Rating: 
Summary: A Captivating Read
Review: I am a college student with ADD and, when I saw the book on the 'New Fiction' shelf in the library, I was a bit curious. Now, I am quite picky about my books and it takes something really good to pique my interest because of my short attention span. Being snowed into campus as it were, it's been a good opportunity to get in some reading and I do love a good mystery. I started reading and quickly fell into the story's pace, trying to read as much as I could in between classes. I simply devoured this book and I am quite glad to say that it's some of the best writing I've read in quite some time. Hart really paints a beautiful scene and her characters are brilliant. I'm going to keep an eye out for her work in the future.
Rating: 
Summary: An Impressive Debut
Review: I approached Erin Hart's "Haunted Ground" with some trepidation. First, this is a story of Ireland, written by Hart, an American from the Midwest, as well as a first novel. The pastoral Irish moor provides the backdrop for the teaming Cormac Maguire, a brawny/brainy Irish archeologist, and Nora Gavin, equally eligible American pathologist, providing all the necessary ingredients for a breathless "Harlequinesque" romance. Fortunately, my fears could not have been further off the mark. Rather, Hart demonstrates remarkable talents as a storyteller, lyricist, and historian in this unusual and captivating mystery. While in the bog cutting turf for fuel, farmers find the severed head of an ancient red-haired girl, perfectly preserved in the damp, dark peat. Meanwhile, Mina Osborne, wife of local gentry High Osborne, and her toddler son have been missing for over two years. Husband/father Hugh is the prime suspect, but there are neither bodies nor solid evidence to convict him. Hart moves deftly between the twin plots of solving the circumstances behind the apparent execution of the red-haired girl centuries before, and those of the disappearance and apparent murder of the Osbornes. The author does a great job of capturing the culture and landscape of rural Ireland, building credible characters in believable situations. The rainy bogs and dark, decaying manors of central Ireland lend a spooky, gothic, air to the tale, which twists to a mostly unexpected and cleverly conceived conclusion. "Haunted Ground" is a well researched, well written, and refreshing change of pace from the more-standard mystery fare. I would suspect that fans of Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child and Dan Brown would appreciate the history and science Hart blends with her fiction. I would also recommend Martin Cruz Smith's "Rose". In summary, a very impressive debut - I'll look forward to reading more from Erin Hart.
Rating:
Summary: arterpastor
Review: I came upon this book in a bookstore recently, and, because this is Ms. Hart's debut novel, I thought I would like to read it. I won't tell you the plot, however, I will say that I could not put this book down. Ms. Hart develops her characters very well and puts enough twists and turns in the plot to keep the reader wondering. I hope this will be the first of many books from Erin Hart.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent First Book !!!!
Review: I have never written a review before. However, I hope this book will receive more attention from the publisher, reviewers and bookstores, who tend to promote books by their publicity, marketing and displays. I just happened upon this book at Books a Million. For some reason, this particular store, but not others, had the book on display, which grabbed my attention. I bought it and was thrilled to read it. The other reviews tell the potential reader about the plot. I just want to reiterate how well this book is written. I would much rather see this book on the bestseller lists, than John Grisham. I mean no disrespect to Grisham. But, Erin Hart has written a superb mystery with an emphasis on science. The book is well researched and well done from beginning to end. I hope more people will read it and enjoy the suspense and human interactions of the book!
Rating:
Summary: Well researched mystery with an abundance of detail.
Review: I loved this book, but was a bit disappointed by the drawn out ending. The research Ms. Hart has put into this mystery is quite impressive, and makes for a compelling read-bog bodies, irish place names, and more. I hope she writes more, and quickly. My one criticism was the multiple chapters at the end as each plot and sub plot was wrapped up-could have been done more efficiently.
Rating: 
Summary: Slow, cliched, poorly written, tells but does not show
Review: I too looked forward to reading this after seeing some good reviews. I read a lot of mysteries, if this is good writing then I don't get it. A lot of detail but cardboard characters I never felt I knew, I couldn't wait for it to end and didn't care who did it by that point. No drama, no excitement, just an excruciatingly slow read. Who cares?
Rating:
Summary: Characters had no depth
Review: I was pretty disappointed. The story line had potential to be captivating, but the characters were flat. This book definitely didn't draw me in. And the use of foul language didn't add anything to the dialog. I was glad I bought a used copy and got a discount.
Rating:
Summary: Good Mystery, Excellent Irish Story
Review: I was really drawn to the plot of this story, but not because it was such a great mystery. Because the author obviously has a love of all things Irish and gives us a nice look at Irish life today. The characters of Nora Gavin, Cormac Maguire, and Garret Devaney are exceptionally well-written, but all of the characters are interesting and deserving of our attention. The two main mystery plots were less interesting and tied up too neatly at the end. I mean, who didn't know who the real killers were the moment the author introduced them? But, as I say, it was not necessarily the mystery aspect that drew me. Hats off to Erin Hart for creating such real Irish people for her first novel. I look forward to reading the further stories of Nora and Cormac.
Rating: 
Summary: Meandering Travelog of Ireland
Review: I was very disappointed in the flimsy mystery the characters took way too long to solve. Another reviewer called the characters cardboard...I thought of them as wooden. Dialogue that was blah and filled with cliches made yawning inevitable. I only stayed with it to the end, even though the killers identity was easy to figure, because I hoped to get my moneys worth. I didn't.
Rating:
Summary: Ma'am, don't quit your day job.
Review: I'm an avid reader of many genres, and am always more than willing to give new authors a fair shot. Unfortunately for me, I decided to give Erin Hart's first novel, Haunted Ground, the proverbial college try on one rainy afternoon.
I found the book's pacing to be sluggish, and its dialogue rich with typical Irish cliche. My overall impression was that Hart is a maniacal American obsessed with the Emerald Isle, but doesn't know the culture well enough to write a plausible story without going overboard. In short, she tried much too hard.
And, concerning my own personal experience with the novel, I tried much too hard... to finish the book. Despite my efforts, I was forced to put this piece back on the shelf after only 5 chapters.
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