After reading The Curse of Misty Wayfair, I knew I wanted to read more of Jaime Jo Wright’s books. So I headed over to the library, got a library card, and went looking in their Christian Fiction section. The Reckoning of Gossamer Pond is one of the books I found from her. Let me tell you all about it.
The Reckoning of Gossamer Pond Summary
As in the last book from Jaime Jo Wright that I read, this book takes place in two different centuries. Our one main character, Libby, works for the town’s newspaper and gets thrust into a murder mystery when she receives an obituary for someone before they die. Our second main character, Annalise, has her own coffee shop and is trying to get the town to take notice of the homeless population. She finds herself pulled into the mystery from 1907 – the same one that Libby is trying to solve in 1907. Annalise gets dragged into the history when police find her photos all over a dead hoarder’s home.
Both characters have to solve the mystery, all while dealing with secrets from their past that they have worked so hard to bury. As the mystery begins to unfold both women have to face their past, decisions that were made, and the lives that were impacted.
What I Liked
The mystery in both times was intense. Jaime wrote two stories that had you questioning who the bad guy was in both times. One of the things I do when reading mysteries is try to solve it before it’s all revealed. Sometimes, I can figure it out ahead of time. With the Reckoning of Gossamer Pond, it was only right before the reveal that I figured out one of the bad guys. When it came to figuring out the other bad guy, I was blown away by the reveal because that person was not one that I considered at all. Figuring out all the secrets and getting the answers was mind blowing. Just really well done.
What I Didn’t Like
When I was reading The Curse of Misty Wayfair I found myself drawn to the characters. I was cheering for them to figure things out. Even with the romance aspect I was rooting for the couples to get together. However, I didn’t find the characters in The Reckoning of Gossamer Pond that charismatic. The romance was a bit more there as you had a couple with a bad past that definitely felt like a squabbling couple the whole time, with a scattering of tender moments. As much as I liked the fact that the mysteries kept you guessing the whole time, there was one bad guy that seemed a bit too random. I really don’t want to spoil it, but I will say that the one criminal had a random motive and wasn’t really involved until the reveal. It felt too out there for me.
The Reckoning of Gossamer Pond Rating
Overall I gave The Reckoning of Gossamer Pond a 4 star rating. The story kept me entertained, and wanting to read more. Even though I didn’t like the characters as much, and found a problem with the one reveal, the mystery had just enough twists to keep you thinking. When a story is too predictable it’s not enjoyable. I want to have to work to solve a mystery. Jaime delivered that aspect in her book. It was a great story overall and really got the message across on the importance of forgiveness and not burying secrets.
Your Recommendations
So, I’m nowhere near being out of ideas for books to read. The Reckoning of Gossamer Pond was only the second book from Jaime Jo Wright and she has more. In fact, the next review will also be one of her books. And then I’m going through the Orphan X series. A while back I read Red Rising, which was the first book in that series. I thought it was a trilogy, but I heard someone say that there will be more. So, I still need to read the next two books so I’m caught up. However, I would love to hear your recommendations. What are your favourite reads? Let me know and give me some more books to read and review. Or let me know who your favourite author is and I’ll check them out. Let’s find all the best reads together. Anything can happen if we try.
