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Thank you Arcadia!

Catherine Winslow, taking a walk during an early spring thaw, discovers the body of a woman leaning against an apple tree near her house in the Upper Valley of Vermont. From the corpse’s pink parka, Winslow recognizes it as the latest victim of a serial killer, a woman reported missing weeks before during a January blizzard. Once a major reporter for a national newspaper, now a household hints columnist, Catherine is disturbed and galvanized by her discovery and with the help of her neighbor, a forensic psychiatrist, as well as a local detective, starts to research the River Valley murders.

So many years ago I read “Clara’s Heart” and it was an amazing book – made into a very good film starring Whoopi Goldberg which I also enjoyed. Then in the way that happens, I never picked up another novel by the author until now.

Cloudland is a very different kettle of fish – a crime and mystery story – but done with the same lovely style and flow and with a keen eye towards characterisation and ambience. When Catherine discovers a body up on Cloudland – an area where she lives in isolation surrounded as she is by only one or two other households – she finds herself drawn into the search for a serial killer. But all is not as it appears and it is possible that danger is closer to home than she realises.

The most intriguing aspect of this one for me was the setting – Vermont is beautifully described and the community spirit is strong – but as is the way of these things there are a lot of secrets buried beneath the surface. Mr Olshan does a terrific job of giving an underlying sense of unease as we follow Catherine on her journey, learn about her and those around her and discover a heart of darkness.

Do not be mistaken – this is NOT a Serial Killer Thriller – even though there is an aspect of that – this is very much character driven and a tale of human failings. Catherine is a fascinating and compelling character – a lot of the beauty of this one is in her hidden layers, her reality revealed as it is over the course of the book along with the other characters who inhabit her world.

All in all a wonderful novel. A well drawn intriguing mystery alongside some beautiful descriptive prose and sense of place make this a must read.

Happy Reading Folks!