Review of Seeking Clemency

[khaulah]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Seeking Clemency" by Joy Martin.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Carrigrua, a classic Irish house that was once majestic, is now in disrepair, with the building deteriorating and the yard choked with weeds. Home to the Conroy family for generations, Carrigrua is more than a childhood home for Caroline. She lived with her grandmother Olive Conroy and aunt Constance Conroy in the house till she was eight years old.

Thirty-eight years old and married, Caroline lives in Surrey with her husband, Leonard Tremain. She finally returns to Ireland for her aunt's funeral. When she discovers a room in Carrigrua that she doesn't remember, her memory is thrown into question. What's more? She also finds blood marks in the room. It sets her on a path to reassemble her past. What is she going to do now? Will she have any recollection of what took place?

All events in the past have repercussions in the present. Seeking Clemency by Joy Martin is about memories that people forget over time, the type of memories that one would rather forget because they are too painful to confront. What do we forget about our childhood? What horrors do we unconsciously repress to avoid facing reality?

Joy Martin's prose is gorgeous. The rich depiction of the story's setting, along with evocative language, brings the world to life and transfers the reader there in an instant. For example, the author describes Caroline's hometown like this:

The road winding through the villages and round the lake. The low stone walls and hawthorn hedges. The animals grazing in the wet green fields. The blue hills. The long avenue through the wood that led to Carrigrua. It was May and the bluebells would be out and the leaves on the birchtrees turning emerald. The whole of nature would be conspiring to draw attention to the house.

The storytelling has an artistic quality to it and moves along seamlessly. Characters are distinct with their own quirks. The narcissistic Leonard speaks differently than the empathetic Bob Studdard or the house help Marie-Rose. There are no loose ends in the book. By the end, everything fits together flawlessly.

Caroline is a likable protagonist. Her development as a person is what I found admirable. Besides the mystery aspect, I also enjoyed the romance in the book. You get to perceive the distinction between a partner who is toxic and a partner who is mentally healthy.

Unfortunately, I found more than ten grammatical errors in the book. The editing is the only reason I'm removing a star from the overall ranking. The book would get a full rating if it weren't for the editing. Hence, I award Seeking Clemency 3 out of 4 stars. There is the use of swear words and mention of adultery in the book. Therefore, I wouldn't recommend it to the younger readers.

People who enjoy reading well-written mystery books with a tinge of romance should not miss this one.

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Seeking Clemency
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[Amy Luman]

I am not a huge fan of romance in the novels that I read, but I do enjoy. C/T/M/H. I think that all of the description is nice. I want to know what Caroline has forgotten. Thanks for the review!

[khaulah]

I am not a huge fan of romance in the novels that I read, but I do enjoy. C/T/M/H. I think that all of the description is nice. I want to know what Caroline has forgotten. Thanks for the review!

Thanks for stopping by. I'm glad you liked it!

[Umesh Bhatt]

Linking past happenings with present and then threading the story in such a nice manner is definitely a laudable work. Good review.

[Aisha Yakub]

Seems like an interesting story. I'm always concerned with the work the author has put into a book, and it seems that aside the grammatical errors, this was well done. Hopefully, this receives another round of editing

[khaulah]

Linking past happenings with present and then threading the story in such a nice manner is definitely a laudable work. Good review.

Thank you so much!

[Nwadinso Michael]

From the review, I think this book contains a little bit of horror. The author's perspective and writing style is quite unique, and I would love to read this book. The book involves the past and present experience of Caroline's life, and I hope she was able to figure it out. Thanks for your review.

[khaulah]

Seems like an interesting story. I'm always concerned with the work the author has put into a book, and it seems that aside the grammatical errors, this was well done. Hopefully, this receives another round of editing

Yeah!

[khaulah]

From the review, I think this book contains a little bit of horror. The author's perspective and writing style is quite unique, and I would love to read this book. The book involves the past and present experience of Caroline's life, and I hope she was able to figure it out. Thanks for your review.

Thanks for stopping by!