A Cry from the Dust (A Gwen Marcey Novel, book 1) by Carrie Stuart Parks

Book Description:  In the shadow of the Mormon church, a 19th-century conspiracy is about to be shattered by a 21st-century forensic artist. 

In 1857, a wagon train in Utah was assaulted by a group of militant Mormons calling themselves the Avenging Angels. One hundred and forty people were murdered, including unarmed men, women, and children. The Mountain Meadows Massacre remains controversial to this day--but the truth may be written on the skulls of the victims. 

When renowned forensic artist Gwen Marcey is recruited to reconstruct the faces of recently unearthed victims at Mountain Meadows, she isn't expecting more than an interesting gig . . . and a break from her own hectic life. 

But when Gwen stumbles on the ritualized murder of a young college student, her work on the massacre takes on a terrifying new aspect, and research quickly becomes a race against modern-day fundamentalist terror. 

As evidence of a cover-up mounts--a cover-up spanning the entire history of the Mormon church--Gwen finds herself in the crosshairs of a secret society bent on fulfilling prophecy and revenging old wrongs. 

Can a forensic artist reconstruct two centuries of suppressed history . . . before it repeats itself? 

In A Cry from the Dust, Carrie Stuart Parks utilizes her own background as a celebrated, FBI-trained forensic artist to blend fact and fiction into a stunning mystery.

My Thoughts:  Oh!Wow!  This is an incredible read!!  

I was offered this book twice and declined to read it twice.  I'll be honest the cover of the book looks odd to me and then I took time to read the description and it clicked!  That's a picture of a death mask.  

Gwen Marcey has had one too many disappointments come her way and then her co-worker is murdered, her work almost obliterated...her sanity seems like a millisecond from insanity!  Poor Gwen.

Gwen is a forensic artist (what a cool job!).  She is recruited to unearth massacre victims at Mountain Meadows.  This is where it gets interesting!  

The massacre concerned the Mormon church.  Wow!  So much history/facts about the Mormons.  

The suspense in this read is off the charts!  

This is one incredible WOW read!  And I'm so glad I decided to read this debut book by Carrie!  History and fiction at its best!

*This book was provided for review by BookLook*

• Series: A Gwen Marcey Novel (Book 1)
• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (August 12, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401690432
• ISBN-13: 978-1401690434