Book Reviews of Deep Down

I really think I'm close to giving up on Karen Harper. I started this book, but could not get into it at all. The storyline just didn't hold my attention and I didn't care about the characters.

boring

Anyone who has heard of the properties of Ginseng roots, will love this story about harvesting and 'counting' Ginseng in Kentucky. This fast-paced mystery/thriller will race you thru the story. I could hardly put this book down,

I from the time I picked it up in the a.m. until I finally went to bed that night! I HAD to finish this book in one day, it was so filled with thrilling details.

In DEEP DOWN, Harper explores the theme of "you can't go home again." Jessie Lockwood is notified that her mother never returned from counting the endangered and lucrative herb ginseng near Jessie's Appalachian hometown of Deep Down, Kentucky. Now a research scientist in Lexington, Jessie returns home to find her missing mother with the help of Sheriff Drew Webb, the man she secretly loved. In a race against time, Jessie and Drew learn something strange is happening to women in the deep woods. Amid legend and fear, only two things make sense to Jessie. At any cost, she is desperate to find her mother. And she can't help falling desperately in love with Drew all over again.

A very interesting read, besides being a Karen Harper book, which are always good. It focuses on the Ginseng trade in rural Appalachia. I was surprised to learn that this area is the natural habitat of some of the world's best wild ginseng and the government restricts how much can be sold because it's endangered. A great basis for the secrecy, greed and danger that make up a great suspense novel.

Deep Down (Karen Harper)
Romantic/Suspense.

Jessie Lockwood is in China on business when she gets a call that her mother Mariah is missing. She comes home to a small Appalachian town in Kentucky called Deep Down. There she teems up with an old Love Drew, who is now the local police. Not only does she come home to her missing mother, she also comes home to old inner demons she must face.

Likable characters , but a bit slower than I am used to (for a suspense novel). I also figured it out about half way through the book (the back story) and main plot. But it was interesting to learn of the ginseng plants, and the demand for these wild plants.

This is a combined romance and mystery, perhaps a bit more mysterious than most. Wound all through is the story of the 'magical root', ginseng, sometimes considered worth nearly its weight in gold, and worth more than the lives of anyone who gets in a fanatic's way.

From back cover: As a child, Jessie Lockwood spent many hours helping her mother, Mariah, count the endangered ginseng plants hidden in the local woods of Deep Down, Kentucky. There she learned to appreciate the tiny Appalachian town -- and ginseng's healing powers. Now a PhD, she's made her home in Lexington, even though that meant leaving Deep Down and her beloved mother -- and Sheriff Drew Webb, the man she secretly loved. When Jessie is notified that her mother never returned from her last walk in the woods, she comes home to Deep Down -- and to Drew.
As Jessie and Drew race to find her mother, several suspects emerge: an agent for those who market the herb for its life-giving properties; Mariah's disgruntled suitor; and an old Cherokee desperate to protect the sacred tribal herb. In the mist of legend and fear, only two things make sense to Jessie. At any cost, she is desperate to find her mother. And she can't help falling desperately in love with Drew all over again.

This book was hard to get into the story, but once I got into the book a few chapters, it was a page turner. Would recommend the book if you are a big fan of Karen Harper. If this is your first book, read some of her other ones first.

This book started slow but once you got into the story it was a good read.

Great read