The dazzling, award-winning debut in a series that delivers mystery, romance, suspense, and fascinating forensic detail.

When farmers cutting turf in an Irish peat bog make a grisly discovery–the perfectly preserved head of a young woman with long red hair–Irish archaeologist Cormac Maguire and American pathologist Nora Gavin must use cutting-edge techniques to preserve ancient evidence. Because the bog’s watery, acidic environment prevents decay, it’s difficult to tell how long the red-haired girl has been buried–two years, two centuries, or even much longer.

Who is she? The extraordinary find leads to even more disturbing puzzles. The red-haired girl is not the only enigma in this remote corner of Galway. Two years earlier, Mina Osborne, the wife of a local landowner, went for a walk with her young son and vanished without a trace. Could they, too, be hidden in the bog’s treacherous depths, only to be discovered centuries from now? Or did Hugh Osborne murder his family, as some villagers suspect? Bracklyn House, Osborne’s stately home, holds many secrets, and Nora and Cormac’s inquiries threaten to expose them all.

When I got this book I thought the story would focus mainly on the girl found in the bog and the relationship between the 2 investigators on the project. In reality, the story revolves more around the mysterious disappearance of the local mother and child, and the lives and personalities of the Dunbeg townspeople. I enjoyed the look into small town Irish life and found the names, customs, geography and music very interesting.

My biggest complaint about the book was the constant use of foul language. Most of the male characters pepper their conversations with the F word, which completely jarred me out of the story. I know that some people overseas don’t find the word as offensive as people in the U.S. do, but I found it really irritating.

I wasn’t initially gripped by the storyline but felt like the author did a good job of keeping the reader interested in the two mysteries: who does the severed head belong to and whatever happened to Mina Osborne? She switched between the two plots fairly seamlessly and her depiction of rural Ireland was believable and full of Irish folklore and superstition. This was the debut of a series featuring Nora Gavin and I will definitely try another one when I get the opportunity.