Customer Reviews

Deep Down

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I tried. I really tried to enjoy this book but from the first page it was a lost cause for me. If you want to learn about ginseng (or sang as it is called colloquially), you might learn a little. If you're looking for an engrossing mystery, keep moving. The premise was very promising(Appalachian heritage vs. modern medicine, East(China) meets West(Kentucky?!), Cherokee grudge, star-crossed lovers separated by family, vengeful mistress seeking revenge with her poison garden) but the characters were flat and the plot moved in circles and then suddenly ended. It could have been so much more...
If you absolutely must have a murder-in-a-ginseng-patch mystery, try getting your hands on "Malice in Maggody" by Joan Hess--it's comedic-cozy but it will keep you entertained.

In the Appalachia side of Kentucky, Sheriff Drew Webb of Deep Down calls Jess Lockwood to tell that her mom Mariah has disappeared. Only for Mariah would Jess come home as does not want to remember how much she once loved Drew.

Apparently, as part of the job her daughter got her several years ago Mariah was searching for Sang, a ginseng that is on the endangered species list. In the midst of her work, she vanished. Although Drew has no proof that foul play occurred, he quickly finds suspects who might harm Mariah as he and Jess believe her mom's being missing is linked to Sang. As they investigate together, their previous feelings ignite, but first there is finding Mariah with neither suspecting how dangerous their inquiry will soon prove.

DEEP DOWN is an action-packed, fast-paced police procedural romantic suspense. The keys to the super story line are the fully developed lead couple as the audience will feel Mariah's dichotomy of emotions of love and fear, and the location that adds a gloomy sinister ambiance. Readers will appreciate this exciting thriller as the heroine learns you can go home perhaps to die.

Harriet Klausner

I typically like Karen Harper. I will try a different KH book in the future. Save your $ on this one. I don't read mystery fiction b/c it is educational- I learned WAY more than I ever wanted about ginseng. All this nonsense about ginseng caused the author to forget to give depth & excitement to the story, leaving the characters shallow. I skipped a lot of pages so I could confirm my guess as to the ending (& so I could start a new book that would hold my attention).

These characters have no depth, and there is no drama! The main character is more concerned with her childhood crush on the local sheriff than her missing mother that she rushed home to find. I was so disgusted with the characters and dragging plot line that I gave up half way through this book. Save your money on this one.

This was a very interesting book. I learned alot about ginsing or sang as it is called in the book.