The Marsh Queen - Virginia Hartman
Release Date: Sept. 6, 2022
Loni Murrow has escaped her childhood existence in the humid swamp/marshlands of Florida to work as a bird portraitist at The Smithsonian in Washington DC. She is called back home to attend to her mother who has developed dementia. Her return unlocks secrets about her father who she thought committed suicide when she was twelve years old as well as her arduous relationship with her mother.
Beautifully written and exquisitely detailed, the mystery is slow to unravel and there are a few different story lines. The descriptions of Loni’s canoe trips along the mangroves in search of a purple gallinule were so vivid, I felt I was there with her seeing the glorious flora and fauna of the area. Her characterizations of some of the locals were equally striking. I especially liked the man with the “barbecue belly”!
This is not an edge of your seat thriller. Read it not so much for the suspense, but rather for the eloquent depictions that transport you to the unique and primeval marshlands of Florida.
Thanks to @netgalley and @gallerybooks for the ARC
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