All is not well between Linda Wallheim and her husband
Kurt, a Mormon bishop. Their relationship has been
strained since their son Samuel made them realize they
differ in their religious beliefs. They still have not
figured out how to smooth things over, when another of
their five sons, Kenneth, announces that he is getting
married, but not in the temple. He and his fiancée Naomi
asked to be excluded from the Church, and as if things
couldn't get any worse, Naomi Carter comes from a
polygamous family, which is everything that both Linda
and Kurt abhor. Naomi has heard of Linda's investigative
talents, so she asks her to surreptitiously try to find
out if Naomi's little sister Talitha might be abused, so
Linda and Kurt will go visit the Carters a day earlier
than Kenneth and Naomi. What Kurt witnesses angers him to
the point where he tells Linda to leave along with him,
she won't, she's not that obedient and besides she does
sense that something is not right, so he goes home alone.
This will not help their faltering marriage, but Linda
gets herself in scalding water when someone is murdered!
With her fourth book in this brilliant series, Mette Ivie
Harrison reaches new heights. FOR TIME AND ALL ETERNITIES
could only be possible in the context of Mormonism, and
all its interpretations -- sanctioned and not -- and this
was a stroke of genius, because of the theological
context it makes this story truly unique. From the very
beginning, you could cut the tension with a knife. Linda
is a very level-headed woman, and while her faith is at
times tenuous, she tries to make compromises, on the
other hand Kurt is more inflexible in his interpretations
of their faith, and the clashes are frequent, and Linda
worries that their love might not be enough to overcome
their differences of opinion. Ms. Harrison did extensive
research on Mormon polygamy, and it succeeds beyond
belief, because it makes for compelling storytelling, and
FOR TIME AND ALL ETERNITIES is totally spellbinding! I
couldn't read quickly enough, and too often, it was
literally with my mouth open. There are a lot of
characters in there: Stephen Carter, the husband; five
wives; and twenty one children, with another on the way,
and I never felt lost as to who was who. They are to the
last one fully-fleshed, and most so enigmatic, you don't
know what to really make of them. I felt as bewildered as
Linda when it came to their interactions, and the fact
that the story is told from Linda's point of view makes
it even more powerful, because I really identified with
her and her growing puzzlement, and shock.
FOR TIME AND ALL ETERNITIES is one of the most unusual
murder enquiries I have ever read, because of the
intricacies of Mormonism, and that specific family. And
it is not only the murder that is utterly fascinating,
but the dynamics of the huge family as well, which is
just as big a mystery. I just couldn't believe my eyes at
what was happening, and yet, in the context, it made
perfect sense; I would have behaved exactly as Linda did,
even if the idea was appalling, there was no other
possible choice. This is the type of story, that even if
I didn't know there would be a murder, the atmosphere was
so toxic, you know that something dreadful is bound to
happen, and Mette Ivie Harrison demonstrates what a
master she is at creating a mood that grabs you, that
hits you in the gut, and won't let go; chilling doesn't
even begin to describe some passages, and not because
there are gory scenes, but because of the characters
themselves and their behavior. There is also an
incredibly moving segment when past and present collide
that left me aching, and in tears, even more so when I
read the Author's Note -- which must be read. The year is
very young, but FOR TIME AND ALL ETERNITIES will
definitely make it on my 2017 best books list. For
someone who has read so many murder mysteries, I have
seldom read one as gripping.
The Mormon church may have disavowed the polygamy it became so infamous for in the 19th century, but for some Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints, "plural marriage" isn't just ancient history. Mormon bishop's wife Linda Wallheim is stunned to learn her son Kenneth has gotten engaged to a young woman from a polygamous family. Naomi Carter may have left the religion she grew up in, but the Carters will still be the Wallheims' in-laws once Kenneth and Naomi are married. Stephen Carter, Naomi's father and the patriarch of the Carter clan, invites the Wallheims over to the Carter family compound in the remote foothills of the mountains outside Salt Lake City. Stephen Carter wishes to extend an olive branch to his future in-laws, and introduce them to his five wives and twenty-two children. But Linda suspects he also wants to try to persuade the Wallheims that his way of life is truly righteous. From Linda's point of view, polygamy is an abhorrent practice, one that dehumanizes women and makes children vulnerable to unhealthy family structures. She and her husband, Kurt, arrive at the Carter compound braced for trouble—Linda has her eyes peeled for signs that Stephen's wives and children are unhappy or abused. Although she can't find concrete evidence of mistreatment, Linda's gut instinct tells her that something on the Carter family compound is deeply wrong. She can't quite put her finger on what—until it's too late, and one of the family members is found murdered. Afraid that Stephen Carter's unworldly, sequestered wives and children might suffer at the hands of investigating police, Linda vows to stay at the compound until the murderer is found and the survivors are safe. But even if she manages to do more good than harm with her snooping and interfering, Linda can't unsee what she has seen during her time at the Carters'—now, confronting the legacy of polygamy in her own Mormon family raises even more questions about her already shaky faith.
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