The Mountains Wild: A Mystery

The Mountains Wild is a police procedural novel featuring Maggie D’arcy. Erin Flaherty, Maggie’s cousin, disappeared from Ireland twenty-three years ago in 1993. The only thing that was found was her silver claddagh necklace where Erin had been walking that day. Maggie’s uncle, Daniel Flaherty gets a call that the scarf Erin had been wearing was found with blood on it. Maggie heads to Dublin determined to get the answers they have been seeking. The Mountains Wild turned out to be different from what I expected after reading the blurb. It turns out that several women have gone missing over the years with the latest being Niamh Horrigan. While the police were searching for Niamh, they found Erin’s bloody scarf. I can tell from the author’s writing and descriptions that she loves Ireland. Her word imagery brings Dublin and the surrounding to life. She weaves in Ireland’s history, literature, language, and politics into the story. Maggie D’arcy is a good detective and she has solved several high-profile cases. Looking into Erin’s disappearance in 1993 led Maggie to become a police officer. Maggie is now a lieutenant leading a team in the homicide division. The story is told from Maggie’s point-of-view. We are taken back to 1993 to see how the initial case played out. As Maggie investigates in 2016, we get a glimpse of Erin and Maggie’s growing up years. I found the pacing to be slow with just a slight uptick near the end. The mystery was convoluted with a “twist” near the end. I found the investigation to be tedious. It was long and drawn out. It lacked excitement and suspense. Whether you find the twist surprising, depends on how many mysteries you have read. I felt that over a hundred pages could have easily been edited from this book. I did like DI Roland Byrne and Griz. They were great characters. There is repetition of information and too many characters. A pronunciation guide would have come in handy for the Irish names. Maggie’s romance felt out of place considering what was happening. I also did not feel there was chemistry between Maggie and her love interest. The Mountains Wild was just not a good fit for me. I suggest you obtain a sample to see if it is your type of mystery. The Mountains Wild is a whodunit with a curious cousin, exiguous evidence, a distraught dad, and a rare romance.