Rating: 
Summary: A strong debut that i did not enjoy
Review: In central Ireland, farmers cutting into peat bog to obtain a means of fuel make a grizzly discovery. The severed head of a woman is found. Given that it has rested in the frigid water of the bog, it is in remarkably good condition. Features could easily be recognized including the bright red hair. The question is- who is she? It is up to Irish archaeologist Cormac Maguire and American pathologist Nora Gavin to discover her identity. In the meanwhile, people wonder whether this is the remains of Mina Osborne who disappeared two years before while returning home with her son from a shopping trip. The main suspect is Mina'a husband Hugh Osborne. Policeman Garrett Devaney investigates.
HAUNTED GROUND is a literate crime novel. Ms. Hart is American, yet her writing style is purely British. The great sense of locale will immediately bring to mind the exceptional novels of Stephen Booth or Charles Todd. Her pacing is quite leisurely and the reader will find it difficult to traverse these pages rapidly. Characters are well fleshed out, however, I could not feel a connection to any of them. The writing is strong and sure, yet, when all is said and done, in spite of Ms. Hart writing a fine book, it is one I just did not enjoy reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Truly "haunting" first book..............
Review: It's hard to belive that this is Erin Hart's first book. The story is wonderfully woven and the writing is beautiful. I would recommend this novel to anyone and I look forward with anticipation to her next novel.
Rating:
Summary: Found: one head. Missing: one body
Review: Lovely beginning. These two poor sods find a head, just a head, in a peat bog in the Irish countryside. Haunted Ground has the usual small village mix of eccentric characters, gothic suspence, and the creepiness of the best murder mysteries. There're the village folk, and then there are the gentry in the proverbial 'big house.'
Terrific debut mystery with enough background history and character development to start a whole series.
Rating:
Summary: A modern take on an old tale
Review: Ms. Hart sheds a bit of light on the folk legend of the red haired girl in the bog. Throw in a bit of traditional Irish music, add a dash of history, spice it up with a bit of romance, and mix with complex characters and mysterious events and you have a first rate novel.
Rating:
Summary: A RICHLY TEXTURED READING
Review: The richly textured voice of John Keating embodies the sights and sounds of Ireland old and new in this engrossing debut thriller. Unusual items are often found by farmers cutting turf in peat bogs - perhaps an ancient cooking utensil or a shard of pottery. Nothing has ever turned up in this remote Galway spot that rivals the shocking discovery Brendan McGann made one serene spring morning: the head of a young woman with long red hair. Irish archaeologist Cormac Maguire and an American paleontologist, Nora Gavin, take on the daunting task of solving what appears to be a heinous crime. Compounding matters is the fact that peat bogs act as a preservative, hence the head could have been hidden there for two hundred or two years. More mystery clouds the issue: Mina Osborne and her young son went for a stroll two years ago and never returned. Wed to local landowner, Hugh Osborne, she was Indian born. Did she want to disappear with her child or did the landowner kill them as is whispered by some in the village? Shrouded in folkloric fancy and polished with Irish charm "Haunted Ground" is a noteworthy first novel. Curl up with a pint of ale, and listen to this one! - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: A RICHLY TEXTURED READING
Review: The richly textured voice of John Keating embodies the sights and sounds of Ireland old and new in this engrossing debut thriller. Unusual items are often found by farmers cutting turf in peat bogs - perhaps an ancient cooking utensil or a shard of pottery. Nothing has ever turned up in this remote Galway spot that rivals the shocking discovery Brendan McGann made one serene spring morning: the head of a young woman with long red hair. Irish archaeologist Cormac Maguire and an American paleontologist, Nora Gavin, take on the daunting task of solving what appears to be a heinous crime. Compounding matters is the fact that peat bogs act as a preservative, hence the head could have been hidden there for two hundred or two years. More mystery clouds the issue: Mina Osborne and her young son went for a stroll two years ago and never returned. Wed to local landowner, Hugh Osborne, she was Indian born. Did she want to disappear with her child or did the landowner kill them as is whispered by some in the village? Shrouded in folkloric fancy and polished with Irish charm "Haunted Ground" is a noteworthy first novel. Curl up with a pint of ale, and listen to this one! - Gail Cooke
Rating: 
Summary: A trick
Review: This book is not about a bog-woman mystery.
All people's talk talk talk, it seems to be about another missing person mystery.
It hasn't been about the bog-woman since the 1st few chapters.
s
Rating:
Summary: Very atmospheric...............
Review: This book is not what you'd call a "thriller", nor is it super fast paced. But, it is a wonderful mystery with great atmosphere. I could picture the small town in Ireland, with the landscapes, people, weather, and architecture.
I have read all the Patricia Cornwell/Kay Scarpetta series of books, and love them. I enjoy Cornwell's style of writing, and the genre of those books (mystery, thrillers). I found this book interesting not only because of the mystery and history involving the head found in the bog, but also because of the other more recent mystery taking place in the small town. In addition to both characters being likeable and well written, the two stories/mysteries going on at the same time are well woven together into the story.
This is a great debut novel, and a great novel to read if you feel like getting away to Ireland!
Rating:
Summary: Makes a Stunning Audio Book
Review: This book made me an instant audiobook enthusiast. The book itself is well written, but becomes even better due to the narrator's skill with story telling. Without becoming overly dramatic or incomprehensible (the reader uses various Irish accents to denote the characters and does a pretty good American one as well) she drags the listener into the horror and mystery of the story of a missing wife and child, a young woman discovered in a bog and the way a small village can turn on its own.
Get the unabridged version.
Rating: 
Summary: Too Formulaic!
Review: This novel follows all the proper standards of a gothic mystery novel and was good enough that it held my interest to completion, but not because of the quality of the prose or characterization. I feel that Hart is writing about Ireland from too much of an emotional distance and one only has to read an Edna O'Brien novel like I In The Forest to see what is lacking in this one. It's not bad for a first novel, but Hart needs to write closer to home and more intimate characterizations which the reader can empathize with.
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