the mountains bow down by Sibella Giorello

Book Review

Sites of Interest: Author's Site | Cruise Giveaway | Buy the Book

Publisher: Thomas Nelson | Published: March 1, 2011

Paperback | 384 pages | ISBN: 978-1595545350

Genre: Christian Fiction

Everything's going to work out. Time away always makes things better . . .

That's what FBI Special Agent Raleigh Harmon believes as she boards a cruise to Alaska. A land of mountains and gems and minerals, the Last Frontier is a dream destination for this forensic geologist who's hoping to leave behind a hectic work schedule and an engagement drained of romance.

But when a passenger goes missing and winds up dead, Raleigh's vacation suddenly gets lost at sea. The ship's security chief tries to rule the death a suicide, but Raleigh's forensics background points to a much darker conclusion: Somewhere onboard, a ruthless murderer walks free.
 

Some authors you just know are going to deliver and Sibella Giorello is definitely one of those fine authors. If you get an opportunity, take a look at her site.  Definitely go sign up for the cruise giveaway!

From the first page of The Mountains Bow Down I was enraptured with Sibella's writing.  There was one passage that grabbed me, I could relate to in so many ways. Raleigh is on a cruise to Alaska, they're pulling into Ketchikan where the mountains are surrounding the ship in majesty; the first line describes Deer Mountain as "With the trajectory of launched missiles, the mountains soared from the ocean. Smothered with evergreens, the steeps pointed to a sky so blue it whispered of eternity."  Ah, I could melt inside that vision.  You see, I lived in Alaska while I was growing up.  I loved the small Aleutian island we lived on, the soaring eagles that flew overhead which we had to keep our puppy away from, and the evergreens...I would move back in a heartbeat.  Raleigh goes on to say of Alaska "It felt like falling in love." Have you ever felt that way about a place? Do you know that feeling? Where it's just like you've finally, oh my goodness, finally, made it home? 

This is the fourth book in the Raleigh Harmon series, but the first one I have read.  It would have been great to read the first three; however, I was not lost reading this one as a stand-alone novel.  The characters are completely fleshed out. Raleigh is so achingly real, I felt we could be twins - except I know nothing about rocks!  Raleigh is a mineralogist and geologist along with being an FBI agent.  When the wife of a movie star is found dead of quite unnatural causes, Raleigh's working vacation is cut short.  She asks for help from the FBI and is sent fellow FBI agent Jack Stephanson who caused her all kinds of grief previously by questioning her tactics.  On board with Raleigh is her mother who is on the verge of a psychological collapse - she doesn't even know Raleigh is an FBI agent!  Along with her mother is her Aunt Charlotte who believes rocks have healing powers and Aunt Charlotte's friend, Claire who is a self-professed clairvoyant.  Raleigh was brought along by her aunt to be the FBI consult for a movie production taking place on the ship; unfortunately the wife of the star of the movie ends up dead in the first couple of pages in the book.

The mystery is believable and fun to solve along with Raleigh and Jack.  The Christian aspect of the book is compelling and when Raleigh finally reaches out to God she realizes He not only creates the beauty in the rocks she studies but He knows every thought and feeling she has.  Resting in that belief is what gets Raleigh through the overwhelming disasters of her family life that falls apart, her romantic life which is all mixed up and her professional life that has become confusing and difficult, not to mention a murder that has to be solved within five days!   An excellent book for anyone who likes mysteries; is challenged by Christian Fiction that is not overt and in-your-face but more intellectual and thought-provoking; and if you like to read about family dynamics and the daily challenges faced.

Sibella’s celebrating the release of The Mountains Bow Down with a blog tour, a Cruise prize pack worth over $500 and a Facebook Party! Don't miss a minute of the fun.

One Grand Prize winner will receive:

• A $500 gift certificate toward the cruise of their choice from Vacations To Go.
• The entire set of the Raleigh Harmon series.

To enter click one of the icons below. Then tell your friends. And enter soon - the giveaway ends on 4/1! The winner will be announced at Sibella’s Raleigh Harmon Book Club Party on FB April 5th, 2011! Don’t miss the fun – prizes, books and gab!

About the Facebook Party: Join Sibella and fans of the Raleigh Harmon  series on April 5th at 5:00 pm PST (6 MST, 7 CST & 8 EST) for a  Facebook Book Club Party. Sibella will be giving away some fun prizes,  testing your trivia skills and hosting a book chat about the Raleigh  Harmon books. Have questions you'd like to chat about - leave them on  the Event page.

For the Blog Tour Schedule please check out LitFuse Publications

In accordance with FTC regulations and with my many thanks I acknowledge I received The Mountains Bow Down from LitFuse Publications.  In no way did the receipt of this book affect my opinions or review.