Genre Fiction
![Matt Goldman - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_matt_goldman.jpg)
Carolina Moonset
Both suspenseful and deeply moving, Carolina Moonset is an engrossing novel about family, memories both golden and terrible, and secrets too dangerous to stay hidden forever, from New York Times bestselling and Emmy Award-winning author, Matt Goldman.
Joey Green has returned to Beaufort, South Carolina, with its palmettos and shrimp boats, to look after his ailing father, who is succumbing to dementia, while his overstressed mother takes a break. Marshall Green's short-term memory has all but evaporated, but, as if in compensation, his oldest memories are more vivid than ever. His mind keeps slipping backwards in time, retreating into long-ago yesterdays of growing up in Beaufort as a boy.
At first this seems like a blessing of sorts, with the past providing a refuge from a shrinking future, but Joey grows increasingly anxious as his father's hallucinatory arguments with figures from his youth begin to hint at deadly secrets, scandals, and suspicions long buried and forgotten. Resurfacing from decades past are mysteries that still have the power to shatter lives―and change everything Joey thought he knew.
Especially when a new murder brings the police to his door...
Joey Green has returned to Beaufort, South Carolina, with its palmettos and shrimp boats, to look after his ailing father, who is succumbing to dementia, while his overstressed mother takes a break. Marshall Green's short-term memory has all but evaporated, but, as if in compensation, his oldest memories are more vivid than ever. His mind keeps slipping backwards in time, retreating into long-ago yesterdays of growing up in Beaufort as a boy.
At first this seems like a blessing of sorts, with the past providing a refuge from a shrinking future, but Joey grows increasingly anxious as his father's hallucinatory arguments with figures from his youth begin to hint at deadly secrets, scandals, and suspicions long buried and forgotten. Resurfacing from decades past are mysteries that still have the power to shatter lives―and change everything Joey thought he knew.
Especially when a new murder brings the police to his door...
Editorial Reviews
"First-class...The often amusing dialogue flows naturally, the emotional undercurrents ring true, and the mystery itself offers a full complement of suspects and motives. This novel about love, loss, and family ties isn't to be missed." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Readers Top Reviews
VioletteS. Rhoads
A good summer read. Witty and romantic. And evokes the heartbreaking South- the iridescent marshland with the nearly impossible surface beauty and the dark secrets and corruption that always lie beneath.
MGallagherViolett
Great book! -- The story line really pulled me in. Rich blend of connect-the-dots whodunit plus related contextual issues ranging from interpersonal to global that broaden the story's reach, not to mention the much appreciated bonus of Matt Goldman's own particular brand of humor that can be found in all of his books. Highly recommend!
Thomas K. Parrent
I have read and enjoyed all of Goldman's novels. His character development, plot construction and wit are superb and endlessly entertaining. Carolina Moonset is his best yet - by far - and that's saying a lot. The pictures he paints of place, people and circumstances are superb. After you finish the book, be sure to read the acknowledgements. If you haven't read his other books, do so. Start from the beginning of the Nils Shapiro series. Carolina Moonset is separate from those so it can be read at any point.
Tom StrawThomas K
How much did I love this novel? I got so immersed that I ran down the power in my reader and had to quickly switch devices. Matt Goldman draws you into this story and you feel your chest tightening and breath catching all along the way. It's mystery at its best: one with personal stakes strongly felt. Palpable atmosphere, superbly-drawn characters, and enough red herrings to keep you guessing. High recommendation.
Jake's momTom Str
At first, I was disappointed when I discovered that Matt Goldman’s new book was not part of his Nils Shapiro series, which I love, but I purchased California Moonset anyway and have no regrets. I love the book. Perhaps it’s because I’m seventy-five and I can relate to many of the issues centered around aging which face the narrator’s parents but, more importantly, I love Goldman’s gently humorous writing style, the great, loving descriptions he uses to depict both characters and place. Beaufort, South Carolina, comes alive. The plot, with so much detail taking place in the past, is absorbing and at its center is a mystery which leads the reader from the novel’s first page to the last. I really recommend this poignant tale of love and death.
