The concept of this novel, where a woman transitions into a sentient tree and becomes a witness to a murder while also attempting to aid in the investigation, is truly intriguing. It unfolds through the perspectives of two women: Catherine, a 19th-century medical student who becomes the tree, and Lani, a retiring investigator. Despite their differences, both women share a desire for justice.

Catherine's murder remains unsolved for generations, haunting her even as she witnesses another crime as a tree. The connection between the two women may seem improbable, but it's presented in a way that feels logical and engaging.

"Fractured Oak" delves deeper into psychological themes than a typical cozy mystery, yet it still delivers the expected cozy ending. While readers may know the identity of the contemporary murderer, the suspense lies in whether Lani will apprehend them. In contrast, Catherine's long-unsolved murder keeps readers guessing until the final pages.

Overall, "Fractured Oak" is a satisfying read, skillfully weaving together two murder mysteries through the perspectives of two brave and distinct women. Dannie Boyd's storytelling effortlessly immerses readers in a tale of justice, courage, and unexpected connections.

I liked the thought process about this book, murdered woman becomes reincarnated into a tree and watches the world around her for another 170 years. Sadly she witnesses a murder and tries her best as a tree to get justice for the victim. There is even a happy ending for everyone.

the idea that a tree has a human spirit in it was weird to say the least, otherwise it was ok, nothing too thrilling

Fantastic murder mystery mixed with magical realism. The generational span of women and what it means to be a woman was the best part of the book. I just loved the unique storytelling.

This is a original, emotional book that I loved. I won't forget it and look forward to any more the author has or will write. I love the original idea.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book. Catherine, the third woman to graduate from medical school in the United States, is murdered in 1853, discovers her soul melded with that of an oak tree, and then finds herself witness to a modern-day murder. This alone was enough to hook me into the story because trees live silent lives, and honestly, I have often wondered what they may have witnessed over their lifespans--especially the long-lived trees like oaks and redwoods. What horrors have they seen? What joys? What forgotten moments and forgotten people have they known? At least in some way, Boyd has answered a few of these questions by telling part of the story from Catherine the Tree's point of view.

Then there's Lani, the detective trying to solve the murder. Faced with ageism, she's determined to not let everything she's worked her entire life to achieve go down without a fight. I loved her spirit and her humor. I've known my fair share of cops, and Lani would be right at home among any of them.

The best part about Fractured Oak is that as a reader I got a two-for-the-price-of-one murder plot. Told in alternating points of view between Catherine and Lani, and although the murderer is known for the contemporary death, there's no lack of tension because that comes in the form of the uncertainty of whether Lani will catch the killer. The resolution of Catherine's murder in 1853 is left until the end but is no less satisfying.

Fractured Oak is a unique blend of mystery, psychological thriller, and magical realism that simply works in a beautiful blend of colorful characters, detailed world building, mysterious clues, and a touch of magic.

An interesting read with a unique story. Overall i enjoyed this but it did been better. There were times the writing style seemed off in some way. The character development Nd work building was good.

Thank you, NetGalley and Indigo Dot Press, for providing me with the eARC!

I’m a bit conflicted about this one. The concept was intriguing - one of the perspectives is a TREE??? Sign me up!
In the beginning, the story held my attention, and I was eager to keep reading. I loved Catherine’s character, and her point of view was super unique. Halfway through, though, I started to find her POV boring and repetitive - I began to prefer Lani’s chapters and would sigh whenever Catherine’s chapters were next. But even Lani’s chapters started to feel boring because, as the reader, we already know who the killer is, and with Catherine’s POV, we already know the killer’s next move.
If readers had less information from Catherine’s POV (who the killer is, their motive, etc.) and Lani had more suspects than the actual killer, the book would’ve kept my attention the whole way through.
Two mysteries were going on, but for one of them, readers already knew who the killer was. For the second one regarding Catherine’s unsolved case, I was able to guess her murderer halfway through the book.
Although this one fell a bit short for me, I still think it would be a great read for those looking for a different, fun mystery to relax with!

3.5~4
“Of all the home dwellers to inhabit this remote bundle of land, he is my least favorite. I can’t define why, no more than I can define why my soul became trapped in a tree, but I feel it nonetheless.”

Catherine IS the fractured oak of the title. Why? She has no idea, and all we can do it is suspend disbelief and enjoy the magical realism and Catherine’s voice as she narrates her view of the action today in this old area outside the city of Cleveland, Ohio. Her own story starts in 1853, beginning with the prologue.

“Unaware she was about to die, Catherine Miller, a young woman delicate in build but determined in mind, hurried down the sidewalk of Cleveland’s Superior Street, her velvet cloak flapping against her gown in the March wind. Having just become the third woman in the United States to graduate from a medical college of repute, she was in need of an escape to steady her nerves.”

