Review: Come in and Cover me by Gin Phillips

Come In and Cover Me by Gin Phillips

Publisher: Riverhead 

Pages: 352 

Format: book 

Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads:  A specialist in prehistoric ceramics, Ren Taylor launched her archaeological career with the unearthing of a stunning set of bowls in southern New Mexico. The bowls seem to belong to one remarkable 12th-century artist, and Ren is convinced they hold the secret to understanding a woman who died a thousand years earlier. Now in 2009, archaeologist Silas Cooper invites Ren to the remote Cañada Rosa, where he’s discovered more evidence of her artist.

Ren has an unusual connection to the dead, a connection that’s revealed during her stay in this lush canyon disconnected from the outside world. When she was twelve years old, her brother was killed in a car accident. Yet he did not vanish completely. Ever since then, he has been a not-quite-concrete presence, inserting himself into the quiet, still moments of the day, nothing more than the snatch of a song or a silhouette in the moonlight.


Kritters Thoughts:  What an interesting book?  This one was definitely different from my typical read - a few ghosts show up and chat with the main character and most of the story takes place on an archaeological dig, something I am definitely not familiar with.  So Ren is a young woman who dealt with tragedy, the death of a family member at a young age and never really dealt with it and it has affected her personal and professional life through the years.  As she is on a dig looking for this pottery artist from the past, the past sneaks up on her and she must eventually confront some issues and figure out how to live a full life.

My one issue with the book was the formatting.  There were times where the story was running along in present time focused on the characters at the dig and then out of nowhere we went to a memory of Ren's or she is in the story of the artist/ghost.  It would take me a few minutes to realize we have hopped into the past and I had to regroup and it made for some frustrating moments.  I would definitely have added some formatting ques to aid the reader in going from one part of the story into another.    

I would say this book took me outside of my comfort zone and I enjoyed parts of it.  It was definitely an interesting story, even with the difficulties I had while reading it.

Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Penguin Group.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.