Scavengers A novel

Review by Booklist Review

In Boland's jaunty debut, an estranged mother and daughter head off for a weekend in the Utah desert in search of buried treasure--and possibly some forgiveness. After Bea, a normally cautious commodities analyst, takes a risk that costs her her job, she heads to Salt Lake City and the home of her flighty mother, Christy (rent paid for by Bea). Christy, who "had always been able to get by without any sort of recognizable job or career," is currently obsessed with an internet forum dedicated to analyzing a poem that allegedly reveals the location of a treasure. Christy heads to the desert town of Mercy with a carefully assembled map of clues--and plans to rendezvous with mysterious forum member Bob--and Bea reluctantly joins. The eventful weekend includes a near-fatal trip off-trail, a flash flood, hot-spring adventures, a robbery, some salty pancakes, and a couple of possible new romances. Boland clearly has a deep knowledge of this otherworldly, often dangerous landscape, and she's come up with a fresh and unexpectedly sweet take on the theme of strained but salvageable mother-daughter bonds.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

A mother and daughter search for a buried treasure in Boland's rollicking debut. When Bea is fired from her New York City finance job and her life implodes, she heads to Utah where her wayward mother, Christy, has been obsessively tracking an online forum devoted to $1 million worth of antiques left in the desert by a late poet. Christy has created detailed maps to help her find the bounty, and when Bea arrives, unemployed and with no good prospects, she's drawn into her mother's dubious mission. They set out for a rural town called Mercy, where they stay in a cabin and meet Christy's online boyfriend Bob, who also believes in the treasure. Then Christy and Bea get lost in the mountains while searching for the treasure, and they're saved by outdoorsmen Tag and Hank, who join forces with them. Bea takes a liking to Tag, and their relationship develops over the course of the novel. Things take a sinister turn, though, when Bob vanishes. Boland blends genuine thrills with an affecting story of a mother and daughter's restored relationship, and the narrative builds to a surprise ending. Readers will be delighted. (Jan.)

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Review by Library Journal Review

DEBUT Boland's satisfying novel explores mother-daughter relationships, recovery from betrayal, and reinventing oneself in a beautifully described but unforgiving setting. Prudent commodities-analyst Bea Macon is fired for making a wildly incorrect prediction, so she travels to Salt Lake City to visit her mother, Christy, with whom she has a prickly relationship. Christy's latest madcap venture is a search for buried treasure in the Utah desert, a journey on which she plans to meet Bob, a treasure hunter whom she knows from the internet. Wary of her mother meeting a stranger in a remote spot, Bea insists on going with her. The mother and daughter get lost in the desert, are rescued by climbers, and finally meet up with Bob. Christy realizes that Bob is not the romantic partner she had hoped for, and she and Bea decide to leave the desert, only to be stopped by a flash flood, an event that will change both their lives. VERDICT Readers who enjoy books about women's lives and relationships will enjoy this debut, which does a wonderful job of describing the stark setting as well as giving voice to the strained, but evolving relationship between Bea and Christy, two very different, sharply drawn characters.--Sue O'Brien

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