Boyd explains quickly and simply how and what the tree can observe.

“Catherine
As a tree…
On a ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ calendar displaying five otherworldly misfits, the man inside the house draws an X over March 24, 2023, and this is how I know it’s been one hundred and seventy years since I died.”

Chapters are introduced with either Catherine’s name or the name of Lani, the soon-to-be-retired police officer who comes to the property, investigating a murder. The voices are distinctive, and even without the introductory names, it is easy to know whose side of the investigation we’re seeing.

Catherine, the tree, has strong opinions about Mark Carver, the current owner of the house and acreage. He spends a lot of time outside by his firepit, and when he’s inside, she can see through the big glass doors to the kitchen and living area. But, she can’t hear indoor conversations, so she knows she has gaps in her knowledge.

Mark Carver is a medical researcher developing a weight-loss drug, and having been a fat kid, he’s hyper-sensitive about weight and fitness, hence his outdoor ‘healthy’ life and his frequent running. His wealthy investor is pushing for some quick results – hurry up with the mice trials and move on to humans, asap!

Lani is not happy about retiring, but in preparation, she’s clearing out some of her attic. She finds an urn with her great-grandfather’s ashes. Also in the box is his diary, which includes his notes about an unsolved murder from back in his day, that of Catherine Miller. We met him in the first few pages, but this is all news to Lani. She’s fascinated and reads a bit every day.

I liked Boyd’s characters and the storyline. We are left in no doubt about Mark Carver. Catherine hears his conversation with Iggy, his Beagle, when Carver picks up a small bird that is stunned after crashing into one of the glass doors. [It happens at our place often.]

“Iggy, seemingly as horrified as me, scoots back and whimpers. Mr. Carver stares at him beyond the crushed bird. ‘Ah, lighten up, Iggs. You’re as wimpy as the woman I got you from.’ When the dog blinks at him, Mr. Carver adds in a flat tone, ‘Some things are just better off dead.’”

It’s a good read. Boyd ties up the loose ends well, and I’d enjoy seeing Lani and Brian again, if Lani takes his advice and becomes a Private Investigator or something. She’s certainly not past her use-by date.

Thanks to NetGalley and Indigo Dot Press for the copy for review from which I’ve taken the liberty of quoting.

I’m here with a new book recommendation and I’m so excited to tell you about this book! Around February and March, I was not really in the mood to read anything. It wasn’t exactly a slump because I did read every now and then, but nothing was really sticking up and I was only interested in the stories I was reading while I was reading. But every time I would put the book down, the story would vanish from my brain.
To me, a good book is one that doesn’t get out of my head. Even after I put it down. Even after I finish reading it. A good book should keep me reading. It should keep me on my toes, making me feel crazy from thinking about it in every second of my waking hour. A good book is like that crush that you can’t stop thinking about, that makes you want to talk it up to your friends. A good book makes you want to recommend the book to people who never even asked for your recommendation, and especially, it makes you want to write down about it so that thousands of strangers on internet can take my word for it and read that book.

So, sometime in April, I went on a family trip to Agra and I picked up this book, Fractured Oak, and I kid you not, I just couldn’t stop reading this book. This book was so good that even though I was out on a trip with my family, I still looked forward to read this book each night when I was back in my hotel room. Now, that’s something! Although, I’ve seen this with me that I tend to read more when I’m traveling or outside in general than when I’m in my home, preoccupied with chores. Nonetheless, I was also reading a two more books other than this but Fractured Oak was the only one that made me want to read. It was constantly in my mind.
Now that I’ve hyped you up enough about this book, let’s talk about what it really is.

Fractured Oak is sort of historical fictional thrown into the mix of a who-done-it murder mystery. A perfect mix, if you ask me and thankfully it was done well. This book involves two murder mysteries. It starts with the murder of Catherine, a female doctor who dared to become one of the few female doctors in the field dominated by men. After she is murdered (in the year of 1853), her soul somehow gets trapped into an oak tree and we as readers learn her point of view as she still continues to live as a tree in the present time. A second murder takes place in front of the tree, and this involves her reaction to it, and wondering who must have killed her (because she still doesn’t know who murdered her, after all this time and now that she’s a tree, she has no hope if she will ever know), and then how this second murder motivates her to seek justice against the murder that happened right in front of her, and how she chooses to not stay silent even though she is….a tree.

I JUST LOVED THIS BOOK. SO. SO. SO MUCH.

There are two point of views in this story. One is obviously from the pov of Catherine, the oak tree and the other is by a female constable who has a green thumb, and I loved both of them so much. I guess you must have figured it by now that it was a feminist book. I love feminist books a lot but this book did more than justice to the feminist theme. I can’t really explain how. It was funny. I loved the internal dialogue that was going on inside both the women’s minds, but so, so inspiring…and empowering!

