In The Shadowy Horses, author Kearsley weaves together past and present in a dark gothic mystery. Archaeologist Verity Grey is in Scotland for a job interview and ends up staying, though her boss—Peter Quinnell, an infamous archaeologist—is eccentric, if not crazy, but she nonetheless joins him in his search for evidence of the Ninth Roman Legion he thinks exists on his farm. Joining those two are Adrian, Verity’s former lover; David, also an archaeologist, with whom she is smitten almost immediately; and a local boy, Robbie, who has “the sight” and who sees the ghost of a Roman legionnaire he calls The Sentinel. Quinnell has spent his whole life searching for the resting place of the lost Ninth Roman Legion and is convinced he’s finally found it—not because of any scientific evidence, but because the boy has seen the ghost of this Roman soldier.
In my younger days, I thought of being an archeologist, but the dusty American Southwest with its scorpions and snakes soon conquered that desire. My fascination with the past continues, so this book was right up my alley. Kearsley brings this particular archeological dig to life, blending realistic science with the magical realism of The Sentinel and just enough spookiness to be spicy. Her descriptions of the scenery are marvelous. The characters are well described, too. Verity is intelligent, strong, and likable, not one to bend to male authoritarianism. Peter, though elderly, is intelligent and endearing. Adrian’s lack of moral fiber and his unwarranted possessiveness (he and Verity have long separated) shows through while David’s physical and mental strength are a welcome contrast. The secondary characters are well-defined. On the whole, The Shadowy Horses was enjoyable and satisfying. I plan to read more of Kearsley’s novels in the future.
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The Shadowy Horses (Sourcebooks Landmark, October 2, 2012) is available through:
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