MRC RECOMMENDS: Glorious Debris by Elizabeth Wathen
“There’s a gritty sense to this story that brings their reality home in a frightening way that is well-written and executed.”
-Mystery Review Crew
Glorious Debris
By Elizabeth Wathen
Genre: Suspense, Thriller
Ann Davenport has endured the worst life could offer, from an abusive father to a joyless marriage. At sixty-eight, newly retired and chasing a fresh start, she settles in a quiet town on the Oregon coast. Free to reinvent herself and leave old wounds behind, Ann discovers newfound happiness—until she stumbles upon the body of a young boy, ensnared in a fishing net.
When the police investigation stalls, Ann’s own sense of justice compels her to dig deeper. With Sophie, a local shopkeeper eager to become a friend, Ann discovers unsettling truths about her new community—secrets the police refuse to touch. When a second body surfaces, strangers descend on the town, taking a troubling interest in Ann’s sleuthing. Now, she finds herself caught in a treacherous web of power and crime, her world threatened by those who value nothing, not even human life.
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Review of Glorious Debris by Elizabeth Wathen
The relevance of the title of Elizabeth Wathen’s new page turner, Glorious Debris, becomes apparent as the reader becomes immersed in this well-written and compelling story, led by an older protagonist. Resourceful and smart, Ann Davenport has survived cancer, a lousy marriage, and childhood abuse, and decides to retire to a quiet fishing village on the Oregon coast, to the dismay of her grown daughter. Determined to finally live life on her own terms, she has a new friend in younger shop owner Sophie, and is finding a rhythm to her days running a small fishing shop, when the unthinkable occurs: the body of a young indigenous boy washes up, caught in a fishing net.
This soon leads the two women to a stark change in their days and routines, and when dark forces descend on their small town, they find themselves in jeopardy. There’s a gritty sense to this story that brings their reality home in a frightening way that is well-written and executed.
It’s a chilling mystery with the two women from different generations aiding and coming to understand each other. The setting comes to life under Wathen’s talented pen, as well as the spotlight she shines on abuse of Indigenous youths. Ann and Sophie are two tough, well-drawn women who can easily carry a series, and I hope to see more of them and this creative author in the future.
About Elizabeth Wathen
Elisabeth Wathen writes and teaches from a small hamlet in the foothills of the Catskill mountains in Upstate New York. Though a native New Yorker, she grew up in Portland, Oregon, and lived in northern California and Southeastern Virginia before she and her husband fell in love with a 160 year old farmhouse, bought it, and moved in. She fuels her imagination through travel, music, reading, and long walks in the country.
