Deep Down

by Karen Harper

As a child, Jessie Lockwood spent many hours helping her mother count the endangered ginseng plants in the woods of Deep Down, Kentucky. Now a PhD, she makes her home in Lexington, even though that meant leaving her beloved mother and Sheriff Drew Webb, the man she secretly loved. When Jessie is notified that her mother never returned home from her last walk in the woods, she comes home to Deep Down - and to Drew - to find her.

Genres: Romance, Mystery, Suspense, Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Thriller, Mystery Thriller

483 pages, Hardcover

First published May 19, 2009

About the author

A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Karen Harper is a former college English instructor (The Ohio State University) and high school literature and writing teacher. A lifelong Ohioan, Karen and her husband Don divide their time between the midwest and the southeast, both locations she has used in her books. Besides her American settings, Karen loves the British Isles, where her Scottish and English roots run deep, and where she has set many of her historical Tudor-era mysteries and her historical novels about real and dynamic British women. Karen's books have been published in many foreign languages and she won the Mary Higgins Clark Award for 2005. Karen has given numerous talks to readers and writers across the county. Her most recent books include THE SOUTH SHORES TRILOGY (CHASING SHADOWS, DROWNING TIDES and FALLING DARKNESS.) Her latest historical is THE ROYAL NANNY. Please visit her website at www.KarenHarperAuthor and her fb page at www.facebook.com/KarenHarperAuthor

Reviews

[Cheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first book by this author. It was okay but not great. I have to admit I went back and forth with who I thought was the killer. A little hoaky at times but overall okay.

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deep Down (Karen Harper)
Romantic/Suspense.

Jessie Lockwood is in China on business when she gets a call that her mother Mariah is missing. She comes home to a small Appalachian town in Kentucky called Deep Down. There she teems up with an old Love Drew, who is now the local police. Not only does she come home to her missing mother, she also comes home to old inner demons she must face.

Likable characters , but a bit slower than I am used to (for a suspense novel). I also figured it out about half way through the book (the back story) and main plot. But it was interesting to learn of the ginseng plants, and the demand for these wild plants.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know what really urks me ... when proof readers cannot do their jobs. This book has so many mistakes. I've notice the same about many MIRA books. They really need new proof readers. It makes these books very unenjoyable.

[Donna Pfeiffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this murder mystery in the mountains of the Appalachians. A woman goes missing as she counts the ginseng plots in the mountainous area. Coincidentally, her daughter is a researcher who is working on ginseng as a treatment for cancer. Her daughter gets involved with assisting in tracking her mother because of her familiarity with the areas she counts all the plots existing on behalf of the government. Not only did I learn about ginseng as a potential treatment, also sought by China, i also learned about the history of the Cherokees that originated in that area and their beliefs attached to the root.

[Susan Beyerle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick summer fun beach type romance and mystery combined book.

[Linda C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jessie Lockwood, cancer researcher, is called home to eastern Kentucky when her mother goes missing. Her former lover, Drew is now Sheriff and he needs her help finding the ginseng patches her mother might have been counting in the forest, in hopes they will lead to finding her. As they work together in the search and the subsequent investigation they uncover a group of suspects that would like to keep Mariah Lockwood's count unpublished. The book had a lot on the uses, scarcity and value of wild ginseng. It also gave an interesting perspective on the lives of those living in small Appalachian areas. My problem with the book was the way the villain takes the time at the climax to narrate his reasons for murder and his relationships with the victims, while in the process of attempting to murder Jessie. It fell apart for me at the end.

[Kendra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unlike the other books, I have read by Karen Harper, I had a hard time getting through this one. The background was interesting: Appalachia, ginseng, etc, but the story itself didn't grab me in.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

was very good and was interesting

[Robert Hudder · Rating 2 out of 5]

I almost gave this one star. I changed my mind because maybe this is a little bit about feelings rather than any good analysis of the writing and story.

This is a cross between a Nancy Drew and a Harlequin romance. Both of those have entertained me in the past. I was expecting more from the cover and blurbs. (I know, I know). The mystery isn't much and I should pay a little respect to hard it is to write a suspense/mystery novel. This one suffered from being able to see where the writer would have to sew up the plot.

