227 books
—
199 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “The Mountains Wild (Maggie D'arcy, #1)” as Want to Read:
The Mountains Wild
(Maggie D'arcy #1)
by
In a series debut for fans of Tana French and Kate Atkinson, set in Dublin and New York, homicide detective Maggie D'arcy finally tackles the case that changed the course of her life.
Twenty-three years ago, Maggie D'arcy's family received a call from the Dublin police. Her cousin Erin has been missing for several days. Maggie herself spent weeks in Ireland, trying to track
...moreGet A Copy
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
The Mountains Wild,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about The Mountains Wild
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of The Mountains Wild (Maggie D'arcy, #1)
All it took was a comparison of the author to Tana French and Kate Atkinson to get me on board. They are two of my favorite authors. And the writing did immediately grab me. I loved Taylor’s descriptions, the way I could totally imagine the scenes she was painting.
Maggie is a Long Island detective, busy with her own life, when the call comes in. Her cousin, Erin, had disappeared in Ireland 23 years before. Now, her scarf has been found at the scene where another young woman has just gone missin ...more
Maggie is a Long Island detective, busy with her own life, when the call comes in. Her cousin, Erin, had disappeared in Ireland 23 years before. Now, her scarf has been found at the scene where another young woman has just gone missin ...more
4.5 Stars
First, my apologies to Sarah Stewart Taylor. I've been raving about her “debut novel,” but after doing a little research (i.e. googling) I realized she's already written an entire cozy mystery series. I suppose one reason I made the mistake is because The Mountains Wild is a really good book. Which is not to say her series isn't also good--it probably is--but only that I'm surprised she isn't more well known. It may be because The Mountains Wild is such a departure from her previous boo ...more
First, my apologies to Sarah Stewart Taylor. I've been raving about her “debut novel,” but after doing a little research (i.e. googling) I realized she's already written an entire cozy mystery series. I suppose one reason I made the mistake is because The Mountains Wild is a really good book. Which is not to say her series isn't also good--it probably is--but only that I'm surprised she isn't more well known. It may be because The Mountains Wild is such a departure from her previous boo ...more
Twenty years ago Maggie's cousin Erin went missing in Dublin. Although at that time, Maggie had flown to Ireland to aid the police, all their efforts came to nought. Now new evidence has been uncovered and Maggie now a successful police detective, once again finds herself in Dublin.
There was quite a bit of toing and froing, back and forth in time, made it at times confusing to follow. I did like the actual investigation, well to a point, went in many different directions. I did like the characte ...more
There was quite a bit of toing and froing, back and forth in time, made it at times confusing to follow. I did like the actual investigation, well to a point, went in many different directions. I did like the characte ...more
This is an okay police procedural. I was expecting more from a novel that compares itself to Tana French, and it definitely didn’t reach that level for me. It was slow to start, slow in the middle and did not pick up the pace nearly enough at the end.
There was also something about Maggie D’Arcy that came off as insincere, both in her job and how often she trotted out Irish fun facts. It was almost like she was constantly trying to prove her Irish-adjacency to the reader. And after checking the ...more
There was also something about Maggie D’Arcy that came off as insincere, both in her job and how often she trotted out Irish fun facts. It was almost like she was constantly trying to prove her Irish-adjacency to the reader. And after checking the ...more
There's so much distance here......
Maggie D'arcy stands quiet and still. She's feeling her body and her mind lock down into high alert. A phone call stirs up the shifting sands of so long ago. And Maggie revisits that stirring once again. Her cousin Erin disappeared in Ireland twenty-three years ago. It was as if she disappeared into an Irish mist. No sign, no contact, nothing.
Maggie sits at her desk on a different shore. She's now a detective on Long Island bogged down with her own case loads. ...more
Maggie D'arcy stands quiet and still. She's feeling her body and her mind lock down into high alert. A phone call stirs up the shifting sands of so long ago. And Maggie revisits that stirring once again. Her cousin Erin disappeared in Ireland twenty-three years ago. It was as if she disappeared into an Irish mist. No sign, no contact, nothing.
Maggie sits at her desk on a different shore. She's now a detective on Long Island bogged down with her own case loads. ...more
Atmospheric and lyrical, THE MOUNTAINS WILD is that rare thing -- a riveting thriller with a beating heart. In this beautifully wrought portrait of love and family, secrets and lies, Sarah Stewart Taylor dives deep into character, all the while ratcheting up the suspense, page by gripping page, through to the stunning end.
