Jo Macgregor’s The First Time I Died: Garnet McGee Book One is a mystery thriller about an amateur detective who returns to her hometown and may or may not have gained psychic powers after an accident there. The main character and sleuth, Garnet McGee, flees her town of origin after a tragic event and then returns ten years later. Early on, she has an accident and is resuscitated. A hardcore realist, Garnet starts to experience impossible sensations. Is it all in her mind, or is there a guiding force urging her to solve a mystery that traumatized her before she left?
Is this a mystery or a supernatural thriller or both? I’ll try not to spoil the novel as it keeps the reader guessing until the final quarter of the book. Supernatural or not, this book is an engrossing read and had me riveted for two days. The chapters are interspersed between what happened in 2007 and then in 2017 and the back and forth is done masterfully. The narrative allows the story to unfold in a more interesting manner than a chronological rendering. Most characters are introduced in 2007 and anticipating their reintroduction ten years later is delightful.
Garnet McGee, both anxious and angry, is a complex leading character. With a fairly negative attitude through most of the novel, I found her philosophy in 2017 summed up in a phrase midway through the book: “Nothing is always, and no one is forever.” She’s been more than psychologically damaged—more like shattered—and she’s trying her best NOT to face her new reality. Her life has been aimless for the past decade until she’s forced to return home because of her mother’s stroke. But “home is not where the heart is” for McGee, and she can’t wait to escape.
The other characters in her hometown of Pitchford, Vermont include Colby Beaumont, her high school lover, who seems almost too good to be true. Jessica Armstrong was Garnet’s kind and supportive friend in 2007 but greatly changed in 2017. And there’s Pete Dillon, the high school jock and ladies’ man. Many more colorful characters support the narrative including all of Colby’s and Jessica’s families as well as the local homeless man, Lyle, and the town gossip, Hugo. Perhaps one of the most outrageous characters is Garnet’s mother who believes in a mixture of New Age, Spiritualism, and Catholicism. Her father is the rock that keeps mother and daughter in balance, but even he has a dark side.
The writing is superb with attention to small details and vivid descriptions of the fictional town of Pitchford, Vermont and its inhabitants. Passages like “I stepped right up to the pond where the water’s edge peeked out like a liquid petticoat beyond the white frock of ice” is just one example of the spectacular imagery Macgregor captures in her novel. The author’s description of Garnet’s traumatic incident when she returns in 2017 is almost poetry. “The silence was so deep it had its own music. The darkness enfolding my body was so intense I could almost touch it.” That entire scene really stood out.
The book is packed with suspense but also action and humor. I noted four or five laugh-out-loud moments (especially Garnet’s gift in the hospital), which is more than most novels of this genre. When the action occurs, it is well-written and supports the overall tension. A strong romantic plot line fills one of the timelines and comes off as both charming and authentic.
The mystery should keep most readers guessing throughout the novel. It ping-pongs around making all major characters seem suspicious at one point or another like all good whodunits. I applied my usual theory to modern mysteries and guessed who was the murderer at the beginning. When the sleuth called out the killer I had predicted, it was a slight disappointment, but I enjoyed how the author set up the reveal. Great setting, great way to unmask the murderer, and satisfying conclusion. Macgregor did her homework in the climatic scene—a detailed explanation that sits well with what would happen in the real world. The reader will find no logical lapses here.
One aspect I always look for is the character’s journey. Garnet’s arc is satisfying but not what you’d expect—a strength of the book. I like how, unlike the murder plot, she still has issues near the end, but heading in a logical direction after her experience in her hometown. The final chapter again lends credence to her character and allows the author to continue to explore more layers of McGee in a future novel(s). Note: The second in this series is published by the way, allowing the reader to continue the journey with Garnet.
Overall, the author did a remarkable job of describing both Garnet, her friends and family, and the town of Pitchford. The December setting, eerie occurrences, oddball townspeople, and layered main character really drove the narrative forward in a delightful way. I hope to return to Pitchford with Garnet McGee again.
To purchase on Amazon: The First Time I Died