Carolina Moonset by Matt Goldman is a suspenseful and moving story about family, memories and dangerous secrets. Joey Green returns to Beaufort, South Carolina to help his mother look after his ailing father. The loving husband, father and dedicated doctor has developed Lewy Body Dementia. Marshall Green has difficulty with his short term memory but his oldest memories are as vivid as if they happened yesterday. Joey notices that his father’s mind slips backwards in time more and more. At first, Joey sees it as a blessing in order to get his father’s stories on tape before he passes. But more and more his slips into the past become hallucinations, arguments with people from his past, people who have long passed. These “arguments” hint at deadly secrets, scandals and suspicions. When a murder occurs and brings the police to his parents’ home, Joey fears his father is somehow connected. Can he find the truth and protect his frail father?
At the core of Carolina Moonset is the relationship between Joey and his father, Marshall. It is what I enjoyed the most about the story. Having experience with dementia, specifically Alzheimer’s, it was heartbreaking to see Marshall slip between past and present and the pain on his face when he realized that he just doesn’t remember. Joey also goes through the confusion of the sudden time slips to going with the flow and allowing the memory to flow. Mr. Goldman deals with dementia and memory loss with truth and heart. The murder mystery was interesting and the final reveal was an “oh!” moment that I didn’t see coming. There is a little side romance that played beautifully into the plot and had some fun banter between two people jaded by divorce and not looking for more than a fling. Overall, I enjoyed Carolina Moonset for the family dynamics, secrets, scandals and a murder mystery. I highly recommend Carolina Moonset.
Carolina Moonset is available in hardcover, paperback, eBook and audiobook
At the core of Carolina Moonset is the relationship between Joey and his father, Marshall. It is what I enjoyed the most about the story. Having experience with dementia, specifically Alzheimer’s, it was heartbreaking to see Marshall slip between past and present and the pain on his face when he realized that he just doesn’t remember. Joey also goes through the confusion of the sudden time slips to going with the flow and allowing the memory to flow. Mr. Goldman deals with dementia and memory loss with truth and heart. The murder mystery was interesting and the final reveal was an “oh!” moment that I didn’t see coming. There is a little side romance that played beautifully into the plot and had some fun banter between two people jaded by divorce and not looking for more than a fling. Overall, I enjoyed Carolina Moonset for the family dynamics, secrets, scandals and a murder mystery. I highly recommend Carolina Moonset.
Carolina Moonset is available in hardcover, paperback, eBook and audiobook