Harbinger: Wake-Robin Ridge Book 3 by Marcia Meara
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Harbinger is book#3 in the Wake-Robin Ridge series of paranormal suspense mysteries set in the Carolina Mountains.
The book opens with a scene from June 1994, eight year old Sissy Birdwell steps off the school bus on the last day of term and begins her walk up the long road to home, it’s not a walk she enjoys alone, sometimes things scare her, but she sets bravely off. Along the road she meets Cadey Hagen a boy and mountain neighbour. He is currently suspended from school and is a known trouble maker. He invites Sissy into the woods to show her a secret.
Twenty years later Sheriff Raleigh Wardell asks Mac Cole and his son for help with a cold case. Eleven year old Rabbit is the adopted son of Mac and Sarah, a gifted child who has the sight. Mac also owns a computer research company and Wardell hopes they can help him solve the case of a missing girl.
Several miles away Deacon Cadey Hagen has lived the last twenty years of his life as a reformed man, a husband and model member of society with an uneventful life, except for the recurring nightmare which haunts him. For some reason the dream has become more frequent – Ol’shuck a harbinger of death stalks and chases Cadey through the woods, forcing him to awake screaming.
Mac and Sarah have concerns about allowing Rabbit to be involved in the search for a missing girl, but Rabbit believes finding her can only bring peace to her poor grieving mother. Visions and messages give clues, but Rabbit also needs to protect himself from an overdose of voices all wanting to be heard. He learns to control and grow with his gift in a heart-warming manner.
These books have wonderful settings which come to life in the author’s pen, the slow build up of the suspense is an ideal pace, allowing details to be discovered. I really enjoyed the continuation of Rabbit who we first met in book #2, he really is a delight to read about and I can see that there may be many more tales and cases to solve for Cole & Son in the future.
The wine-red trillium that carpets the forests of the North Carolina Mountains is considered a welcome harbinger of spring—but not all such omens are happy ones. An Appalachian legend claims the Black Dog, or Ol’ Shuck, as he’s often called, is a harbinger of death. If you see him, you or someone you know is going to die.
But what happens when Ol’ Shuck starts coming for you in your dreams? Nightmares of epic proportions haunt the deacon of the Light of Grace Baptist Church, and bring terror into the lives of everyone around him. Even MacKenzie Cole and his adopted son, Rabbit, find themselves pulled into danger.
When Sheriff Raleigh Wardell asks Mac and Rabbit to help him solve a twenty-year-old cold case, Rabbit’s visions of a little girl lost set them on a path that soon collides with that of a desperate man being slowly driven mad by guilt.
As Rabbit’s gift of the Sight grows ever more powerful, his commitment to those who seek justice grows as well, even when their pleas come from beyond the grave.
Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Reviewed on Amazon as part of #AugustReviews
View all my reviews on Goodreads
So looking forward to this!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really hope you enjoy it, Cathy! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, too. You’ve helped make this morning pretty special! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLike
Great!
I already have Wake Robin Ridge on my TBR list and nudged it to the top a bit. Your review whet my appetite, Rosie!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Carmen.
LikeLike
Glad this post helped move WRR a bit higher in your TBR pile, Carmen. Looking forward to hearing what you think of it. Thanks for taking the time to comment, too. Have a great day! 🙂
LikeLike
I just finished A Boy Named Rabbit and plunged straight into Harbinger. It’s a great series.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rabbit is such a great character.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, Mary! I’m tickled to death that you are enjoying the series! Can’t wait for your final thoughts on Harbinger. Have a super day! And happy reading! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love marcia’s style of writing – loved this book. Jx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aww, thanks, Judith! You are so sweet, and I’m very happy you loved the book. It means so much to find such nice comments here today, and you, bless you, are always such a sharing and supportive friend to writers everywhere! It’s very appreciated!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are so welcome, Marcia. You’ve been so supportive to me. jx
LikeLiked by 1 person
I want to read the whole series. Thanks, Rosie!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hope you get a chance to check it out, Olga, and that you enjoy all three books. Heck, if your TBR pile is anything like mine, there might be FOUR there when you get to it. 😀 Thanks for commenting, and have a great day! 🙂
LikeLike
This looks great. Thanks Rosie!
LikeLiked by 1 person
If you get a chance to read the series, I hope you’ll enjoy it. Thanks so much for commenting, Kimberly, and have a great day! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! I look forward to it. You have a great day too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m looking forward to reading this. I’ve already finished Wake Robin Ridge and plan on starting the second book by the weekend!
LikeLike
A wonderful review of Marcia’s book! Pinned & shared.:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Linda! So nice of you to share!!
LikeLike
Way to go, Marcia!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Sue. This one was a lot of fun. I even got to use a wee bit of my own artwork on the cover. (The Black Dog is mine, even if he IS just a silhouette.) 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person