The Wings of Poppy Pendleton

by Melanie Dobson

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Wings of Poppy Pendleton is a very well written standalone dual timeline (not timeslip) mystery by Melanie Dobson. Released 19th Sept 2023 by Tyndale House, it's 352 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. 

This is a gently written, engaging mystery set in parallel timelines, 1907 and 1992. The setting includes the ruins of a stately home on an island in rural New York state, and the castle in its heyday. A child's long unsolved disappearance and the concurrent death of her father cast a very long shadow. 

The author excels at both atmospheric scene setting as well as characterization. The characters are well delineated and run the gamut from appealing to truly irredeemably loathsome. The historical aspects seem to be well researched and the author has woven fiction around a historical framework so well it's not always clear where fact shades over to fiction. 

There are some dark themes included in the book (something of a surprise for a Christian publishing house), and they're central to the plot and include kidnapping, suicide ideation, abuse of several characters (including a child), drug abuse, neglect, etc. The family histories are *messy*.

There are mentions of Christian faith, scripture, and prayer, but they're not intrusive. The references to the almighty in the text are capitalized, but again, it didn't interrupt the flow of the narrative (but they are noticeable). 

Four stars. It's surprisingly dark for a Christian mystery/fantasy, but it's very well written. It's also quite complex and multi-layered. It's not a book to pick up for light summer poolside reading.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.