These Blue Mountains
This is a well-balanced tale of mystery and romance set in 1930s North Carolina. German pianist Hedda Schlagel travels to America to reclaim and bring home the remains of her fiancé, Fritz, who had disappeared 15 years earlier near Asheville during WWI. Hedda’s arrival and the discovery that Fritz’s casket holds the body of a woman who died under mysterious circumstances set the grisly scene and propel the well-paced plot. The conflict is whether Fritz is alive and why he’s never contacted Hedda.
Appalachian author Sarah Loudin Thomas delves into themes of identity and belonging through multilayered characters that provide Hedda with emotional support as she searches for the truth. Eleanor, a boarder where Hedda lives, becomes a true friend whose insight and encouragement is a new experience for Hedda. As Eleanor helps Hedda explore the possibilities of staying in America, they discover Joseph and Anni, teachers at Black Mountain College. This thread connects readers to Germans brave enough to start a new life in America and provides the perspective and hardships of immigrants. Hedda is faced with the difficult choice: return to Berlin to care for Lotte, Fritz’s dying mother, or stay in Asheville as the search for Fritz continues. Deputy Garland’s investigation, updates, and trips to Black Mountain add much anticipation to the plot and budding relationships! Loudin’s narrative burgeons with stunning descriptions of the Blue Ridge Mountains, analogies, and foreshadowing, while themes of guilt, acceptance, and jealousy tilt the emotional balance.
Readers of These Blue Mountains, filled with love, tension and heart pounding suspense, will agree with Hedda: “Wunderschönen!” Beautiful! Spectacular!
