Tethered: Summary and book reviews of Tethered by Amy Mackinnon, plus links to an excerpt from Tethered and a biography of Amy Mackinnon.

Clara Marsh is an undertaker who doesn’t believe in God. She spends her solitary life among the dead, preparing their last baths and bidding them farewell with a bouquet from her own garden. Her carefully structured life shifts when she discovers a neglected little girl, Trecie, playing in the funeral parlor, desperate for a friend. It changes even more when Detective Mike Sullivan starts questioning her again about a body she prepared three years ago, an unidentified girl found murdered in a nearby strip of woods. Unclaimed by family, the community christened her Precious Doe. When Clara and Mike learn Trecie may be involved with the same people who killed Precious Doe, Clara must choose between the stead-fast existence of loneliness and the perils of binding one’s life to another.

BookBrowse

Tethered is the first book in recent memory that I absolutely could not read fast enough to see how it comes out .... I still can't say whether Tethered should be categorized as a mystery or a literary novel but what I do know is that with her stupendous prose and intricate characterizations MacKinnon has penned a winner.  (Reviewed by Donna Chavez).

Full Review (1122 words).

Media Reviews

Kirkus Reviews A more resourceful writer would have painted a less monochromatic world and offered her heroine some hope for change.   Publishers Weekly Some affecting, understated prose only partially redeems the flat story line.   Booklist [A] haunting, gracefully rendered debut. Kristy Kiernan, author of Catching Genius and Matters of Faith Amy MacKinnon is a rarity among debut authors. Not only does she possess the raw talent, she already knows how to use it. Tethered is as good as it gets: a haunting plot, an exquisitely flawed heroine, and sophisticated, powerful prose that deftly explores the ties that bind us all—to each other, and to the complex worlds around us. A brilliant debut. Jon Clinch, author of Finn In Tethered, Amy MacKinnon starts with an unlikely narrator and an unlikely setting and delivers up that most unlikely (and sought-after) of results: a deeply engaging and memorable book. Brava. Amanda Eyre Ward, author of Forgive Me Haunting, thrilling, and beautifully drawn, Tethered is a novel full of heart. Love, and the search for love, fuels MacKinnon’s cast of characters. Settle somewhere comfortable: you’ll be reading all night.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by s.e.f.king
tethered
I started this book two days ago, and the housework is building up. I've come on line in the hope of finding that the Author has published another book as mesmerizing as this cold, sometimes cruel, spiritually uplifting journey. The story is so...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Dakayla
I Love Amy MacKinnon!
Amy Mackinnon rules!!! This book is amazing and deep. Amy is smart,funny, and very caring person!This book is the best book ever written!!!! If I had a say what to read between a well experienced writer or Amy MacKinnon, I would choose this! Amy I...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Jeanne
Tethered
This book grabbed me from the very beginning. All of the characters were real, filled with their own unique hopes and flaws. Every part of Clara's life is written thoroughly and believably. It is the characters that stand out in this book, more...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Tanya
Tethered
From the start of this book I was drawn in by Mackinnon's vivid language and her ability to make it easy to feel a part of Clara's world.... and then the disturbing undertow of the story, the crimes committed.... were not really what I expected of...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Patricia
Tethered
One of the most amazing books I have ever read. Not a true mystery in the ordinary sense of the experience but a book I read from cover to cover in one sitting. The writing is so vivid and intense that it is difficult not to be emotionally moved by...   Read More

Rated of 5 by E S
Tethered Keeps Readers Roped In
Well paced mystery that keeps the reader page turning despite the creepiness of protagonist's career. The author does a great job of portraying main characters as persons damaged by their past who nevertheless work hard to act morally. The author...   Read More

...15 More Reader Reviews

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