What readers think of Tethered, plus links to write your own review.

I can't remember reading a mystery where the protagonist was an undertaker, but who better to be involved in murder, and Clara makes a very interesting character. The book is quite dark, and some of the scenes might put off a squeamish reader. With that caveat, I would recommend it for someone looking for a mystery a bit outside the ordinary.

Tethered is both a murder mystery and at the same time the personal self discovery and awareness of the narrator. The story is both sad and haunting as I discovered and grew to understand Clara who was the narrator and an undertaker. The detail the author provides on the embalming process in contrast to the human touch Clara provides in her care of the deceased was both at times macabre and so very touching. The author kept you wanting to learn more about Clara and her relationship with her Grandmother, Trecie, the missing child, Mike the detective involved in the case and Linus who owned the funeral home.

The author does a wonderful job drawing you into the main characters lives through flashbacks and memories. I found the story unique as told from the perspective of a female mortician, and sad due to the child abuse content. I also watched Clara as she struggled with her inability to pull herself from her world working alongside the dead to the world among the living.

I would recommend this book to a book club as the narrator is an interesting study in addition to the author's choice of Clara as the narrator.

I gave a 4 rating as there were some aspects of the story which were predictable but I found this a good read with aspects to details which you could almost see, smell, and hear. This book would appeal to teens and adults. It is an easy read and I found I wanted to keep picking it up to see how the story unfolded.

This book had me hooked from the second page, I had to force myself not to read the ending (something I often do). I'm not a fan of a story that jumps around and at times I got lost for a paragraph or two when the author became a temporary poet (this is why it's a 4). Amy's writing style offers many good discussion points for book clubs and the easy reading style works well if interruptions are part of daily life.

Exquisitely written to capture you immediately! Putting the book down was a torture of sorts. MacKinnon so vividly describes Clara, the protagonist, that when she writes about Clara's "familiar sense of otherness" readers may actually feel the pain. The darkness of the book seems appropriate for Clara's occupation and life. The book gives readers a peak into a world infrequently visited (funeral homes) and an occupation seldom dreamed of with a description that is actually comforting at times.

My only criticism is how the ending came together--at times predictable, other times confusing and for me lacking the qualities of the fabulously unique read in the earlier parts of the book. Would definitely love to read more from this author!

Parts were interesting - the meaning of different flowers. Kept my interest until 3/4 of way through. Would not recommend it to book clubs, but if you want a quick read that has some twists and turns, go ahead.