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Where You Will Die: An Eden Ridge Story
Eden Ridge is the perfect place to restore a grieving soul. Alan Wright retires to the idyllic town nestled in mountain pines to build his spiritual center and heal after the shocking death of his wife left him inconsolable for two years. Just as he begins drawing a congregation and mending his heart, the murder of his best friend and favorite follower threatens to break his spirit again.
Ruth MacKenzie was to gift Alan with a rare and valuable antique that now is missing along with her bright, fierce presence. Convinced that her generosity - and his outsider status - got her killed, he decides he must risk everything to set things right. Helped by Ruth’s friends - known as The Little Red Hens - he faces ridicule, arrest, and his own demons to hunt for her killer.
Ruth MacKenzie was to gift Alan with a rare and valuable antique that now is missing along with her bright, fierce presence. Convinced that her generosity - and his outsider status - got her killed, he decides he must risk everything to set things right. Helped by Ruth’s friends - known as The Little Red Hens - he faces ridicule, arrest, and his own demons to hunt for her killer.
- GenresMystery Thriller
346 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 23, 2022
42 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Craig Allen Heath
5 books3 followersCraig Allen Heath decided he wanted to be a novelist at age fourteen. He achieved that goal fifty years later by publishing his first novel, Where You Will Die, in 2022.
In those five decades he wrote hundreds of poems, songs, stories, essays, articles, plays, and scripts. The published portion of that catalog earned him the equivalent of a long weekend’s lodging at a Comfort Inn somewhere along Interstate 5 in California’s Central Valley.
He made his living during that time as a journalist, teacher, and technical writer. This portion of his output kept body and soul together, making him a decent prospect to marry, raise a son, see a bit of the world, and have enough left over to buy that comfy recliner his teenaged self never thought he'd want.
He lives in southwest Washington state with his wife, Pat, too much lawn to mow, a vegetable garden, and a mischievous pair of doggos, shepherd Lobo and husky Aura, whose antics earn them the nicknames Thing 1 and Thing 2.
He released the next Eden Ridge Story, Killing Buddhas in 2024, and is now working on the third in the series, Reason Not the Need. Having finally done what he said he wanted to do five decades prior, he says he’ll keep doing it until he runs out of ideas, or the sun explodes, whichever comes first.
In those five decades he wrote hundreds of poems, songs, stories, essays, articles, plays, and scripts. The published portion of that catalog earned him the equivalent of a long weekend’s lodging at a Comfort Inn somewhere along Interstate 5 in California’s Central Valley.
He made his living during that time as a journalist, teacher, and technical writer. This portion of his output kept body and soul together, making him a decent prospect to marry, raise a son, see a bit of the world, and have enough left over to buy that comfy recliner his teenaged self never thought he'd want.
He lives in southwest Washington state with his wife, Pat, too much lawn to mow, a vegetable garden, and a mischievous pair of doggos, shepherd Lobo and husky Aura, whose antics earn them the nicknames Thing 1 and Thing 2.
He released the next Eden Ridge Story, Killing Buddhas in 2024, and is now working on the third in the series, Reason Not the Need. Having finally done what he said he wanted to do five decades prior, he says he’ll keep doing it until he runs out of ideas, or the sun explodes, whichever comes first.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 26, 2022
Eden Ridge is the perfect American paradise if you look past a dark secret that lurks within the town’s fabric. The death of a local resident named Ruth MacKenzie kicks off an investigation that ripples through the town like a stone across a lake. A pillar in the community, Ruth’s murder has everyone astounded, especially Alan Wright, Ruth’s confidant, and close friend. In fact, Ruth is the reason Alan has become a resident of Eden Ridge, where he can spread his message of goodwill. With Ruth gone, Alan relies on The Little Red Hens, a sassy and often quirky group of women who used to consider Ruth their leader. As the story unfolds, relationships are tested and secrets are revealed until Alan finds himself at the center of all the trouble. The writing in this story is top-notch, and the characters are hard to forget. Craig Heath has done an outstanding job in this debut novel, and I look forward to more of his work in the future.
September 30, 2022
I received this book a month or so ago not knowing what to expect. I was familiar with some of the author's previous short stories so I knew the writing would be good. This is a really great mystery with an ending I didn't see coming. I think mystery is my all time favorite genre and I just loved the town of Eden Ridge. There were parts that really stirred me and one chapter towards the end where I was moved to tears. Some characters invoked my anger and I found myself sitting up in bed really hoping some of the characters would get their come up ins in the end. Any book that can take you to a place and evoke an emotional response from you is well written and well developed. I was happy to see that the characters will be back in another volume. I highly recommend this book.
November 7, 2022
"That's what makes it so remarkable when we choose good. Evil is usually easier."
About: Alan Wright is new to town and he stands out a bit as a preacher wearing a kilt. While welcomed in by some, not everyone agrees with his Universal Message. But when one of his believers ends up murdered, Alan will have to turn detective to get justice for his friend - and clear his name of the crime.
