As a child, Jessie Lockwood spent many hours helping her mother, Mariah, count the endangered ginseng plants hidden in the local woods of Deep Down, Kentucky. There she learned to appreciate the tiny Appalachian town--and ginseng's healing powers. Now a PhD, she's made her home in Lexington, even though that meant leaving Deep Down and her beloved mother--and Sheriff Drew Webb, the man she secretly loved. When Jessie is notified that her mother never returned from her last walk in the woods, she comes home to Deep Down--and to Drew. As Jessie and Drew race to find her mother, several suspects emerge: an agent for those who market the herb for its life-giving properties; Mariah's disgruntled suitor; and an old Cherokee desperate to protect the sacred tribal herb. In the mist of legend and fear, only two things make sense to Jessie. At any cost, she is desperate to find her mother. And she can't help falling desperately in love with Drew all over again.
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"I enjoyed this book and it kept me guessing until the end. As noted in a earlier review of another book by Karen Harper called "The Falls" I found these two books somewhat similar, though enjoyable."
— Colleen (4 out of 5 stars)
“Fast-paced and absorbing, this one will keep readers turning pages far into the night. A strong plot, a pair of well-written characters, and a genuinely spooky atmosphere add up to yet another sterling effort from Harper.”
— RT Book Reviews (4 stars)" It has a great hook--ginseng hunters in eastern Kentucky. Starts off very well, then seriously bogs down. Karen Harper has written better books by far. "
— Liz, 1/2/2014" pretty good about a 3.5 rating. "
— Sally, 11/13/2013" I found this book almost boring....it was just nor well written and fast moving enough for me. "
— Ruth, 10/27/2013" This was actually a cute little book , it surprised me . I liked it pretty well . (: "
— Ariel, 9/27/2013" It was very insightful and a twist on scenery. A little cheesy at the end but was an overall great book. "
— Danielle, 8/30/2013" I met Karen Harper a few years ago, so I always read her new books. She used to teach English at OSU. Her books are formula driven, but this one was better than most. "
— Beverly, 7/16/2013" Its okay, nothing to keep you on the edge of your seat. I figured out who the father of Pearl was and who the killer was as soon as he was introduced. "
— Sandra, 6/23/2013" Not well written and very predictable. "
— Blanche, 5/13/2013" OK book, didn't like the dialogue, too stiff and formal for my tastes, like vehicle instead of car. Good mystery though. "
— Louisa, 2/17/2013" A pretty good story. A girl comes home to the town Deep Down after her mother goes missing. Her mother was a ginsing counter. Never knew it was worth so much money. "
— Cheryl, 8/30/2012" Daughter returns to Appalachia to search for missing mother. New sherriff happens to be her first love. Interesting characters. "
— ilona, 8/29/2012" it took a bit to warm up to, but once that happened, couldn't put it down. took a day to read "
— Celeste, 8/8/2012" 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. "
— Kendra, 2/29/2012" This was a solid mystery with an interesting setting in Appalachia. The characters were engaging and provided many good suspects for both the principal mystery and a smaller secondary one. "
— Marissa, 2/2/2012" Mystery dealing with ginseng harvesting in Kentucky and the worldwide ginseng trade. "
— Marianne, 10/19/2011" This book had some really good moments, and great mystery aspects, however it was slow moving, and I didn't feel any chemistry between the H&H. "
— Shyloh, 8/23/2011" 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. "
— Wendy, 8/19/2011" While the suspense plot wasn't bad, and the portrayal of the Appalachians was less stereotypical than I'd feared, the main romance plot was weak. The secondary romance would have been more interesting, if it had been the focus. "
— Darla, 8/8/2011" Surprisingly enough, there was a story on TV about Appalachia and it mentions the ginseng trade. Interesting reading. "
— Dawn, 7/18/2011" Very good and interesting book "
— Kim, 4/20/2011" 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. "
— Wendy, 4/19/2011" This was a solid mystery with an interesting setting in Appalachia. The characters were engaging and provided many good suspects for both the principal mystery and a smaller secondary one. "
— Marissa, 3/23/2011" Not well written and very predictable. <br/> "
— Blanche, 12/15/2010" This book had some really good moments, and great mystery aspects, however it was slow moving, and I didn't feel any chemistry between the H&H. "
— Shyloh, 1/20/2010" This was actually a cute little book , it surprised me . I liked it pretty well . (: "
— Ariel, 12/22/2009" It was very insightful and a twist on scenery. A little cheesy at the end but was an overall great book. "
— Danielle, 11/21/2009" 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. "
— Kendra, 10/8/2009" A pretty good story. A girl comes home to the town Deep Down after her mother goes missing. Her mother was a ginsing counter. Never knew it was worth so much money. "
— Cheryl, 10/2/2009" I met Karen Harper a few years ago, so I always read her new books. She used to teach English at OSU. Her books are formula driven, but this one was better than most. "
— Beverly, 8/30/2009" It has a great hook--ginseng hunters in eastern Kentucky. Starts off very well, then seriously bogs down. Karen Harper has written better books by far. "
— Liz, 8/2/2009" Mystery dealing with ginseng harvesting in Kentucky and the worldwide ginseng trade. "
— Marianne, 6/29/2009" Surprisingly enough, there was a story on TV about Appalachia and it mentions the ginseng trade. Interesting reading. "
— Dawn, 5/13/2009Karen Harper, a New York
Times bestselling author, is a former high school and college English
teacher. Winner of the 2005 Mary Higgins Clark Award for her outstanding novel Dark
Angel, Karen is the author of more than a dozen romantic suspense novels
and six historical novels, as well as a series of historical mysteries. She and
her husband love to travel both in the United States and abroad.
Barbara McCulloh has appeared on Broadway as Mrs. Darling in Peter Pan and as Anna in The King and I. Her film and television credits include Law & Order: SVU, Another World, and Peter Pan. She has also done extensive work in regional theater and recorded dozens of audiobooks.