"Fast-paced plot and well-drawn mystery!"
Joe Sur Landzlodt is a former Special Forces soldier back
from his tour of duty disillusioned and ready to settle
down. Problem is the woman he is engaged to marry has
almost next to nothing in common with him except her love
of reading and books. Helen is nice enough and he enjoys her company but the
relationship is missing, among common interests and other
important elements, passion. Joe comes to believe their
marriage would have been one of convenience and not much
else, but is saved from committing a grave error when Helen
dies under suspicious circumstances during a camping trip
with Joe. Since Helen's death almost two months ago, Joe has been
suffering crippling headaches that come and go out of the
blue. He does not begin to put together the possible cause
of his migraines until his autistic eight-year-old nephew
Timmy draws him a detailed map to take with him on his
vacation and cross-country trek. The map is of a region in
Michigan and to humor and calm his agitated nephew, Joe
takes the map thinking that this will be the end of his
nephew's demands and tantrums until Timmy mentions a name -- Benjamin Huntington -- and insists that Joe must find this
man. His nephew's map leads him to Quiet Lake, and a mysterious
beautiful young Asian woman who lives on the outskirts of
town, out in the wilderness, seemingly all by herself. Despite a rocky start -- Joe pitching face-first into the
gravel in front of MeLing Guinevere Huntington's house
after suffering a headache and dizzy spell -- Joe and
MeLing discover that they have, not only much in common,
but are irrevocably linked by the mystery surrounding
Helen's death. It is a mystery that thickens when Timmy
scans and e- mails an accurate drawing of MeLing to Joe's e-
mail account dated four days before Joe and MeLing ever
meet! And it is a mystery upon which MeLing, a trained
hynotherapist, will soon shed light when she puts Joe into
a hypnotic trance in order to find out what happened during
the infamous camping trip. Though this book suffers from some minor mechanical
problems, specifically authorial intrusion and some stilted
repetitious dialogue, it was not enough to detract from my
overall enjoyment of the COUNTRY PRIESTESS. Claassen has created a sensitive and strong hero in Joe,
and MeLing is his match in every way, overcoming great
heartache and pain in her past and living with a physical
disability to become the admirable and spiritual young
woman she is. The pair has instant chemistry, their
affection for each other honest and heartfelt, their
relationship whirlwind and based in an enigma that each is
determined to solve while keeping their love alive and
flourishing. COUNTRY PRIESTESS, with its engaging lead characters fast-
paced plot and well-drawn mystery into which I was able to
sink my teeth, keeps the reader's interest until the
satisfying end. A pleasant romance to cuddle up with in bed
on a cold night and a good read. Posted November 24, 2004
Reviewed by Gracie McKeever
Posted November 20, 2006
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