In the Barren Ground

By: Loreth Anne White

Narrated by: Cara Gee

In the Barrens, a vast wilderness in northern Canada bordering the Arctic Circle, night consumes every hour of the winter. Humans are scarce; ferocious predators roam freely. Locals say spirits do, too.

Rookie cop Tana Larsson doesn't mind the dark and quiet. Five months pregnant and hoping to escape the mistakes of her past, she takes a post in Twin Rivers, population 320. Maybe here she can find peace and community for her child.

But with her superior out of commission, Tana becomes the sole police officer in 17,500 square miles. One bitter night, she gets a call about the fatal wolf mauling of two students, and the only way to reach the remote scene is to enlist the help of the arrogant, irritatingly handsome Cameron "Crash" O'Halloran, a local bush pilot with a shady reputation for smuggling and a past cloaked in shadow.

When the macabre scene they uncover suggests violence much more sinister than animal, Tana must trust Crash if she wants to protect the town - and herself - from the evil that lurks in the frozen dark.

©2016 Loreth Beswetherick (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

excellent

This book was totally engrossing right from the start. I was annoyed with the performers voice at first then realized later on in the book that hers was the best voice for this character. I loved the storyline and the transformation of each character.

Very creepy beginning, pretty good overall

Do you think In the Barren Ground needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

The book provides a good setup for another adventure in the Canadian Northwest - kind of like Longmire in the snow, but not as sharply witty.

Any additional comments?

Like I said, for me the book was most interesting as a mystery in a unique society, the Dogrib people of the Canadian Northwest. I knew nothing about this particular world of native people and visited Wikipedia to find out more as I read.
The opening and much of the rest of the book is very very creepy, and mostly succeeds as a thriller. The end gets kinda drawn out and the author's romance novelist roots start to show, which is not my thing. This was a good enough read to make me want to revisit this unique setting and pretty good cast of characters again though.

Not my cup of tea

Would you try another book from Loreth Anne White and/or Cara Gee?

I would probably read another by Loreth Anne White but this one was a little too dark for my liking. Getting through the beginning of the book was tough because the author went on and on about the gory details of the mutilation of two bodies. The intent of the story was interesting but I didn't really care about the characters which is disappointing. I completed the book and was surprised that so many things were abruptly tied up at the end.

Good Suspense

I wanted to try a new author and I'm pleased to say I enjoyed the story, Suspense, and everything the author portrayed.

Well told adventure

Nice story, incorporating mystery, personal reflection, gruesome serial killing and international crime, all being told in a real manner of doubt and growth as the protagonist holds interest through the story. I enjoyed this reading.