Engaging & Entertaining

Raccoon Key by Donnah M Cole is a powerful dual timeline novel that entertained me from the start.

The action is set in 1873 and 2023 in Raccoon Key. It is an isolated maritime community where life is hard as one battles the natural elements. The two time periods are linked by generational ancestors. People often did the same job as their father and his father before him.

An unexplained death in 1873 is still having ramifications one hundred and fifty years later. The coroner’s report at the time is at odds with present day thinking. An old diary recording the events leading up to the day is found – will this be the key to unlock the mystery?

Legends have sprung up, particularly around crows, and the significance of seeing one.

The American Civil War was over by 1873 but those in the South still faced prejudice and persecution as the Klu Klux Klan had sprung up. “Slavery had ended in ink and speeches… But fear still rode the back roads at night.”