Moonscape

Nellie Burns and Moonshine Mystery #3

by Julie Whitesel Weston

The reader walks effortlessly into a West long behind us, in this gorgeously written, taut mystery. Secrets are the fuel of all fiction�prepare for Moonshadows to burn brightly.� �Ridley Pearson, New York Times bestselling author of The Red Room.Once again, Nellie Burns and Moonshine leap into trouble�this time in Craters of the Moon in southwest Idaho. Nellie accompanies Sheriff Asteguigoiri to the lava fields as his photographer. Three people are missing there, doing �God�s work,� according to Mayor Tom of a nearby town. Marked on maps as �unexplored� and �unknown,� the miles of lava resist easy navigation and Nell�s photography. Rosy Kipling, the one-eyed miner and Nell�s friend, is recruited with Mayor Tom and Moonshine to assist in the search amidst concerns about a religious cult and money related to the missing. Physical obstacles as well as secrets and lies and consuming greed endanger all. And alone, Nell faces an attempt on her sanity and her life in this remote and almost inaccessible natural phenomenon.

ebook

First published June 19, 2019

About the author

Julie Weston grew up in Idaho and practiced law for many years in Seattle. Her debut fiction, MOONSHADOWS, a Nellie Burns and Moonshine Mystery, was published in 2015 (Five Star Publishing) and was a Finalist in the May Sarton Literary Award. Her next mystery, BASQUE MOON won the 2017 WILLA Literary Award for Historical Fiction. Her memoir of place, The Good Times Are All Gone Now: Life, Death and Rebirth in an Idaho Mining Town (University of Oklahoma Press, 2009), received an honorable mention in the 2009 Idaho Book of the Year Awards. Her short stories and essays have been published in IDAHO Magazine, The Threepenny Review, River Styx, Clackamas Review and other journals. She and her husband, Gerry Morrison, now live in central Idaho where they ski, write, photograph, and enjoy the outdoors.

Reviews

[Miranda Benson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my normal thing, but great for fans of historical and mysteries. I’ve spent a lot of time at Craters of the Moon, where the bulk of the story takes place, and Weston does it justice. Nellie is a threat character, but I got confused by some of the other characters—probably my own fault for not reading the other two books in the series.

[Sharon K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was on the edge of my chair reading MOONSCAPE. Very well written

[Mary E Trimble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moonscape by Julie Weston is the third in the “A Nellie Burns and Moonshine Mystery” series. The mystery takes place in the 1920s around what is now known as Craters of the Moon, an ancient lava field that spreads across 618 square miles in southwest Idaho.

Sheriff Charlie Asteguigoiri and Nellie Burns, now on a first-name basis, have worked out an arrangement for Nellie to become his crime photographer. Three people have been reported missing and the Sheriff and Nellie, together with her dog, Moonshine, follow a lead that the threesome, a man and two women, have gone to the lava fields and haven’t been seen since. There is talk that the missing people were involved in a religious cult, but the investigation unveils lies, greed and dangerous relationships.

The lava fields are treacherous with caves, tunnels, sharp peaks and uneven difficult- to-navigate ground. Their initial investigation reveals one dead body, but that is only the beginning of a sinister, perplexing puzzle.

Author Julie Weston has again woven an intriguing mystery which includes an unusual landscape vividly described. The character Nellie Burns, a woman of courage and curiosity, is a skilled photographer with ambitions rarely seen of women in that time period. Although it isn’t necessary to have read the previous two mysteries in the series, Moonshadows and Basque Moon, to appreciate this novel, I enjoyed revisiting some of the previous characters in this latest mystery, Moonscape.

[Groucho42 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The basic mystery was standard but ok, the problem was Nellie was too often an idiot in this one. She does exactly the wrong thing too many times. There were also plot holes that were annoying. For instance, the first time they head out to the lava fields, Nellie is given leather booties for Moonshine's feet. The next time, there's no mention of using them, and of Moonshine's feet being in danger. What happened to those booties?

In this book, Nellie gets involved in figuring out why three people went missing in the Craters of the Moon in Idaho. It's an interesting place, but Weston doesn't really do it justice. Also, too many characters, Effie in particular, are just annoying rather than interesting. Still, it wasn't horrible.

[William · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ridiculous! The chief character goes into the same predicament over and over. The story is almost comic! It seemed poorly written and the plot was stupid and confusing. One star except for the location of the lava fields in Idaho which made for some interest.

[Geary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining view of life in southern Idaho almost 100 years ago. Realistic depiction of life. Engaging main character.

[Ann Fordyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

The lava fields sound interesting, want to visit there.

[Lkaehall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is nicely crafted to yet another beautiful landscape in Idaho.

[Sue Danskin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn’t a bad mystery perhaps too obvious and short

[Sharon K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful mystery, very exciting. On the edge of my chair literally for the first 100 pages.