Twenty-three years after her cousin's disappearance during a visit to Ireland, now Detective Marcy D'arcy is called back to the scene by a message from the Gardaí that new evidence has surfaced. A bloody scarf belonging to Erin has been found, and another young woman is missing. Marcy's frustration and anguish over her cousin's vanishing without a trace is evident as she is drawn back into the past looking for answers. What clues are they missing? Did her sister fall victim to a serial killer -
...more
This is an excellent police procedural set in Ireland that involves both a cold case and an active one--concerning the disappearances of young women last seen walking in the Irish hills 23 years apart.
Maggie D'Arcy is the narrator of the story and the uniting factor between both cases. It was her cousin Erin who disappeared in 1993 and at that time Maggie flew over from Long Island, NY to represent her family during the search. Erin was never found but now, in 2016, Erin's scarf has turned up w ...more
Maggie D'Arcy is the narrator of the story and the uniting factor between both cases. It was her cousin Erin who disappeared in 1993 and at that time Maggie flew over from Long Island, NY to represent her family during the search. Erin was never found but now, in 2016, Erin's scarf has turned up w ...more
Recommended by Readers' Advisor, Librarian, and Library Journal Reviewer, extraordinaire, Lesa Holstine. She loved it and that was enough for me. i immediately requested a digital arc from Edelweiss, who kindly provided it tout suite. Sincere thank also to the author, Sarah Steward Taylor and the Publisher, Minotaur books for allowing the early read. The Mountains Wild is now available wherever you find your books.
Sarah Stewart Taylor calls her latest series a love letter to Dublin. It is that ...more
Sarah Stewart Taylor calls her latest series a love letter to Dublin. It is that ...more
I got to about 35% and lost interest. The pacing was very slow and I was getting bored. Did I really gain any information whenever the author listed street after street after street as the main character walked? Ugh. I fast forwarded to the end and was not surprised.
The Mountains Wild did not resonate with me, and maybe it is because I read a lot of mysteries so I am overly picky about them. The pacing is pretty slow, and I had trouble keeping up with all of the characters. A large portion of the story is set in Ireland, and I enjoyed the Irish setting a lot but felt the random injections of Irish politics were a little hard to follow and instead of blending into the story seemed superfluous. I have a hard time with unrealistic resolutions, and this one see
...more
Thanks Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This is such a good slow-burn type of thriller that has past and present intersecting with one another, at well-places times. I never found myself confused with it, which is always a good sign!
Our characters are tough, and everyone has their own story, you just need to pay attention! I think this one might have to be a reread at some point, because I’m curious if there were any clues I had missed.
Oh, and the whole solving-the-m ...more
This is such a good slow-burn type of thriller that has past and present intersecting with one another, at well-places times. I never found myself confused with it, which is always a good sign!
Our characters are tough, and everyone has their own story, you just need to pay attention! I think this one might have to be a reread at some point, because I’m curious if there were any clues I had missed.
Oh, and the whole solving-the-m ...more
I was so impressed with how good this book was. Maggie D'arcy's cousin,Erin, disappeared in 1993 after she moved to Dublin. The book alternates between that time period and the current time in 2016. Nothing has been heard from Erin since her disappearance and no body has been found.
Maggie has gone on to be a famous policewoman in Long Island, NY, and arrested a serial killer. She has married, divorced, had a daughter but still no word from her cousin. Then she gets a call from the Dublin poli ...more
Maggie has gone on to be a famous policewoman in Long Island, NY, and arrested a serial killer. She has married, divorced, had a daughter but still no word from her cousin. Then she gets a call from the Dublin poli ...more
Thank you Minotaur Books for the free book. The Mountains Wild was an evocative, emotional murder mystery that captured my attention from page one. Because I've never heard of the author before, I had few expectations going on. I love detective procedurals set in Ireland and the UK, and this rates up there for me with Tana French and Dervla McTiernan, some of my favorites. The Irish countryside and streets of Dublin become characters themselves, framing the search for missing young women. An Ame
...more
The Mountains Wild is the latest series in the Mystery genre ... and I just have to say, I'm so excited for what's to come! Looking forward to where the next story takes Maggie D'arcy.
Maggie, a detective and divorced mother is still searching for the truth of her missing cousin Erin. Erin disappeared more than twenty years ago, Maggie searched until the trail went cold. Now, new evidence and another missing woman brings Maggie back to Ireland from her home in Long Island where she will begin her ...more
Maggie, a detective and divorced mother is still searching for the truth of her missing cousin Erin. Erin disappeared more than twenty years ago, Maggie searched until the trail went cold. Now, new evidence and another missing woman brings Maggie back to Ireland from her home in Long Island where she will begin her ...more
I love a good mystery and this was the first book by Taylor that I have read. It was a good mystery to say the least.
