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Bay Tanner #7
Sanctuary Hill
Towering live oaks guard old secrets and powerful forces that even the spirited Bay Tanner can't control. . . .
A freak summer storm has Bay Tanner, sometime private investigator, cooped up with her ailing father at his antebellum mansion near Hilton Head. Desperate for a distraction, Bay recovers a cooler bobbing along on the incoming tide. What she discovers inside will plunge her into a world of ancient magic where the power of the "root" has held sway since the days of the slave row. Suddenly, mysterious people and strange incidents, including a near-fatal accident, force her to realize that she may have unleashed something she can neither understand nor escape.
Meanwhile, her investigation into the simple case of a runaway wife turns deadly. The police are eager to nail the wealthy, prominent husband for murder, but Bay's instincts tell her there's more to the story. Sheriff's Sergeant Red Tanner, her late husband's brother, warns her off the case, but Bay's never been good at taking orders. Soon she's working full-time to defend her client, who may not be as innocent as Bay would like to believe.
Time and again, every trail leads back to a mystical commune in the tangled backwoods of Beaufort County and to one of its leaders, a charismatic woman who believes in the real and malevolent power of the old ways. To find a killer, Bay must travel to the heart of this woman's world--and not everyone will escape the spell of Sanctuary Hill.
A freak summer storm has Bay Tanner, sometime private investigator, cooped up with her ailing father at his antebellum mansion near Hilton Head. Desperate for a distraction, Bay recovers a cooler bobbing along on the incoming tide. What she discovers inside will plunge her into a world of ancient magic where the power of the "root" has held sway since the days of the slave row. Suddenly, mysterious people and strange incidents, including a near-fatal accident, force her to realize that she may have unleashed something she can neither understand nor escape.
Meanwhile, her investigation into the simple case of a runaway wife turns deadly. The police are eager to nail the wealthy, prominent husband for murder, but Bay's instincts tell her there's more to the story. Sheriff's Sergeant Red Tanner, her late husband's brother, warns her off the case, but Bay's never been good at taking orders. Soon she's working full-time to defend her client, who may not be as innocent as Bay would like to believe.
Time and again, every trail leads back to a mystical commune in the tangled backwoods of Beaufort County and to one of its leaders, a charismatic woman who believes in the real and malevolent power of the old ways. To find a killer, Bay must travel to the heart of this woman's world--and not everyone will escape the spell of Sanctuary Hill.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2007
10 people are currently reading
180 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn R. Wall
17 books79 followersKathy wrote her first story at the age of six, then decided to take a few decades off. She grew up in a small town in northeastern Ohio and attended college in both Ohio and Pennsylvania. For twenty-five years she practiced her profession as an accountant in both public and private practice. In 1994 she and her husband Norman retired to Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Her road to publishing success has taken many twists and turns. She self-published her first Bay Tanner mystery, In For a Penny, in 2001 using the innovative print-on-demand technology. Its success led to an offer from a small, regional publisher who reissued the first novel along with its sequel, And Not a Penny More, on Valentine's Day of 2002. A reprint of both books had to be ordered within six weeks.
Then serendipity struck. An editor for St. Martin's Press, visiting relatives in nearby Beaufort, was introduced to the Bay Tanner mysteries. A month later she called to offer Kathy a hardcover contract. They have since published Perdition House, Judas Island, Resurrection Road, Bishop's Reach and Sanctuary Hill in both hardcover and paperback. The eighth Bay Tanner novel, The Mercy Oak, is slated for release April, 2008.
Kathy is a founding member of Island Writers' Network and serves as treasurer for both the Sisters in Crime National Board and the Southeast Chapter of Mystery Writers of America.
Kathy has been a mentor in the Hilton Head schools and participates as a Friend of Literacy Volunteers of the Lowcountry. When not writing and touring for her books, Kathy and Norman play tennis, share long walks on the beach, and enjoy the lush beauty of the tidal marsh from the decks of their Hilton Head condominium. She has two stepsons and four grandchildren.
Series:
* Bay Tanner
Her road to publishing success has taken many twists and turns. She self-published her first Bay Tanner mystery, In For a Penny, in 2001 using the innovative print-on-demand technology. Its success led to an offer from a small, regional publisher who reissued the first novel along with its sequel, And Not a Penny More, on Valentine's Day of 2002. A reprint of both books had to be ordered within six weeks.
Then serendipity struck. An editor for St. Martin's Press, visiting relatives in nearby Beaufort, was introduced to the Bay Tanner mysteries. A month later she called to offer Kathy a hardcover contract. They have since published Perdition House, Judas Island, Resurrection Road, Bishop's Reach and Sanctuary Hill in both hardcover and paperback. The eighth Bay Tanner novel, The Mercy Oak, is slated for release April, 2008.
Kathy is a founding member of Island Writers' Network and serves as treasurer for both the Sisters in Crime National Board and the Southeast Chapter of Mystery Writers of America.
Kathy has been a mentor in the Hilton Head schools and participates as a Friend of Literacy Volunteers of the Lowcountry. When not writing and touring for her books, Kathy and Norman play tennis, share long walks on the beach, and enjoy the lush beauty of the tidal marsh from the decks of their Hilton Head condominium. She has two stepsons and four grandchildren.
Series:
* Bay Tanner
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
February 28, 2025
I love these books and the setting, Hilton Head and surrounding area. I know many of the places she mentions.
July 31, 2010
I can't believe I haven't stumbled across this author before. I assume that she is a local author since her books are set in Beaufort SC, just down the road from Charleston. I would love to read more books in this series. She touched on elements unique to this area that I have heard people mention, but have never experienced personally. Charleston is so steeped in history mainly pre-1900's that I forget sometimes to learn some of the more recent history. This was a really good book.
September 4, 2007
This was soooooo good! I love books that are based in the Lowcountry (AKA home!) and I really liked the mystery in this one. It kept me hanging on and of course ended nothing like I tried to predict it would!
July 17, 2012
Kathryn Wall always writes a solid mystery novel. I love how grounded the protagonist is, and who doesn't enjoy beautiful St Helena and Hilton Head in SC? Enjoyed the ending. Enough of a surprise to catch my attention, and I'm hard to stump.
February 1, 2016
Excellent book
I really enjoyed this story. Love the mystery and intrigue involved. I also liked the back story and all the references to local customs and history. Looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
I really enjoyed this story. Love the mystery and intrigue involved. I also liked the back story and all the references to local customs and history. Looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
February 23, 2018
Best Bay Tanner yet. Without spoiling anything for true fans, I liked the mystery she was hired to solve plus the mystery she was compelled to solve. A lot of twists, even more Hilton Head locales, and a new dark atmosphere--excellent addition to the series.
June 13, 2009
I found this book at the library book sale for 50 cents but it gave me much more enjoyment than that. I don't read many mysteries, but this one keeps you guessing.
March 13, 2010
Hints of voodoo, unbelievers and good female detective. Didn't want to put it down!
December 17, 2013
Really good
July 30, 2016
Loved this book
Another great book by Kathryn Wall. Love the Bay Tanner series but especially enjoyed this book. So glad to see the two get together finally at the end.
Another great book by Kathryn Wall. Love the Bay Tanner series but especially enjoyed this book. So glad to see the two get together finally at the end.
April 17, 2021
This is the first book I’ve read in this series and I enjoyed Bay, her accompanying friends and family, and their hometown. I had some difficulty following the story (stories really, as this book has two simultaneous and mostly unconnected mysteries), I’m not sure if that’s because I’m coming into the series late or an effect of the writing itself. There is a lot of detail given, often for no real reason other than to be descriptive, and sometimes I felt I was lost in the unimportant details. For that reason, I didn’t find this to be quite the page-turner I expected but I was drawn to keep returning to it because of the likeable and interesting characters and setting.
December 31, 2021
I have never read anything by this author, but after reading this one, I'll be looking for more! This is a mystery, or actually, two mysteries. I figured that both murders would connect as some point, as usual in murder mysteries. Well, I can happily say that didn't happen. These investigations happen simultaneously, but it's easy to keep them separate. each murder has it's own twisting journey. It waz an amazing story that kept me riveted from start to finish.
August 7, 2023
When Bay Tanner is staying with her father while he recovers from an illness she sees a cooler bobbing in the water and retrieves it she is shocked at what she finds. The cooler contains a baby who is dead. How Bay finds the killer of the baby while also investigating the disappearance of Tracy Dumars, the wife of a local realtor, makes for an interesting read. Lots of threads in this book but all tied up in the end. A very enjoyable read.
June 13, 2020
I forgot how much I enjoyed reading about Bay Tanner!
This one had some real nail-biting moments in it for me. The car accident scene with her and Stephanie, finding the woman in the woods...twice! Bay takes so many chances that frustrate her loved ones and make me talk out loud to her while I'm reading...lol
But the clincher was the VERY LAST LINE IN THE BOOK. :-)
This one had some real nail-biting moments in it for me. The car accident scene with her and Stephanie, finding the woman in the woods...twice! Bay takes so many chances that frustrate her loved ones and make me talk out loud to her while I'm reading...lol
But the clincher was the VERY LAST LINE IN THE BOOK. :-)
August 14, 2022
I found this book on my bookshelf and decided to read - it is a good mystery, history of the low country that is interesting, love, heartache and all it's all fiction but very believable. Glad I found it, will be looking for more of the Bay Tanner mysteries.
November 15, 2018
It was okay for a 25 cent detective novel.
July 29, 2019
This is a good mystery. I haven't read the others but had no trouble following along. I liked Bay Tanner and the plot setting.
November 1, 2022
3 1/2 stars. Dragged on a bit, but was interesting to me as it takes place around Hilton Head, with many familiar places. Could have left out the black magic.
February 27, 2023
This is one of my favorite mystery series. I am re-reading it for the third time right now. All the books are compelling, with interesting characters and twisting plots that keep you wondering all the way to the end. I think the part I love the most is returning to the Low Country (where I have never been, but is now high on my travel wish list!) she does a wonderful job of incorporating the history, the architecture, the beach, the old live oaks and the slave history as well. I love learning more about all of these things and being totally immersed in such a rich world. Truly one of my favorite authors and I love this book in particular for its interesting subject matter as well. Highly recommend.
September 2, 2016
Imagine hanging out with your aging dad after a freakish summer storm, watching the ocean outside his window; you’re a little bored; you recognize you should be right where you are, but you’ll be glad to get home a few miles away. That’s when you see it! It’s one of those cheap Styrofoam coolers that are ubiquitous in summer. In an effort to curb your boredom as much as anything, you pull the cooler to you on the bank and open it. You expect something gross like fish guts; what you get is the shriveled body of a human infant.
That was the experience of the fictional Bay Tanner, gradually becoming known for her skills as a PI in south Carolina’s low country. While the baby is shocking enough, Bay fixates on the little charm around its neck—more of a pouch than a charm—filled with herbs and similar things. Bay immediately realizes if she can find the creator of the charm, she can find the infant’s killer.
The next day, Bay takes the case of a well-to-do real estate broker whose wife appears to have left him. Police think he killed her; Bay thinks it was someone else. Soon, she, a local cop, and her agency partners are awash in murder and aghast by the dark secrets of Sanctuary Hill, an isolated community whose bizarre mix of Christianity and root magic have been held secret by the community’s close-knit members for generations.
That was the experience of the fictional Bay Tanner, gradually becoming known for her skills as a PI in south Carolina’s low country. While the baby is shocking enough, Bay fixates on the little charm around its neck—more of a pouch than a charm—filled with herbs and similar things. Bay immediately realizes if she can find the creator of the charm, she can find the infant’s killer.
The next day, Bay takes the case of a well-to-do real estate broker whose wife appears to have left him. Police think he killed her; Bay thinks it was someone else. Soon, she, a local cop, and her agency partners are awash in murder and aghast by the dark secrets of Sanctuary Hill, an isolated community whose bizarre mix of Christianity and root magic have been held secret by the community’s close-knit members for generations.
March 27, 2013
I just finished this for my book club.
I was of two minds while reading this book. On one hand, I liked her vibrant descriptions of the Lowcountry which brought everything to life on the page, but on the other hand, it almost felt TOO descriptive (as if that's even possible). At times, the heavy description felt oppressive and almost unnecessary. To read every street name, the make and model of every vehicle, the name of every product - it almost began to interrupt the flow for me. The detailed descriptions slowed it down in a way that felt like a slow Southern drawl, which was fitting for the setting and contributed to the vibrancy of the prose. However, in moments of should-be suspense, it disrupted the frenzied, fast-paced nature of what I've come to expect of more 'thrilling' scenes.
The plot was enjoyable enough but I always felt two steps ahead of Bay throughout the book. I guess I can say I liked it, but I didn't LOVE it.
