Called Home Lib/E: A Moroni Traveler Novel

Moroni Traveler #4

by Robert Irvine, R.R. Irvine

The isolated town of Wasatch sits in Mormon country a hard place where right and wrong are as clear as night and day. But smoke from nearby mountain wildfires swirls menacingly through the streets, as unsettling as the dark secrets so zealously guarded by Brigham Young s faithful.

Moroni Traveler, a PI named for an angel, is an outsider an unwanted unbeliever determined to discover the truth about a dead woman. Branded a devil and greeted with violence, Moroni launches into an investigation that leads him into a smoldering thicket of rumor and concealment. Two people have already been killed. When the case turns brutally personal, there s no going back, and Moroni will journey through hell to ensure that vengeance will be his."

Genres: Mystery

Audio CD

First published April 1, 1991

About the author

Aka Val Davis, R.R. Irvine, Peter Heath, Peter H. Fine, Peter Heath Fine

Robert Ralstone Irvine studied anthropology and archaeology at the University of California at Berkeley and now lives in Northern California.

Reviews

[Ben Boulden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrific entry in the Moroni Traveler mystery series. The plot is solid, the characters, as usual, are eccentric, and entertaining. Irvine has fun with the Utah setting and the fundamentalist Mormon culture.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most intense book in the series so far. The author certainly knows how to keep me hooked on this series.

The tale starts with Moroni reluctantly taking on a case to look into a suicide. The grieving husband needs answers as to why his beloved wife passed away. When Moroni gets to the little town, some of the inhabitants mistake him for someone else - an investigator from the state medical board. Of course this intrigues Moroni and he has a heck of time figuring out what all is going on in this isolated small town.

Plus, there's a nearby wildfire making life difficult.... or perhaps it's for the best. Nearly all the men are out on the fire break line trying to keep the outlier homes safe, leaving all the ladies in town to chat with Moroni... or run him out of town. It's a good thing Martin (Moroni's dad) has showed up to be his wingman.

We finally learn more about Claire and her past. What a hit! Oh! And then that too! No wonder she's struggled all over adult life. Claire's past is tied to what is going on in this small town. And Moroni makes a choice that I think will haunt him the rest of his life. I was very surprised by how things turned out with Claire. Well played Mr. Irvine, well played. How can I walk away from this series now?

So Moroni and Martin uncover all the secrets, as always. Do they leave this small town in a better state than how they found it? I hope so. As I get deeper into this series, I really am starting to appreciate just what it would mean to live in a theocracy. Often the church calls the shots on what justice is. So did these ladies get justice? I don't think so, but what's more important is what they think. Definitely makes one think about what a person can live with versus clean open justice. Worthy addition to the series. 6/5 stars.

The Narration: Jeffrey Kafer continues to be the voice of Moroni Traveller. And I still love his voice for Claire, and this time we get to hear Claire truly scared and not just acting like it to deceive Moroni. Kafer's voices for the two idiot bully boys was spot on as well. They sounded like brothers but each certainly had their own voice. No tech issues with the recording. 5/5 stars.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't like how the reader kept having to hear Ephraim spoken incorrectly. If you are going to the trouble to write a book about a specific area, at least listen to the book to hear these obvious problems.