I plan to grab her past books and adding them to my to be read pile.
I like surprises in the plots, it makes the story so much more fun to read.
I gave this book 4 stars.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.
I plan to grab her past books and adding them to my to be read pile.
I like surprises in the plots, it makes the story so much more fun to read.
I gave this book 4 stars.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.
The Mountains Wild by Sarah Stewart Taylor is a slow burn mystery while also being incredibly atmospheric.
I really like that this book is set mostly in Ireland, and even though I've never been there Taylor's writing made me feel like I was seeing it for myself. This also made it a very atmospheric read which I loved. The Mountains Wild is a mix of different genres and there's a mystery, while also having elements of a police procedural and detective fiction as well. There is a really stunning c ...more
I really like that this book is set mostly in Ireland, and even though I've never been there Taylor's writing made me feel like I was seeing it for myself. This also made it a very atmospheric read which I loved. The Mountains Wild is a mix of different genres and there's a mystery, while also having elements of a police procedural and detective fiction as well. There is a really stunning c ...more
In 1993, Maggie D’Arcy’s cousin Erin vanished while living in Ireland. Maggie went over for a couple of months trying to figure out what happened, but the mystery was never solved. It did have a profound impact on her life since after returning home, Maggie become a cop herself on Long Island. Now, another young woman has vanished. In the search for her, a skeleton has been found, and buried with the skeleton is Erin’s scarf. Has Erin been found after all these years? Where is the new woman who
...more
This is a lyrical, beautiful, almost mystical book. Despite the dark plot, it painted Ireland beautifully. I could almost feel the rain and taste the Guiness. (I wish!) I was always kept guessing...I had no idea who, how or where until the end and what a perfect ending it was!
I loved every word of this.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for enabling my reading obsession for an honest review.
I loved every word of this.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for enabling my reading obsession for an honest review.
Sep 02, 2020
Hirdesh
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
19aug_19sep-2020,
adult-fiction
Wonderful THRILLER ! A bit melodramatic though !
A strong New series in the mystery genre. This is definitely one I will follow. Women are missing in Ireland, including the cousin of current Long Island Police Detective Maggie D'arcy. The story goes back and forth spanning years before to current day. The characters are richly developed. The locations are created realistically and the troubled history is featured. All components of a great book with a little love story and some unexpected twists and turns. One of the best mysteries I have read
...more
May 25, 2020
Jen Ryland
added it
Overall: it took a bit of time to set up, but once this got going, it was a impressively twisty tale of family, obsession, secrets, and murder set in Ireland in the 1990s and the present.
I've long been a huge fan of female Irish crime authors like Denise Mina and Tana French. Sarah Stewart Taylor is American, but her book is set in Ireland and features Maggie, an American detective whose beloved cousin Erin disappeared in Ireland in the 90s. (The cousins have Irish roots but were raised in Amer ...more
I've long been a huge fan of female Irish crime authors like Denise Mina and Tana French. Sarah Stewart Taylor is American, but her book is set in Ireland and features Maggie, an American detective whose beloved cousin Erin disappeared in Ireland in the 90s. (The cousins have Irish roots but were raised in Amer ...more
I didn't post a review right away because I wanted to be fair. I won this book from a Goodreads Giveaway. It will come out in June. I'm going to be completely honest about how I felt about this book and why so you can make your own decisions. I want to say I do not think it was a bad book. I did struggle with it though.
For me, this book can be divided into three parts. The boring first 1/4. The exciting middle half. The never ending last 1/4. This book was a slow start for me. I blame it part ...more
For me, this book can be divided into three parts. The boring first 1/4. The exciting middle half. The never ending last 1/4. This book was a slow start for me. I blame it part ...more
This is the first book in a proposed new series by Sarah Stewart Taylor featuring Maggie D’Arcy. Maggie is a detective in New York who travels to Ireland when evidence is discovered relating to the twenty-three year old disappearance of her cousin, Erin. There is some belief the same serial kidnapper/rapist is responsible for the disappearance of both Erin and another girl who has gone missing, as well as several others over the past few decades.
The story alternates between 2016 and the current ...more
The story alternates between 2016 and the current ...more
The novel is set in dual locations -Long Island, USA and Dublin, Ireland. The shift between these two locations and two time frames separated by twenty-three years mean that the reader has to really focus on location and time to avoid confusion. Reading the chapter sub-headings helped a lot.
