Book Review: Our Lady of the Overlook by R.L. Carpentier

Our Lady of the Overlook by R.L. Carpentier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Twisting tale of deception, long-held secrets, and murder in the rural Catskill Mountains of New York.

Our Lady of the Overlook is the twisty new murder mystery by author R.L. Carpentier about both a cold case and a recent murder that eerily mimes its 40-year-old, unsolved predecessor. The story uniquely features several generational pairs of law enforcement officers: the men who were involved in the 1980 cold case and their progeny now working in the same department. With little to go on but an unrelenting need to know the truth, it is the rookie officer, the son of the late police chief, who shoulders this character-driven tale of secrets and deception.

Young Michael Ellis is the new man at the Hunter Police Department, a small collection of villages in the Catskill Mountains of New York. Mike is the son of the town’s revered former chief of police, the legendary Charlie Ellis, a father he feels he never really knew nor whose expectations he ever fulfilled. Initially, the young man is socially awkward and tentative in his interactions with others, physically uncomfortable and clumsy under the necessary accouterments of his uniform. Honestly, he is not the picture of a potentially successful police officer. Still, he seems to perform his duties well, is determined to maintain a low profile, and begins to make friends among his coworkers. It was great to watch as the story progressed how much he changes as he confronts the ghosts of his past and uncovers the surprising truths behind the murders on the Overlook hiking trail.

Just as Mike is gaining his footing on the job, a true-crime podcaster researching “Jane Doe of the Overlook,” a 40-year-old, unsolved murder of an unknown young woman that haunted his father until his untimely death, approaches him for his help. Although intrigued and never having heard of the murder before then, he refuses to participate, wanting to focus on his new career and remain out of the limelight. Days later, though, Mike, just like his father before him, discovers the body of a young woman on the hiking trail up to the Overlook, circumstances eerily similar to the earlier murder. Reluctantly, he agrees to act as the department liaison with the investigator from the state, a man with a reputation for self-promotion and a history of latching onto the easiest suspect found, whether there’s supporting evidence or not. From that point forward, Mike can never be certain who to trust, and mistakes in judgment obscure his path to resolving either crime and place him in jeopardy.

The author surrounds Mike with well-developed secondary characters, many with seemingly ulterior motives, and some of the best scenes in the book are between him and the men and women working to solve the two cases. One of my favorites, for the setting and the absolutely sparkling banter, is when Mike and his fellow officers and their older relatives, former officers, gather at the library to finally team up and devise a plan of action.

While the ending doesn’t suggest a sequel, I would enjoy reading more about Mike and what may have happened after the events of this book. I recommend OUR LADY OF THE OVERLOOK to mystery readers.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.


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