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Upon picking up Skip Brooks novel ³Monteiths Mountains² the readers should prepare themselves for a thrilling trip. From page one the writer draws his audience in with breath taking descriptions of the wonderful Southern Appalachians he obviously knows and loves . The novel takes place at the turn of the twentieth century when many changes were taking place but the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina was still a bit on the wild side. The main character, Walker Tom Monteith, is the consummate mountain man. He has left his unusual family and moved into the mountains to survive on his own. His father was a preacher who married many wives and had more or less a commune of his own. When Walker begins to say that he communicates with God he father is enraged and almost beats this young boy to death. A second story is also weaved among this book. Taylor Henry is a strong character young woman who feels the pull of the mountain. Although she has made herself a respectable life at the foothills she feels her calling is on the mountain. When she stumbles into a newly formed logging camp she insinuates herself into their workings and is soon running the whole camp. However there are mysteries in her life and an emptiness that she knows must someday be confronted. The third story winding through the book is the story of Goodman Brant, a half Mohawk, and half Cherokee Indian who is traveling from his home in Ontario to the Cherokee Indian Reservation in the Smokey Mountains in order to meet motherıs family. The fourth and final story is the tale of a former US Marshall, Tick Henry. Tick hunted many a desperado in the Oklahoma territory but is now a High Sheriff who is scouring the mountains far and wide for a red haired stranger who has stolen the love of many a young woman and then left them horribly mutilated and murdered. How these stories wind together becomes a tale you do not want to set down and I must admit I was almost disappointed when it was over. Goodman Brant witness an unbelievable crime and glimpses the face of a woman he knows he will come to love. Walker Tom Monteith has many demons to battle and often awakes to find himself miles from home with no memory of many days. Taylor runs her logging camp and remembers the family she longs for. And Tick Henry is moving closer and closer to the serial killer that has eluded him for many seasons now. The story that fuels this book is dark and deep. Often the reader feels that they have solved the hows and whys only to be turned once more in another direction. Another thing that endeared this book to this reader is that it takes place within 100 miles of my home. I have been in the Smokey Mountains many times and visited the Cherokee Indian reservation often. I recognized many of the places that are named and described and felt like I was walking right along with the characters in the book.
Reviewed by Susan Johnson, November 2002
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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