Peregrine Island

A Novel

By: Diane B. Saxton

Narrated by: Elizabeth Aspenlieder, Corinna May, Caroline Calkins

Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Peregrine Island is the recipient of the following nine literary awards:

• 2017 Winner of the New York City Big Book Award for Mystery
• 2017 Best Book Awards Finalist in General Fiction for Fiction, for Literary, and for Mystery & Suspense
• 2017 Winner of the National Indie Excellence Award for Regional Fiction: Northeast
• 2017 Distinguished Favorite in Literary Fiction by Independent Press Awards
• 2017 International Book Awards Finalist for Literary Fiction
• 2017 National Indie Excellence Award Finalist for Fiction
• 2017 Bronze Award for US Northeast Fiction from the Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Awards
• 2018 Reader Views Literary Award Finalist and Honorable Mention for Adult - Fiction
• 2018 A Reader's Favorite literary fiction award winner

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Literary mystery highlights an heirloom painting on Long Island Sound and the relationships between three generations of women.

Part “who-done-it” and part family drama, this award-winning novel reveals that neither people nor paintings are always what they appear to be

Contradictory relationships within troubled families are nothing new, but the award-winning psychological novel written by well-known journalist Diane B. Saxton elevates these relationships and the mysterious heirloom painting that both exposes and unites them to an art form.

Peregrine Island interweaves the stories of three generations of women, one valuable painting, the artist who created it, and those who would do anything to possess it - including kill.

Lush with sensory details, this psychologically complex mystery novel is set on a private island in the middle of Long Island Sound. It begins when the family’s lives are turned upside-down one summer by so-called art experts, who appear on the doorstep of their isolated home to appraise a favorite heirloom painting. When incriminating papers along with two other paintings are discovered behind the painting in question, the appraisal turns into a full-fledged investigation and detectives are called into the case - but not by the family whose members grow increasingly antagonistic toward one another.

During the course of the inquiry and as the summer progresses, the family members discover new secrets about one another and new facts about their past. Above all, they learn that neither people nor paintings can be taken at face value.

©2016 Diane B. Saxton (P)2018 Diane B. Saxton

Critic reviews

"I think the Shakespeare & Co. narrators - Aspenlieder, Calkins and May...three critically acclaimed actors who have made their mark in film, television and on-stage - and the intelligent writing created really great chemistry together, and I’m sure AudioFile will pick up on that.” (BMA Audio)

Highly recommended

I downloaded this novel for a long car ride to the beach, a summertime ritual that was enhanced by this enchanting story. The three main characters, a grandmother, daughter and granddaughter, are superbly developed, swapping chapters for each point of view to be shared as a mystery unfolds. And if you've ever spent any amount of time on the shores of the northeast and experienced the variety of weather patterns, then the carefully illustrated setting, an old house on an island, will strike a hauntingly familiar chord. Perfect primer for my own wild shores this August.

Very poor writing

I was extremely disappointed in the story. The fractured writing and inability of the author to capture the reader’s attention were the greatest reasons for this review. I did finish the book because I always hope it will grow on me at some point but it dod not this time.