When a specific genre peaks in popularity, it can be very difficult to find original stories within that genre. The mystery genre is always in season but even more so these days due to true crime podcasts, documentaries, and binge-worthy shows. However, author Patrick Canning brings something different to the table with his nostalgic, suburban-set mystery novel, Hawthorn Woods. Below is my review of Hawthorn Woods followed by an interview with Canning himself.
Hawthorn Woods Book Review
Hawthorn Woods book summary
In the summer of 1989, Francine Haddix attempts to heal from her divorce by spending two weeks in Hawthorn Woods, IL house sitting and taking care of her young nephew while her sister, Ellie, and her husband vacation in Paris. The seemingly quiet suburban street is a departure from her home in San Francisco, and she easily acclimates to the lifestyle thanks to Ellie’s friend and neighbor, Laura Jean, who invites Francine to a backyard barbecue to meet the neighbors.
The party is a mixed bag of friendly and adversarial faces. They include the police chief and his Russian wife, a mother hen who loves taking charge, a kindly old man, a flock of women named Carol, and a mysterious writer sending Francine mixed signals.
The Nancy Drew-loving Francine makes a point to learn more about this diverse cast of characters over the next few weeks. But her casual snooping turns into a full blown investigation as countless mysteries pop up ranging from murdered pets to the pursuit of a Nazi who has been missing since the late 40’s. What begins as a two week vacation from Francine’s life leads to a life changing turn of events.
The characters
Hawthorn Woods is more character-driven than most mysteries, likely because our hero is an amateur sleuth who carries a lot of personal baggage with her. What keeps Francine from becoming the generic divorced woman turned detective, though, is her personality. She’s witty, easy going, and sociable. Though no single person in the neighborhood is a perfect fit with everyone, having grown up in that environment, she knows how to maneuver through it. Had I not known the author was a man, I would have guessed that the writer of this book was female with Francine being so well drawn and expertly handled.
The supporting cast plays their parts as seemingly stock characters with their own quirks and nuances built in. The town teen punk is actually a loyal protector. The grabby mechanic actually possesses a conscience. And the sheriff has personal secrets of his own which inadvertently make Francine the target of his confused wife’s frustrated jealousy.
Even Francine herself has much more going on than she initially lets on. And in true mystery fashion, the author slowly unfolds every side plot at an even yet exciting pace.
A mystery novel for suburbanites
It was refreshing to read a mystery novel that takes place in a familiar surrounding. The suburban setting appealed to this suburban reader who knows about the collection of characters that can make up a neighborhood block and how the gossiping, competition, and personality clashes can get out of hand. In fact, that makes it the perfect breeding ground for secrets, cover ups, and even danger.
Hawthorn Woods is your idyllic American neighborhood. Its late 80’s setting gives it a nostalgic feel without being bogged down by the era. Instead, the freedom from modern technology yet the familiarity of modern life aids in the events of the plot without feeling dated or gimmicky. Canning doesn’t try to flood the reader with nudges of 80’s references. Instead, he keeps the novel’s central focus on Francine’s detective work while unraveling her personal history.
Balancing story lines
This story is packs a ton of characters and subplots into its 287 pages. However, it fleshes out each one and leaves no situation hanging. Some of the conflicts are a bit generic, such as Francine being upset about her ex-husband moving on after two years while she continues to grieve over the loss of her less than stellar marriage.
Every character has a part to play, big or small, and that leaves each of them open to filling the roles of hero or suspect. The story does everything a mystery novel is supposed to do while incorporating humor, pathos, and even hardcore action into its story. Canning doesn’t get precious with his setting or his vulnerable yet capable heroine. This allows him to craft an energetic and satisfying ending that leaves the reader guessing till the end and looking for skeletons hiding in their neighbors’ closets.
Author Interview with Patrick Canning
About the Author
Name/Pen Name: Patrick Canning
Author Links (links open in a new tab)
About the Book
Book Title: Hawthorn Woods
Genres: Mystery/Thriller
Book Summary
Summer, 1989. Reeling from a catastrophic divorce, Francine Haddix flees San Francisco for a two week stay at her sister’s house in Hawthorn Woods, Illinois. The quaint neighborhood of shady trees and friendly neighbors seems like the perfect place for her to sort through her pain and move on with her life.
But Francine quickly discovers the “idyllic” neighborhood is hiding a number of disturbing mysteries. Behind every door and window there’s marital strife, simmering grudges, and a secret so terrible, someone will kill to keep it quiet.
Book excerpt
The party was roughly divided into the same-sex groups of a grade school dance, both sides seeming to enjoy the break from their significant others. The women, most of whom seemed to be named Carol, laughed explosively, touching one another’s forearms in agreement or emphasis as they sucked down wine coolers and long, skinny cigarettes, while men with mustaches cradled koozie-swaddled Miller Lites and rushed punchlines to dirty jokes under clouds of cigar smoke.
Francine stood alone in the kitchen, digging her thumbnail into the wood of the door jamb as she studied the residents of Hawthorn Woods. There was a time when she could have guessed professions, habits, personalities. But not anymore. She could see only a party of question marks, mingling on the cement patio under the glow of porch lights.