One of the ways to create a mystery is to start with an answer and work backwards to add red herrings and stuff. The issue with that way is that if there is a lot of clunk in the delivery then the reader can see the answer more clearly. This book suffers from that.

Now, had the author dropped one of the characters growing poisonous plants, I may have not figured it out. That isn't a spoiler, hopefully.

The second issue is the use of the Appalachians. I am not sure that I buy the treatment of some of the people living there. It doesn't feel like a small town. Or if it does, it is closer to Cabot's Cove than other places.

Regardless, it is a mildly pleasant romance with an unsatisfying mystery. I do think that it would serve some folks as a good read, so I changed my opinion slightly.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

I normally dont review a book. I got halfway in and got tired of the sang talk, and herbal storyline. IT was obvious what the tall thing was and what it was made of. I figured out who did it about halfway in , sooo... obvious. So i skipped to the end only to prove to myself that my prediction was spot on. It was entirely too long for a predictable outcome. I skipped half the book. I gave it 2 stars because it actually kept me reading until halfway, otherwise it would have been 1 star for originality, (the sang storyline)

[Beth Lechman · Rating 2 out of 5]

A woman is killed while out counting ginseng for the government. Ginseng is very valuable in this small town of Deep Down in the Appalachian mountains. While the Sheriff is trying to solve this murder another murder occurs. Normally a quiet town people are stating to point fingers at an old Cherokee Indian for the killings. The book just seemed to drag a bit for me although I believe this was well researched.

[Mary Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the plot of the story which concerned the ginseng crop in Kentucky. Some wanted it to be plentiful so the government would consider it profitable to export it while others did not. I liked the characters: Jess, Cassie, Drew, Seth, and others. I didn't really know who the murderer was until the end and thought it was someone else. I thought the author wrote the suspenseful scenes well. I enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found the use of the "Appalachian "accent distracting. It is not what I've experience and found it offensive. I had to stop reading after the first couple chapters. I couldn't take one more "reckon"

[Rochelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder mystery in the Appalachian Mountains. Very interesting, about the gen-seng trade, the history and culture surrounding it. This was my first Karen Harper book, and will read others by her. This story kept my interest and was a fast read.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the murder interesting. The use of an ancient myth to cause fear kept me from pointing my finger at the real murderer. Jessie did jump to conclusion too quickly. The history of the ginseng plant was interesting. Still a good read.

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a great story, so much suspense and the book drew me right in and I could not read it fast enough. Lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing and reading to find out how it will end.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was similar to books written for young readers; actually, it was reminiscent of the Nancy Drew books I read as a youngster. It was slow and not suspenseful. There was too much talk about Sang, not an interesting topic for me. I found it boring and not worth my time.

[Nathalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning was quite boring; but since it was more of an introduction and at first it was very hard to understand. However, the more I read, the more I understand the flow of the story. Love the characters and expected the killer when the story was about to end.

[Babs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Karen Harper’s book. It really feels like she did her research on ginseng (or a similar plant) for this book. I also liked how the daughter could feel the day/time when her mother died. It added to the story and helped in solving the mystery.

[Read With Chey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. I like her Appalachia settings a lot and the way she crafts these small towns and their characters. The mystery was really engrossing, I was second guessing everything until the very end. I usually don’t say this but I wish the epilogue was a longer!

[Crystal Karre · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good story filled with character and mystery right up to the end

[Kathy Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ginseng intrigue meets high school sweethearts in Kentucky. Who knew that ginseng was a thing worth killing for in Kentucky?

[Jeanie Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

My word, this author is fantastic - I normally feel like I've entered the books scenario, but, wow.

A very good read and spine tingling.

[Magenta Wilde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting mystery. It's a touch formulaic, but I liked the people and the setting. I was starting to suspect who the bad guy might be, but wasn't sure until it was revealed. Nice details, too.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this read!

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good plot twists.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took awhile for this book to get interesting. Some of the wording and phrases stopped my flow of reading. In the end it was an exciting mystery and a little bit of a love story.

[Donna Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not very engaging or mysterious. I was disappointed that it included the cliché of the villain explaining his deeds and motives to a main character mid-attack.

[Oliver Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great page Turner story

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story moved at a slower pace than I prefer. The climax at the end was action packed. A pretty good read.