The cousin of the central character Detective Maggie D'Arcy went missing years before, presumably in Ireland. Since her disappearance several other young women have also vanished. A new lead draws Maggie to r ...more
The cousin of the central character Detective Maggie D'Arcy went missing years before, presumably in Ireland. Since her disappearance several other young women have also vanished. A new lead draws Maggie to r ...more
Intricate, menacing, and atmospheric!
The Mountains Wild is a sinister, slow-burning mystery that takes you into the life of Long Island homicide detective Maggie D’arcy as she heads back to Wicklow, Ireland where authorities believe they have uncovered a scarf belonging to her cousin who has been missing since 1993, and the time to find the latest victim of this potential serial killer alive is quickly dwindling.
The writing is methodical and vivid. The characters are flawed, driven, and determin ...more
The Mountains Wild is a sinister, slow-burning mystery that takes you into the life of Long Island homicide detective Maggie D’arcy as she heads back to Wicklow, Ireland where authorities believe they have uncovered a scarf belonging to her cousin who has been missing since 1993, and the time to find the latest victim of this potential serial killer alive is quickly dwindling.
The writing is methodical and vivid. The characters are flawed, driven, and determin ...more
I don't remember Sarah Stewart Taylor's Sweeney St. George mystery series. The 2003 debut, O' Artful Death was an Agatha nominee for Best First Novel. That series ended in 2006 when life and raising a family intervened. Now, Taylor is launching a new series with The Mountains Wild, a wonderful mystery that felt as if it was written for me. Well, not really. But, it's set in Ireland. There's a cold case, and an intelligent, mature female sleuth. I loved this book, and I'm looking forward to the n
...more
I consider myself fortunate in that I was asked to read an advance copy of this book for a possible blurb. Below is what I had to say after reading it, and I meant every word.
THE MOUNTAINS WILD has all the ingredients you'd want in a tasty thriller -- twisting plots, uncertainty about who to trust, dogged investigators and a gripping climax -- but it also has two extra spices.
First, the setting of Ireland is so vivid and precise, you can practically taste the pints and smell the peat fires. Se ...more
THE MOUNTAINS WILD has all the ingredients you'd want in a tasty thriller -- twisting plots, uncertainty about who to trust, dogged investigators and a gripping climax -- but it also has two extra spices.
First, the setting of Ireland is so vivid and precise, you can practically taste the pints and smell the peat fires. Se ...more
This story toggles between Dublin in 1993, Dublin 2016 & Long Island 2016.
Maggie D’Arcy’s cousin Erin disappeared in Dublin back in ‘93, her body never found. Now other girls have gone missing and Maggie flys back to Dublin hoping to bring closure to her family, to find out what really happened all those years ago and also to help with the investigation into the other missing girls. A possible serial killer, IRA terrorists, family secrets + past relationships make for an engrossing novel. And f ...more
Maggie D’Arcy’s cousin Erin disappeared in Dublin back in ‘93, her body never found. Now other girls have gone missing and Maggie flys back to Dublin hoping to bring closure to her family, to find out what really happened all those years ago and also to help with the investigation into the other missing girls. A possible serial killer, IRA terrorists, family secrets + past relationships make for an engrossing novel. And f ...more
Years ago I stumbled upon Taylor's short series featuring a "funerary art" expert. I loved the series and looked forward to another book by the author when I saw this one. Unfortunately it didn't work for me quite as well. I loved the characters, but the novel itself just didn't flow that smoothly. Police detective Maggie D'Arcy returns to Ireland to unofficially help Garda detective Roly Byrne investigate a new lead into her cousin's 23-year-old disappearance case. Maggie earned a reputation fr
...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers also enjoyed
Sarah Stewart Taylor grew up on Long Island and was educated at Middlebury College and Trinity College, Dublin. She lives with her husband and three children on a farm in Vermont where they raise sheep and blueberries.
Sarah is the author of THE MOUNTAINS WILD, an atmospheric thriller about a Long Island homicide detective named Maggie D'Arcy who returns to Ireland twenty-three years after the unso ...more
Sarah is the author of THE MOUNTAINS WILD, an atmospheric thriller about a Long Island homicide detective named Maggie D'Arcy who returns to Ireland twenty-three years after the unso ...more
Other books in the series
Maggie D'arcy
(2 books)
News & Interviews
Need another excuse to treat yourself to a new book this week? We've got you covered with the buzziest new releases of the day.
To create our...
18 likes · 8 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
