"Now I'm living up here and can see this gorgeous view every single day."
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The Aerie: Air Strip on Weeks Mountain by Marjorie Irish Randell Trafford Publishing
book review by Cynthia Collins
Jake Weeks is in his eighties and lives with his granddaughter, Amy, in the town of Glimmer near Weeks Mountain in the High Sierras. The mountain has been in his family for several generations. He likes the solitude where he can sit on a boulder and think about his late wife, their dreams, and his granddaughter's accomplishments. One day, he and Amy are on the mountain when they hear a small airplane. It turns out to be a man who is looking to buy the mountain for a landing strip. Jake tells the man and his wife that it is not for sale.
The couple succeeds at getting Jake to sell after promising him that the landing strip will only be used for small aircraft. The man likes to restore old planes. He tells Jake and Amy that they can come up to the mountain anytime, and no houses will be built around the air strip. The only other people who come to live there are those who are either pilots, airplane mechanics, or can help with the air strip and hangar in some other capacity. Despite their differences, the entire community is in shock when one of them gets murdered.
The author does a wonderful job of introducing each person or couple in a separate chapter. She explains why they moved to Weeks Mountain but also keeps the storyline moving forward. Readers sense the angst that Amy has when her grandfather decides to sell. They also understand why Jake does it after saying he wouldn't. This story is about people and what the air strip represents to each of them. Adventure, family ties, starting over, a place to find peace, are all found within the beauty of nature. At almost 400 pages, it is well worth the read.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review