A Gwen Marcey Collection

June 23, 2014
Gwen Marcey is a forensic artist, single mother, and cancer survivor. When she accepts an assignment to reconstruct the remains of recently unearthed victims of the Mountain Meadows Massacre—an incident in 1857 in which more than 100 men and women were killed by Mormon settlers in Utah—she gets entangled in a present-day murder mystery. One of the visitors to the historic site is killed, and a security guard also turns up dead. Positive that her own life is in danger, Gwen sets out to help the police and the FBI track down the killers. A good friend, her ex-husband, and her unruly teenage daughter all play their parts in Gwen’s quest for answers. Parks, in her debut novel, has clearly done her research and never disappoints when it comes to crisp dialogue, characterization, or surprising twists and turns. Contemporary Mormon fundamentalism, a clever alternative theory about the martyrdom of Mormon founder Joseph Smith, and a determined search for the truth are blended artfully in this fast-paced, exciting novel.

September 1, 2014

Forensic artist Gwen Marcey is recruited to reconstruct images from skeletal remains found at the site of the 1857 Mountain Meadows massacre in southern Utah. A controversial subject for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the killing of 150 members of a wagon train heading to California was committed by a militant Mormon group calling itself the Avenging Angels. Gwen's challenge is to re-create the faces of the discovered remains; her findings shake the church to its foundations, especially when one of the images resembles Joseph Smith, the church's founder, whose place of burial remains a mystery. At a special opening of the center to commemorate the victims, Gwen is harassed by violent protesters, one of whom is later found dead, the victim of a ritualized murder known as blood atonement. A second murder and a photograph of a Joseph Smith look-alike put Gwen's life in even more danger. VERDICT Renowned forensic and fine artist Parks's action-packed and compelling tale of suspense is haunting in its intensity. Well researched and written in an almost journalistic style, this emotionally charged story is recommended for fans of Ted Dekker, Mary Higgins Clark, and historical suspense.

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