What readers think of Carolina Moonset, plus links to write your own review.

CAROLINA MOONSET
By Matt Goldman
Narrated by Bradford Hastings

(3.5 stars)

Joey Green returns home to Beaufort, South Carolina, to help his mother care for his father, Marshall, whose dementia is rapidly worsening. As Marshall’s short-term memory fades and long-buried memories rise to the surface, long-kept secrets begin to spill out—secrets that could shatter lives and change Joey’s future forever.

This is my first time reading (or listening to) Matt Goldman, and I found this mystery blended with heartfelt family drama to be well written and engaging. The pacing is slower and more character-driven, which worked for me. Joey is very relatable—divorced, a father, and uncertain about the next chapter of his life. Marshall, meanwhile, is unforgettable and truly the emotional heart of the novel.

Bradford Hastings’ narration was clear, compelling, and dynamic. His tone, pacing, and character voices kept me fully engaged throughout the audiobook.

This is a book in which the mystery takes a slight backseat to the rich characterization. The author chooses to give us insight into his characters through his lively language. One woman is described as "look(ing) like the kind of woman, who, if blasted with a firehouse for a solid minute would crawl away with different skin. A different face. Different hair." His description made me laugh.

The mystery twisted and turned although I did feel that the uncovering of the murderer was a tad predictable. And while there is an embedded romance, I felt that the author found a unique way to have a mid-life couple guide themselves into a relationship. I find myself hoping that there might be a sequel as I would like to know where the story goes from here.

Don't you just love it when you read a really good book by a new-to-you author, and now you get to read his previously unknown-to-you books? That's how I feel now. I just read the really good CAROLINA MOONSET by Matt Goldman, a new-to-me author who previously wrote four books I now get to read. And, if author blurbs mean something to you, I'm joined in my praise by William Kent Krueger.

Joey, a 45-year-old divorced father from Chicago, is visiting his parents in South Carolina. His father is suffering from dementia, and his mother needs a break. While there, Joey meets Leela, the daughter of his parents' next-door neighbors. She is also in her 40s and divorced, and she also has children. Together they discover secrets about long-ago unsolved murders in this area. Then another murder occurs, and the police want to accuse Joey's father, who is not only physically and memory impaired but will die in a few years. So Joey and Leela investigate further and find even more secrets in this town, most from long ago, all involving his father and friends and rich brothers and their women.

Oh, so what if parts of the story sound a bit soap opera-ish.

From CAROLINA MOONSET's first page, I knew I was going to like the book. Goldman's writing is superb, and it grabbed me right away. Pay attention, even in Chapter 1, to every little thing. These are clues to what comes later.