"It has been a number of years since I've seen anything quite like it—one of the finest pieces of artistry I've had the gratification of seeing. To Craige's ears the jeweler's subdued accent less evident but definite. Called up second thoughts of another Hungarian. His jaw flexed, loosened..."
The Lady of Corpsewood Manor by Hawk Mackinney Wandering Sage Publications
book review by Dylan Ward
Ex-Navy Seal, Craige Ingram, gets caught in the crosshairs of a dangerous arson and murder case with international intrigue in the latest Craige Ingram mystery. Here, Ingram takes on the investigation into the mysterious fire that burns down the remote Corpsewood Manor in his neck of the woods near his ancestral South Carolina home, Moccasin Hollow. Ingram is no stranger to Corpsewood Manor, its infamous tales "ready made for Halloween," and the fire that destroys it leaves stacked bodies and a one of a kind brooch that beckons with a "subtle dark gleam" believed to be "a bringer of trouble."
Compelled by this brooch and the murders, Ingram relies on his military training and expertise and is joined by his Navy Seal partners, Grayson Macgerald and Spinner Krespinak. They embark on a dangerous mission to solve the mysterious deaths at Corpsewood Manor, traversing through woods and rivers that stretch between the South Carolina and Georgia borders and even encounter a former foe thought to be long dead.
Mackinney's fourth book in the Craige Ingram mystery series may be familiar to fans. Written in sparring and taut narrative, the authentic southern dialect is at times a bit distracting, but once you get used to it, the novel progresses quickly. The reader can feel the heat of the south and the tension of the sticky, dicey situations Ingram and his comrades find themselves in. With full throttle, Mackinney immerses you into a rugged landscape that's rife with dangers at every turn —haunted loocales, swamps with moccasins and gators, villains hidden in the shadows and river mists—and this action packed story delivers until the very end.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review.