The Good
There's a really nice set up of a series here with Alan Wright working well as the main character. A priest, a detective, a friend of the people, there's a strong appeal in following him and I found him very likeable. He also had a good reason for wanting to solve the case himself - his genuine connection with Ruth made her seem to stick around the whole way through the story, and this in turn made me care to find out what had happened to her.
Of course, there's also The Little Hens (a group of old women that make it their business to know anything worth knowing). I enjoyed their banter, not only for the light-heartedness it brought but also because it strengthened the setting, really making the town feel like it had history.
As far as the plot goes, there's a good amount of mystery with clues scattered in at decent intervals. Everything flowed together logically and - even without a lot of suspects to choose from - the ending was somehow very satisfying and came with an extra twist.
The Bad
Chapters are short and they always end on a good hook to make you want to read the next one, but I still felt the pace was slow because the writing style is overly descriptive. For example, a broken phone will be described as 'wounded', or during a conversation we'll get the movement of every character in the scene. This is especially noticeable with The Hens. Great as these women were for lightening the mood, I only ever saw them as a unit. Every women gets a description one after the other when they interact, which ironically doesn't help me to differentiate them, but actually blurs them together as I can't take in so much description in one scene.
The Somewhat Iffy
The dialogue both worked and didn't work for me. I appreciated how realistic it sounded and there was some very good banter that made the characters and town really seem to come alive. On the other hand, writing dialogue in this naturalistic way means that a lot of the talking was redundant to the story. Meaningful conversations were there, but they were wedged in between a lot of small talk.
Overall
It's a good mystery with an easy-to-like main character. A bit slow paced but if you get invested in the characters then this becomes an enjoyable ride with a satisfying end.
About: Alan Wright is new to town and he stands out a bit as a preacher wearing a kilt. While welcomed in by some, not everyone agrees with his Universal Message. But when one of his believers ends up murdered, Alan will have to turn detective to get justice for his friend - and clear his name of the crime.
The Good
There's a really nice set up of a series here with Alan Wright working well as the main character. A priest, a detective, a friend of the people, there's a strong appeal in following him and I found him very likeable. He also had a good reason for wanting to solve the case himself - his genuine connection with Ruth made her seem to stick around the whole way through the story, and this in turn made me care to find out what had happened to her.
Of course, there's also The Little Hens (a group of old women that make it their business to know anything worth knowing). I enjoyed their banter, not only for the light-heartedness it brought but also because it strengthened the setting, really making the town feel like it had history.
As far as the plot goes, there's a good amount of mystery with clues scattered in at decent intervals. Everything flowed together logically and - even without a lot of suspects to choose from - the ending was somehow very satisfying and came with an extra twist.
The Bad
Chapters are short and they always end on a good hook to make you want to read the next one, but I still felt the pace was slow because the writing style is overly descriptive. For example, a broken phone will be described as 'wounded', or during a conversation we'll get the movement of every character in the scene. This is especially noticeable with The Hens. Great as these women were for lightening the mood, I only ever saw them as a unit. Every women gets a description one after the other when they interact, which ironically doesn't help me to differentiate them, but actually blurs them together as I can't take in so much description in one scene.
The Somewhat Iffy
The dialogue both worked and didn't work for me. I appreciated how realistic it sounded and there was some very good banter that made the characters and town really seem to come alive. On the other hand, writing dialogue in this naturalistic way means that a lot of the talking was redundant to the story. Meaningful conversations were there, but they were wedged in between a lot of small talk.
Overall
It's a good mystery with an easy-to-like main character. A bit slow paced but if you get invested in the characters then this becomes an enjoyable ride with a satisfying end.
January 1, 2025
DNF. Too slow for my liking, 10% in and nothing really happening, I didn’t really care how it ended. Dead body found, no real panic and it didn’t seem like a big deal to find out who the killer was. At least not how I took it. 🤷🏻♀️
December 13, 2024
Really enjoyed this book
March 10, 2024
Where You Will Die by Craig Allen Heath is a brilliant murder mystery that delves into the human spirit, with a fine touch. The quirky women who call themselves The Little Red Hens are a hoot, and help him along with his search for the murderer of their leader Ruth.
For a debut novel, this is one of the best I’ve read. It has totally believable characters that you won’t soon forget. I loved that he set it in the Gold Rush towns. Mr. Heath has taken an ensemble of characters and brought them to life in this book. I will definitely look for more from this author.
For a debut novel, this is one of the best I’ve read. It has totally believable characters that you won’t soon forget. I loved that he set it in the Gold Rush towns. Mr. Heath has taken an ensemble of characters and brought them to life in this book. I will definitely look for more from this author.
February 21, 2024
Has an intriguing murder mystery but also some interesting characters whose secrets and relationships made the story even more interesting. Lots of twists. Loved following Alan and The little Red Hens as they searched for clues and answers and also dealt with life. The Little Red Hens were a “hoot”. Loved really getting to know the characters and discovering their secrets. Loved playing a sleuth and trying to figure out the mystery.
October 8, 2023
Who killed Ruth MacKenzie and why??? It was necessary and for love??? The Little Red Hens will help figure things out though, won't they??? I enjoyed this story and recommended the book.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews