Sprintered Silence: Outstanding Mystery Set in Little-Known World of Irish Travelers

Sprintered Silence by Susan Furlong
Reviewed by Stephen Terrell

Susan Furlong has expertly crafted a wonderful mystery that propels the reader into an entirely new part of Americana that few know exists -- The Irish Travelers who live an isolated existence in the mountains of Appalachian Tennessee and other parts of the South. 

The Travelers really exist. They do, as their name implies, travel, following the seasons doing handiwork throughout the United States. They are a closed society, untrusting of the "settled" outside world. In their world, Susan Furlong finds a textured canvass against which to place her richly woven characters. 

Brynn Callahan is caught between the world of the Travelers and the settled world. She has returned scarred both inside and out from her experience in retrieving bodies in Iraq. Her only true companion is Wilco, her search dog who was left deaf and crippled from the same explosion that severely injured Brynn. When the body of a Traveler woman is found by Brynn and Wilco in the woods near the Traveler settlement of Bone Gap, it sets in motion a series of events that will tear at Brynn, her family and the entire Traveler community.

This is a marvelous first book in what hopefully will be a long and successful series. MUST READ for any mystery fan.

* Susan Furlong is a member of Speed City Sisters in Crime and the author of 12 mysteries.