Yellow dust gathered on the linoleum floor below as splinters of wood chipped at her nail polish, revealing details only visible once they’d been separated from the whole.
Like the way Ben used to roll her toothpaste tube.
He had always used mint toothpaste, only touching Francine’s cinnamon flavor when it was almost out, crimping the ends so the last of the paste was ready to go. Now Francine had to roll the empty tube herself, but she could never get the crimp quite right. One detail in a thousand, and such a stupid one to miss, but that’s what stuck.
“Ow!” She jerked her hand back and flapped it in pain. A splinter had lodged deep under her thumbnail. She bit at the spot, watching as a head of strawberry blond hair wove its way through the crowd.
“There you are!” Ellie said, yanking open the screen door. “C’mon, you need to meet more of the neighbors.”
“Ellie, I’d really rather—”
But Francine’s sister had already pulled her out into the dizzying carousel of suburbia.
Review excerpts
“The mystery and thrills in the book definitely kept me interested. I would suggest this to anyone who wants a good mystery with a throwback vibe.”
“…an absorbing thriller”
“I read this straight through. It’s a thriller and a mystery and a character study rolled into one.”
“I thought that this book was very intriguing, and the many strange events and secrets throughout the book made it an even more interesting read.”
“…enough mystery, twists, turns and personal drama to keep the reader breezing through chapters at a pace assuring they will devour the book in one sitting.”
“A great summer escape”
“I was constantly changing my mind about characters throughout the entire book. I never knew what to believe or who to trust.”
“You never know what’s going on behind closed doors.”
Talking Shop
What do you want readers to take away from your books?
Some form of satisfaction, whether from being entertained, fooled, scared, or connecting with the book and its characters on a deeper level.
What’s the best review/compliment that you’ve received about your book?
A few people have told me they read the whole thing in a day. This either means the book is good, or maybe just short. Either way, I’ll take it.
How long did it take to write your book from the day you got the idea to write it to the day you published it?
About 4 years, give or take.
What is the most fun part about writing? The most difficult?
The most fun is probably getting a new idea. I don’t think any other part of the process matches that initial spark of enthusiasm where the book suddenly slots into place in your mind, and you can’t write things down fast enough. Everything seems possible and wonderful because you see this ideal, flawless thing. The most difficult is turning that idea into a book. Obstacles like plot holes, self-doubt, and any other number of maladies inevitably come up during the writing process. All you have to do is stop at any point, and the book’s future vanishes. The good news is that if all the difficulties can be navigated and overcome, the resulting book feels more deeply rewarding than that initial rush.
Did you consult with any professionals or people who lived through a particular event to help you craft your story?
I contacted some of my old neighbors (some of whom I hadn’t spoken to in a long time) also grew up in Hawthorn Woods at the time the story takes place, and asked for some memories they had of the neighborhood. The details they provided really helped make the setting more specific and authentic.
“What If” Scenarios
You’re given $10,000 to spend on marketing for your book. How do you spend it?
Buy a Super Bowl ad. Assuming a 30 second ad costs about $5.6 million for 30 seconds, $10k would buy me about .05 seconds. It would probably qualify as subliminal advertising at that point.
Your book becomes a best seller. What do you do next?
Savor it! I would be as grateful as possible and store up that gratitude to last until the next best seller (assuming another is in the cards).
Would you rather own your own book store or your own publishing house, and what would you sell or publish?
Bookstore for sure. In addition to as many books as would fit, I’d also sell plants and coffee. Those three things seem to mesh in my opinion. The bookstore would also be haunted by dead authors who could recommend their work. Ghosts work for free so we’d have a low overhead.
You have the means to hire a full time assistant to help you with your writing. What tasks do you give them to do?
Proofreading and marketing. The first, because no matter how many times one person proofs a manuscript, a second pair of eyes will always catch something that was missed. The second, because marketing is hard and important, and I don’t have any great skill for it.
Just For Fun
A movie or a piece of music that changed your life.
Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings has a climax that gives me chills every time. I heard it played live on an organ once and the chills were doubled.
Food you’d like to win a lifetime supply of.
Potatoes. Versatile, delicious, can help you unscrew a broken light bulb. The original super food.
Your favorite podcast.
Comedy Bang Bang.
Sometimes dependent on what guests are on, but when it’s good, it’s the funniest stuff out there.
The topic you can’t shut up about and the topic you wish everyone would shut up about.
Space exploration. Baseless conspiracy theories.
A talent you have and a talent you wish you had.
I’m really, really good at pouring equal amounts of wine into two different glasses, and spectacularly bad at judging what size Tupperware is needed for leftovers.
Buy it!
Buy a copy of Hawthorn Woods here, and help support local bookstores. This is an affiliate link, and I will earn a commission on any sales.
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This sounds like a very interesting read. A bit different from the normal mystery/thrillers I read. Wonderful review!
Thanks for reading! Yes, the setting and twists make it more unique than the average mystery.
This book has piqued my interest! I’ve marked it on Goodreads.
Thank you for your review 🙂
Thanks! I think you’ll like it. 🙂