I was of two minds while reading this book. On one hand, I liked her vibrant descriptions of the Lowcountry which brought everything to life on the page, but on the other hand, it almost felt TOO descriptive (as if that's even possible). At times, the heavy description felt oppressive and almost unnecessary. To read every street name, the make and model of every vehicle, the name of every product - it almost began to interrupt the flow for me. The detailed descriptions slowed it down in a way that felt like a slow Southern drawl, which was fitting for the setting and contributed to the vibrancy of the prose. However, in moments of should-be suspense, it disrupted the frenzied, fast-paced nature of what I've come to expect of more 'thrilling' scenes.
The plot was enjoyable enough but I always felt two steps ahead of Bay throughout the book. I guess I can say I liked it, but I didn't LOVE it.
March 20, 2013
This Bay Tanner novel is darker than the others I have read, your hear jumps in your throat when she opens the cooler and never fully gets out again. This was a good read, read it in a day, was literally up until midnight wondering how it would end.
I almost didn't read it because the inside cover said something about magic and I was praying they weren't going supernatural. While I have no problem with paranormal books, I think we can all agree it would ruin the Bay Tanner series. I only bring this up because the inside cover is misleading, its not magic, its Voodoo/Hoodoo (or Root as its called in the book). It only lends an extra layer of mystery to this book.
Not killing any surprises here, but the ending brought tears to my eyes, or should say close to the end.
I almost didn't read it because the inside cover said something about magic and I was praying they weren't going supernatural. While I have no problem with paranormal books, I think we can all agree it would ruin the Bay Tanner series. I only bring this up because the inside cover is misleading, its not magic, its Voodoo/Hoodoo (or Root as its called in the book). It only lends an extra layer of mystery to this book.
Not killing any surprises here, but the ending brought tears to my eyes, or should say close to the end.
October 18, 2015
I am gonna go with 3 stars "I liked it". Nothing earth shattering but perfect for a fall day reading on the porch. It was a good fast read. However this is the first Bay Tanner book I have read. From the book jacket I didn't realize I was 7 books into a series. Looking at the back of the book the reviews did indicate it was a series but i try not to read reviews, most of the publications I don;t even recognize. That said I will go and read book number 1. Best outcome I have 6 more books to enjoy.
June 13, 2013
I've done it again, come in on a series in the middle. Bay Tanner is a fledgling private detective in partnership an ex cop and a young man. There's a discovery of a dead baby found floating in a Styrofoam cooler. Bay can't help herself and has to investigate even though she's told to stay out of it. In addition she is asked to investigate the death of a local real estate moguls wife. The results hit Bay hard. I think I may have to read more just to fill in the gaps.
August 13, 2012
I didn't realize this was #7 in The Bay Tanner Series until after I had started it.
Those of you know me realize I like to start at the beginning of a series, but I read it anyway.
Now I have to start at the beginning of the series to "catch up". There were several references made about previous incidents; which, of course, I had no knowledge.
Those of you know me realize I like to start at the beginning of a series, but I read it anyway.
Now I have to start at the beginning of the series to "catch up". There were several references made about previous incidents; which, of course, I had no knowledge.
October 16, 2008
This is the first Bay Tanner mystery I've read, (I think) and I really enjoyed it. Fast-paced enough to keep your interest but not so much that you absolutely cannot put it down. I'm definitely interested in reading the books preceding it in the series!
June 18, 2011
I enjoyed the book. The writing was engaging and the setting was very believable. Unfortunately, the characters were somewhat shallow and not particularly likable. There were intriguing elements of southern history that appealed to me in the story.
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May 14, 2017Like mysteries? Two mysteries to solve, ancient magic that came from Africa during slave times, and the strong female protagonist, Bay Tanner, make this an exciting and fun read. There are several books in this series and I plan to read them all.
-Radha L.-
-Radha L.-
May 17, 2012
Very slow in the beginning I had to fight my way through it. I think I lost interest on the beginning and it was too hard to keep interested. I had to know what happened in the end. I probably won't read the other books.
January 27, 2013
I haven't read a mystery in a long time. I stumbled across this one in a Little Free Library when I was out for a walk. What attracted me to it was the old African root doctor culture. Is this real, or completely fictional? I am looking forward to doing some research on this subject!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews