people were extremely wary of any stranger suddenly appearing in their midst. The main character in this novel is a recently widowed retired professor from the United States who has come to study the Guardian Stones. The official police officer of the village has gone to fight in the war and his replacement is definitely in need of instruction in how to investigate any kind of case, never mind something as serious as the cases which confront him here. There is a lot of unease built into this novel and you are definitely not going to be reading a standard mystery. There is nothing standard about this at all. This is the first novel featuring this character and I can't find any information that indicates it will become a series. Probably best as a stand-alone anyway., Eric Reed (actually Mary Reed and Eric Mayer, co-authors of a series set in 6th century Byzantium) is/are American, and can be forgiven for a portrayal of English village life which owes more to Thomas Hardy than Foyle's War. The book's greatest strength is the atmosphere. The dark, looming forest on the edge of the village seems to exude fear and malignity. Unlike most real-life stone circles, the Guardians attract unsavoury elements; and when, quite late in the day, the body count begins to rise, the stones act as a focus for the village's despair.~~~The Guardian Stones is an interesting take on wartime mystery: no spies, no plots against the enemy, just ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, with an extra layer of spookiness thrown in for good measure., 3.5 stars~~~Eric Reed's' The Guardian Stones was not what I expected from Poisoned Pen Press, a publisher I associate with standard mystery series centered on a single detective. In The Guardian Stones, the "detectives," if I can call them that, are Edwin Carpenter, an American professor who has inexplicably decided to go to England in the middle of World War II to investigate the titular stones (think Stonehenge on a much smaller scale), and Grace, a resident of the village those stones "guard." A series of disappearances and other crimes has followed the arrival of several children who have been evacuated from Birmingham to the village as part of Operation Pied Piper, which was intended to protect England's urban children from bombing attacks(view spoiler).~~~I found the clashing interactions between the street-tough children and their resentful (though mostly well-intentioned) hosts to be one of the most emotionally engaging aspects of the book. I also enjoyed the way in which Reed teases the reader with a variety of possible solutions to the crime wave, including a supernatural explanation, before the final reveal, which I thought was excellent. What brought The Guardian Stones down from 4 to 3.5 stars was its slow beginning, which might well have discouraged a less determined reader. I'm glad my persistence paid off in the end., Shades of Arthur Miller's The Crucible pervade these pages, which are rife with hysterical suspicion, blame, fear and anger., In the English village of Noddweir they take children into there community from the big cities in the blitz.~~~A young local girl goes missing then children that are not local goes missing as well.The children that have been sent there are blamed for all the mysterious things that start to happen, have the children that are missing run away or something else happened to them?~~~The village is overlooked by the Guardian stones on the hilltop and the recently widowed professor has come to study them.~~~A good novel., The English village of Noddweir has done its part, even if reluctantly, in accepting children from the big cities suffering through the blitz of German airplanes in the summer of 1941. These children do not always settle easily into the fabric of a small isolated village, so different from their city homes. The problems begin with mischief which the residents of the village lay firmly at the feet of the mischievous children who have been billeted in the village. Unfortunately, a local young girl disappears, then non-resident children begin to go missing. Have they run away or has something more sinister happened? When the pranks escalate to real damage and danger the villagers have no idea what could be happening in their isolated community overlooked by the mysterious Guardian Stones on the hilltop.~~~This novel is categorized by the publisher as British, historical, mystical mystery. I would like to add horror to that list. The tension in this story builds ever so slowly so that you get the full impact of the local superstitions as well as the privations of daily living in England in June of 1941. Small rural villages might not have been quite as hard hit by the food shortages and rationing because they had more opportunity to grow their own food, but life was still harsh and people were extremely wary of any stranger suddenly appearing in their midst. The main character in this novel is a recently widowed retired professor from the United States who has come to study the Guardian Stones. The official police officer of the village has gone to fight in the war and his replacement is definitely in need of instruction in how to investigate any kind of case, never mind something as serious as the cases which confront him here. There is a lot of unease built into this novel and you are definitely not going to be reading a standard mystery. There is nothing standard about this at all. This is the first novel featuring this character and I can't find any information that indicates it will become a series. Probably best as a stand-alone anyway., A remote Shropshire town is beset by wartime demons even more insidious than the Third Reich.