Title: Swallowing the Muskellunge (Mischief Makers #1)

Author: Lawrence P. O’Brien

Genres: Historical fiction

 

Swallowing the Muskellunge by Lawrence P. O’Brien is the first novel in the Mischief Makers series and follows the journey of several families around the year 1800 from Massachusetts to Canada, near Montreal, during the winter. While on the lengthy trip, mysterious, malevolent supernatural forces attack and kill several people, all over a green stone that was given to London Oxford’s father decades before and is still in the Oxford family’s possession. As the body count rises, concerns about reaching their “promised land” destination grow.

Swallowing the Muskellunge opens with a unique sequence told from the point of view of a bird witnessing the deaths of humans via strange supernatural creatures. It sets the stage for the mystery to build upon and keeps the element of uncertainty that the horror element of the plot depends on. Interestingly, most of the narrative is loosely based on the author’s ancestors and their migration from Massachusetts to Canada over 200 years ago, but the supernatural element adds a twist.

Also, with the backdrop of everyday life of a freed black man named London Oxford and his family living with the Wright family, a pair of brothers who decide to travel, the historical fiction genre is strong and feels primary. It’s easy to almost forget that there is something much more sinister at play behind the scenes, even when one of the brother’s daughters turns up dead early on. It’s the dried-out state the corpses are found in that proves most disconcerting, almost as if they have been sucked dry of their lifeforce.

O’Brien has clearly done extensive research, not only of his ancestry but of the landmarks, landscape, and towns in the upper New England area. Additionally, his descriptions of life in the late 1700s and early 1800s is accurate, drawing readers in to feel like we are part of the story. Traveling during the winter might seem like a foolish endeavor, for example, but one of the characters explains to one of the children that they are using sleighs over the snow and ice to transport their goods much more easily than trying to do so in the warmer weather. Utilizing dialogue to explain background elements and plotlines is a useful tool.

O’Brien’s dialogue is one of his strengths as a writer. His characters have distinctive voices of how a child would speak versus an adult. The woodsmen the families hire to help along the way also talk differently and more gruffly than the family men, like London Oxford or the Wright brothers. O’Brien uses dialogue to great effect when characters are expressing different emotions or are in a variety of situations. We almost feel the sweat on our brows when London Oxford is running through the woods, trying to escape the destructive evil that is killing people and threatening his family.

Due to the large cast of characters, keeping who is who straight may prove challenging at times, and this may cause the reader further confusion during scenes where several characters are speaking. However, this doesn’t distract much from the reading experience.

Swallowing the Muskellunge sets the stage for the Mischief Making series to unfold with a gripping story of intrigue and mystery with horror elements. Lovers of historical fiction will enjoy this ancestral tale with a cunning twist. O’Brien has crafted a plot-and-character-driven story that moves forward at a rapid pace and keeps just enough of a question in the reader’s mind to keep turning the pages.

 

 

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