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A review by drskspawn
The Fallen in Soura Heights by Amanda Jaeger
4.0
“The Fallen in Soura Heights” is made up of twenty-five chapters, a prologue, and an epilogue, and follows Fey Anderson, a young widower on the cusp of turning twenty-one who moved to Soura Heights about a year ago and is still grieving for the unexplained death of her husband, Bruce. Fey is a bit of a dreamer; every other chapter flashes back to her youth and her whirlwind romance with popular baseball player Bruce. Soura Heights became a bit of a fixation of hers and she would often jot down her ideas of this idyllic town populated by people who actually took the time to get to know you, ask how you are, and avoided being transfixed by their screens and technology. Devastated by Bruce’s death, which occurred in Soura Heights, she travels there to try and get some kind of closure and is amazed to find that the town pretty much lives up to her expectations as a peaceful little place full of friendly characters.
Her best friend in town in Frankie, the friendly and helpful owner of a pie shop (adorably called Pie-Pie For Now); Frankie is instrumental in ingratiating Fey to Soura Heights and is a prominent figure in town; she seemingly knows everyone, engages with the locals and out-of-towners, and is very excited to show Fey the time of her life on her birthday. Other characters in town include the cranky owner of a book shop Fey frequents, a local nutjob, and Sheriff Tom Brickshaw, all of whom cross Fey’s path throughout the story and add to the quirky charm of the small town. Soura Heights is beautifully brought to life by the author; small business line the streets, each with their own bell jingle and cute pun names, and the town has a welcoming air…except for the wilds of Covista Forest, where Bruce’s body was found a year ago. Fey is both fascinated and terrified by the forest, something only exacerbated by the popularity of the Covista Trap, a Venus fly trap-like flower that many in town have taken to.
I was happy to find that “The Fallen in Soura Heights” was far from another cliché murder mystery saga; instead, it’s a charming little story of a grieving young woman just trying to find answers and constantly haunted by memories of happier times. Fey is quite a likeable character with all kinds of flaws and quirks to her personality; Bruce’s death left her somewhat broken, and I really enjoyed the flashbacks to their time together as a loved-up couple. I really enjoyed “The Fallen in Soura Heights”; the author does a wonderful job of characterising Fey, her relationship with Bruce, and this quirky little small town and a handful of its inhabitants. The story is less about trying to pick out possible suspects (although the author does throw in some alluring red herrings) and more about following Fey as she tries to cope with her grief. It all culminates in a dramatic showdown between Fey and those responsible for Bruce’s death, and ended up being an incredibly enjoyable read; chapters are easy to digest, the narrative is charming to follow, and the portrayal of the townsfolk and characters really makes the story a pleasurable experience. I wouldn’t mind returning to Soura Heights again to find out more about the town and see what other secrets are buried there but, for now, I would definitely recommend picking this one up if you’re a fan of character-driven mysteries.
Her best friend in town in Frankie, the friendly and helpful owner of a pie shop (adorably called Pie-Pie For Now); Frankie is instrumental in ingratiating Fey to Soura Heights and is a prominent figure in town; she seemingly knows everyone, engages with the locals and out-of-towners, and is very excited to show Fey the time of her life on her birthday. Other characters in town include the cranky owner of a book shop Fey frequents, a local nutjob, and Sheriff Tom Brickshaw, all of whom cross Fey’s path throughout the story and add to the quirky charm of the small town. Soura Heights is beautifully brought to life by the author; small business line the streets, each with their own bell jingle and cute pun names, and the town has a welcoming air…except for the wilds of Covista Forest, where Bruce’s body was found a year ago. Fey is both fascinated and terrified by the forest, something only exacerbated by the popularity of the Covista Trap, a Venus fly trap-like flower that many in town have taken to.
I was happy to find that “The Fallen in Soura Heights” was far from another cliché murder mystery saga; instead, it’s a charming little story of a grieving young woman just trying to find answers and constantly haunted by memories of happier times. Fey is quite a likeable character with all kinds of flaws and quirks to her personality; Bruce’s death left her somewhat broken, and I really enjoyed the flashbacks to their time together as a loved-up couple. I really enjoyed “The Fallen in Soura Heights”; the author does a wonderful job of characterising Fey, her relationship with Bruce, and this quirky little small town and a handful of its inhabitants. The story is less about trying to pick out possible suspects (although the author does throw in some alluring red herrings) and more about following Fey as she tries to cope with her grief. It all culminates in a dramatic showdown between Fey and those responsible for Bruce’s death, and ended up being an incredibly enjoyable read; chapters are easy to digest, the narrative is charming to follow, and the portrayal of the townsfolk and characters really makes the story a pleasurable experience. I wouldn’t mind returning to Soura Heights again to find out more about the town and see what other secrets are buried there but, for now, I would definitely recommend picking this one up if you’re a fan of character-driven mysteries.