~~~It's 1941. American widower Edwin Carpenter is retired from his job as a university professor, and he's made the arduous trip to England to study a stone circle just outside the town of Noddweir. He's corresponded with Vicar Timothy Wilson and arranged to lodge with Grace Baxter, whose father, the village constable, has gone off to war. The village is of two minds over the disappearance of Issy Chapman, the teenage daughter of the village blacksmith. On one hand, Issy is considered a troublemaker and a slut; on the other, her father is rumored to mistreat her. Quite a few children have been removed from their city homes and sent to the country for their safety, billeted among many families in and around Noddweir, and inevitably their numbers include quite a few tough troublemakers. As more children vanish, suspicion runs rife among the villagers. An outsider like Edwin is naturally high on the list of suspects. Then the ineffectual special constable sent to replace Grace's father is found murdered, and several other villagers die in suspicious circumstances as rumors of strange sightings occur. Grace's grandmother, a student of the old ways, folk cures, and magic, insists that the stone circle known as the Guardian Stones is responsible for all the horrifying events. Edwin, unpersuaded, tries to help Grace do her father's job and protect the town from whatever modern evil is plaguing it.~~~A fascinating look at a small town mired in the past and confronting the future--with a bombshell ending., Children are disappearing from a rural English village during WWII. Did they run away or is someone or something more sinister afoot? Are the mysterious stone monoliths known as "The Guardians" in some way responsible for these disappearances? Readers will be entertained by local lore and superstitions contributing to the deepening mystery....It was a joy to explore the personalities of the villagers of Noddweir. Readers will meet the visiting professor, the shopkeeper, the local witch wise woman, the drunken blacksmith, the village bully/bobby, the wheezy vicar, volatile couples, rowdy children, the schoolmarm, and the peddler of black market contraband. Each character is painted with sufficient detail to provide an essence of the person without a lot of the backstory that tends to bore or overwhelm readers....I'll keep an eye out for the final publication and future works by this debut author. There's talent here, particularly in character development and the escalation of conflict., I found myself enjoying this book much more than I had anticipated. Always a fan of historical fiction the setting in 1941 England promised much, but the aspect of horror attached to the story is fascinating. As children from bomb-threatened cities arrive in the village of Noddweir for their own safety, the disappearance of the village children rouses the superstitions of the villagers. Recommended., The novel speaks to the irrationality of folklore, the social aspects of war, the effect environment has on people, and the universality of loss....I enjoyed the setting, the time period, and the initial premise of the novel., A remote Shropshire town is beset by wartime demons even more insidious than the Third Reich. It's 1941. American widower Edwin Carpenter is retired from his job as a university professor, and he's made the arduous trip to England to study a stone circle just outside the town of Noddweir. He's corresponded with Vicar Timothy Wilson and arranged to lodge with Grace Baxter, whose father, the village constable, has gone off to war. The village is of two minds over the disappearance of Issy Chapman, the teenage daughter of the village blacksmith. On one hand, Issy is considered a troublemaker and a slut; on the other, her father is rumored to mistreat her. Quite a few children have been removed from their city homes and sent to the country for their safety, billeted among many families in and around Noddweir, and inevitably their numbers include quite a few tough troublemakers. As more children vanish, suspicion runs rife among the villagers. An outsider like Edwin is naturally high on the list of suspects. Then the ineffectual special constable sent to replace Grace's father is found murdered, and several other villagers die in suspicious circumstances as rumors of strange sightings occur. Grace's grandmother, a student of the old ways, folk cures, and magic, insists that the stone circle known as the Guardian Stones is responsible for all the horrifying events. Edwin, unpersuaded, tries to help Grace do her father's job and protect the town from whatever modern evil is plaguing it. A fascinating look at a small town mired in the past and confronting the future - with a bombshell ending., The story progresses largo until it crescendos in a horror driven climax, all the more effective for the presumed innocence of the cause.~~~This is not your usual mystery. There is no effective investigation, people are drawn along by events out of their control. Despite the apparent aimlessness of the characters, the tension builds inexorably, helped by italicised sections hinting at horrors not revealed until the end.