Eleanor J. Sullivan

Graven Images, the second installment in Eleanor Sullivan’s A Singular Village Mystery series, is a tightly woven tale of historical as well as mystery value. Sullivan’s ability to engulf readers in her characters and their environment is seemingly fluid and easily accomplished. Written in third-person, the tale quickly imbeds images in readers’ minds and builds the intended world around them. While Graven Images is solidly the second book in a series and does, at moments, refer back to the Cover Her Body, the first book in the series, readers will find that each work is just as sufficient as a standalone presence.

The characters are complex and real. Each, especially Adelaide, the hero of Sullivan’s tale, holds all the emotional levels and questioning nature of the everyday person. She is committed to learning, helping others, and her belief system, which is strengthened by her commitment. She is strong, focused, and caring. Sullivan creates a community that is founded in strict beliefs, yet the author does not allow the environment of her characters to staunch the storyline in the least. If anything, the setting enhances the story’s premise.

The plot is multifaceted and forthright, yet simple; though thoroughly instilled with the spark of humanity and all its faults, expectations, and imaginings. This keeps one closely glued to the pages of the work. Readers are enveloped by the surroundings and happenings of the Separatist community Sullivan portrays. So much so, that when the twist in the tale comes, one is fully invested and enthralled by the multi-layered tale.

Sullivan’s talent for drawling readers in and holding their attention throughout the work can be a double-edged sword for readers. On one hand, there is a feeling of elation that reader’s share when the hero meets her goal and rights the wrong; and on the other hand, readers find themselves wanting to continue being the proverbial fly on the wall so as not to miss a moment of life in the world the author has created.… (mehr)

Eleanor Sullivan’s Cover Her Body is a historical Murder Mystery set in 1830’s Zoar, Ohio. A Separatist community follows strict rules, as many religious sects stemming from Old World countries. However, history is filled with instances where such strict adherence is not only an obstacle to law and order, but the actually the cause of life-threatening actions. In Sullivan’s tale of religious rules, young love, murder, women’s struggle for equality, and self-awareness, there is nothing lacking.

Adelaide, the main character and hero, is a young married woman struggling with an awakening of the world around her, and an opening and expanding mind; when she comes upon the reality that her dear friend’s daughter has been murdered. Determined to find the killer, she is relentless in her search for the truth of what happened, and at the same time, discovers that the flickers of self-doubt that plague her are unwarranted.

The characters are a rich tapestry of vivid and vibrant workmanship. Each may be woven of Fiction, but form a reality that is impenetrable by the reader’s mind and eyes. Head to foot creative artistry is abound as the tale unfolds, and readers attempt to follow the clues Adelaide is putting together to solve the crime that only she is willing to accept as a reality.

The plot is interesting and tantalizing to the senses. Erected in the simplistic countryside of Ohio, the tale is anything but basic. It holds a multitude of layers and stories within the main tale. A reader will never be bored with this novel, although it bears careful reading, if for no other reason than the reader’s attempt to solve the crime before Adelaide.

I do not make a habit out of reading Mystery, and have been known, at times, to avoid the genre do to the monotonous repetition of story line and plot devices. That said, I was not only pleasantly surprised by the familiar yet fresh feel of this novel, that I found myself enveloped by the author work and eager to continue the read until end. I would definitely recommend this work to any reader eager for a worthy and engrossing experience.… (mehr)