J.M. Hayes, The Spirit & the Skull (Poisoned Pen Press, 2014) Although the plot centers around murder, this is not a murder mystery in the conventional sense. People seeking such a thing will not find it here. The Spirit & the Skull is a very interesting exploration of a hypothetical paleolithic society, based on some archeological data and a lot of speculation, focusing on some of the first nomads to move into North America.
The real problem is with the plot. Most especially: the time-traveling elements seemed completely out of place and unnecessary. I think they were supposed to ratchet up the tension around the paleo murders more, but it was not clear at all to me how these were connected in any sense, so that didn't work. I also found the resolution of the mystery to be arbitrary and not something that felt like an obvious solution. Now, in some ways these might be strengths. I've read enough folktales in which causation and plot do not coincide with our current understandings, and this novel as a whole did remind me of such, as well as literary fiction as some create it. Nonetheless, I found it a fascinating read, but ultimately unsatisfying ... which of course may have been the author's intent; I cannot say. ![]() |
![]() Rambles.NET book review by Amanda Fisher 11 October 2014 Agree? Disagree? Send us your opinions! ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |