Satori Ranch

by Mary Frisbee

A decrepit 1965 Volkswagen Microbus is discovered in a marijuana patch at Satori Ranch, an abandoned Oregon commune. Inside the bus are scattered human bones, determined by the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department to be those of John and Mary Beth Brooke, who disappeared thirty years ago. Their daughter, painter and environmental activist Trout Brooke, is compelled to seek the cause of her hippie parents' deaths. As she digs into Satori Ranch’s history, it becomes clear that dark events led to the deaths, as well as the desertion of the lovingly-built homestead that had supported twenty people in supposedly idyllic counterculture style. As she travels to meet and question the Ranchers, now scattered across the country from Boston to Berkeley, Brook's determined search into the past results in danger to herself, with murder looming large as the explanation for the loss of her family. A murder mystery set partially in America’s ‘60s counterculture -- a rich and unsettled time in history -- Satori Ranch explores how parents’ past ideals can spill into their children’s present. Satori Ranch follows a strong lone woman pursuing answers about her past as she tracks down a murderer.

284 pages, Nook

First published September 6, 2011

About the author

Mary Frisbee, the author of Satori Ranch, Puzzle Creek, and Keyhole Spring, was born and raised in Montana. Currently professor of art at the University of Northern Iowa, she is also the author of Visual Workouts: a collection of artmaking problems. Her work in drawing, sculpture, and metals/jewelry has been exhibited extensively in over one hundred national and international exhibitions, and her work is in the Medals collection of the British Museum. Along with her husband and cats, Frisbee divides her time between Iowa, Montana, and the Oregon coast.
Artist's Website: www.maryfrisbeejohnson.com

Reviews

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5 stars

First of all, I really enjoyed the story of this book. It was really engaging and surprisingly not too predictable. Other than that, there were quite a few issues. There was a lot of missing punctuation and some needed edits. I also never really understood the reason for the picture incusions between the chapters, they didn't seem to have much to do with the story.

I understand that this book was written in 2011 but there was a lot of use of some uncomfortable langauge that didn't seem very necessary.

It felt good to finally finish this book as its been exiled on my 2012 Nook for the better part of a decade. I'm slowly trying to get through my whole abandoned backlog on there and can't wait to get to the next one!

[Katrina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of thoughts...

I absolutely LOVE this plot line. Brilliant plan here. Fascinating concept, interesting people. Love it. That being said, this book has amazing potential and I would have loved to be its editor. With some guidance I think it could blossom into a great story, but as is it is lacking in areas. There were some completely unrealistic moments that could have used some tightening up. I would have taken out some awkward moments, some discrepancies. Some corny lines, but that was likely on purpose and I can appreciate those... Really, though, it was good. One star for plot line and ability to keep me interested. One for originality... The other three i took away for lack of editing and literary quality...