~~~The village itself and life in 1941 England appear faultlessly limned, though one hopes the characters are less accurately representative. A memorable read, especially the unerasable climactic images., Children are disappearing from a rural English village during WWII. Did they run away or is someone or something more sinister afoot? Are the mysterious stone monoliths known as "The Guardians" in some way responsible for these disappearances? Readers will be entertained by local lore and superstitions contributing to the deepening mystery.~~~It was a joy to explore the personalities of the villagers of Noddweir. Readers will meet the visiting professor, the shopkeeper, the local witch wise woman, the drunken blacksmith, the village bully/bobby, the wheezy vicar, volatile couples, rowdy children, the schoolmarm, and the peddler of black market contraband. Each character is painted with sufficient detail to provide an essence of the person without a lot of the backstory that tends to bore or overwhelm readers.~~~I'll keep an eye out for the final publication and future works by this debut author. There's talent here, particularly in character development and the escalation of conflict., The story progresses largo until it crescendos in a horror driven climax, all the more effective for the presumed innocence of the cause....This is not your usual mystery. There is no effective investigation, people are drawn along by events out of their control. Despite the apparent aimlessness of the characters, the tension builds inexorably, helped by italicised sections hinting at horrors not revealed until the end....The village itself and life in 1941 England appear faultlessly limned, though one hopes the characters are less accurately representative. A memorable read, especially the unerasable climactic images., ...overall, the novel rates high marks for well-paced, page-turning storytelling, unsettling darkness, and all-too-human realism., In the English village of Noddweir they take children into there community from the big cities in the blitz....A young local girl goes missing then children that are not local goes missing as well.The children that have been sent there are blamed for all the mysterious things that start to happen, have the children that are missing run away or something else happened to them'...The village is overlooked by the Guardian stones on the hilltop and the recently widowed professor has come to study them....A good novel., But overall, the novel rates high marks for well-paced, page-turning storytelling, unsettling darkness, and all-too-human realism., This novel is categorized by the publisher as British, historical, mystical mystery. I would like to add horror to that list. The tension in this story builds ever so slowly so that you get the full impact of the local superstitions as well as the privations of daily living in England in June of 1941. Small rural villages might not have been quite as hard hit by the food shortages and rationing because they had more opportunity to grow their own food, but life was still harsh and people were extremely wary of any stranger suddenly appearing in their midst. The main character in this novel is a recently widowed retired professor from the United States who has come to study the Guardian Stones. The official police officer of the village has gone to fight in the war and his replacement is definitely in need of instruction in how to investigate any kind of case, never mind something as serious as the cases which confront him here. There is a lot of unease built into this novel and you are definitely not going to be reading a standard mystery. There is nothing standard about this at all. This is the first novel featuring this character and I can't find any information that indicates it will become a series. Probably best as a stand-alone anyway., 3.5 stars...Eric Reed's' The Guardian Stones was not what I expected from Poisoned Pen Press, a publisher I associate with standard mystery series centered on a single detective. In The Guardian Stones , the "detectives," if I can call them that, are Edwin Carpenter, an American professor who has inexplicably decided to go to England in the middle of World War II to investigate the titular stones (think Stonehenge on a much smaller scale), and Grace, a resident of the village those stones "guard." A series of disappearances and other crimes has followed the arrival of several children who have been evacuated from Birmingham to the village as part of Operation Pied Piper, which was intended to protect England's urban children from bombing attacks(view spoiler)....I found the clashing interactions between the street-tough children and their resentful (though mostly well-intentioned) hosts to be one of the most emotionally engaging aspects of the book. I also enjoyed the way in which Reed teases the reader with a variety of possible solutions to the crime wave, including a supernatural explanation, before the final reveal, which I thought was excellent. What brought The Guardian Stones down from 4 to 3.5 stars was its slow beginning, which might well have discouraged a less determined reader. I'm glad my persistence paid off in the end., The novel speaks to the irrationality of folklore, the social aspects of war, the effect environment has on people, and the universality of loss.~~~I enjoyed the setting, the time period, and the initial premise of the novel. I was disappointed in the novel's ending and I never really connected with the characters. I found the pace slower than I would like.~~~The novel could do with additional editing. Missing words in several instances interrupted the flow of the narrative for me. I read a digital advance reader's copy so I'm hoping that this didn't carry over to the finished book.