I also loved the concept of the tree with its own point of view who sees all and knows all, and wants to seek justice, not for themselves but for someone they’ve seen pass by them. Like can you imagine if trees actually see you and think, “yes, I like this person and I will seek justice for them, even though I’m a tree and I can’t speak.” Like that is so cute!!!!! And I would love to believe that trees are actually like that, just like humans, in fact, much better than humans, and so much wiser and sensible.

It also made me want to turn myself into a tree. *insert crickets singing*

Anyway, I have literally no complaints with this book. If you know me, you’d know that when it comes to critiquing books, I become really strict and particular. But this book really impressed me. The prose was impeccable, the description and the characters were beautifully written. Overall, I would like to give this book a 5 out of 5 stars and we all know how many times that happens! So, yes. It means, GO READ IT. NOW. GO GO GO.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and Netgalley for giving me this amazing opportunity to read this arc in return of an honest opinion. Thank you so much for reading!

This book has such an interesting premise: a women who is murdered in the 1800s turns into a tree. In the present day, as a tree in his yard, she observes the life of a man who murders his PhD student. We get the POVs of Catherine (the tree) and Lani (a soon-to-be retired police officer investigating the present day murder) and I love them both. This story kept me interested the entire time and I really enjoyed the author’s writing.

Thank you to Netgalley, Indigo Dot Press and Dannie Boyd for this ARC ebook. Fractured Oak will be released April 25, 2023.

This was a really neat story. . I really enjoyed the characters and storyline. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy. Looking forward to more from this author

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC copy.
5 out of 5, captivating from beginning to end. I love how it's a little out there but still wraps up very nicely and somewhat realistically.

What an accomplishment! Catherine Miller was the third woman in the U.S. to graduate from a medical college. A partnership with an established young doctor awaited her. The year, 1853. At her commencement, Catherine felt the need for fresh air. With her head in the clouds, she "escaped into a thick copse of trees", unaware that she was being followed, never to be seen again.

Cleveland, Ohio. Although "...our railroads, waterways and manufacturing bring tremendous progress, we must not risk unraveling our social fabric...How soon before our good citizens die from an error at the hands of a lady doctor..." Young Constable Henry Whitaker was stationed at the tension-filled graduation. He brooded his entire life, unable to solve the case of Dr. Catherine Miller's demise.

It was now one hundred seventy years since Catherine died. "My soul has been trapped in a tree", a Northern Red Oak, to be exact. "I exchange nutrients with the roots of my fellow trees...my bark is fractured...my branches arthritic...". "Time is elusive when one is a tree...I spent many decades alone with nature before the foundation of a home was placed, along with a carriage house...now called a garage...My faithful companion Iggy [a beagle] is unbothered by the new weeds and mushrooms...sprouted around my exposed roots...I wonder if my arboreal death will come soon...a swift chop will truncate any meager life I have left."

Mark Carver, the current occupant of the house on the secluded land, heads a university research team developing a new weight loss drug. Harrison Price, heavily invested and expecting to make millions, is about out of patience when a potential issue might delay human trials. PhD research student, Tony Habib had informed Carver about a case of liver cancer in one of the mice. Tony wants to record his findings. Carver wants to "take care of Tony". From Catherine's vantage point, "something unspeakable is about to happen...I howl my silent cry, of warning." How can Catherine, witness to Tony's murder, seek justice on his behalf?

Fourth Generation Homicide Detective, 65 year old Lani Whitaker and her 33 year old partner Brian Dupree are enlisted to solve the mystery. Lani is facing mandatory retirement. "If the powers that be are going to boot her out the retirement door, she...wants to go out with a win...". Perhaps Lani will be grabbing at invisible threads, but, partner Brian has her back. Their banter is lighthearted, often humorous. Lani loves greenery, She gives her own plants "verbal and hydration" care. She is fond of the Northern Red Oak in Carver's backyard.

Is it possible for a one hundred seventy year old tree to help solve a murder in the 21st Century, and in doing so, discover who caused her demise in the 19th century? "Come now, men, are you going to be out-answered by a mere woman? Dr. Catherine Miller was not seen as 'one' woman, but, a wave of change.

The premise of "Fractured Oak" by Dannie Boyd was refreshing. The mix of mystery, magical realism and with a nod to the dogged determination of two women, centuries apart, made for an engrossing fictional read. Highly recommended.

Thank you Indigo Dot Press and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

. . . ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭒
You know how sometimes you’re reading a book and think: “this reminds me of…”, or “this is such a similar plot to…”, well, no chance of that happening here! This was such a unique plot concept, and interesting take on the alternative POV, I can confidently say that this was a first for me. Told from dual perspectives of a present time near-retirement detective, and the spirit a murdered female physician from 1853 whose soul is trapped within an oak tree, this one gets points for creativity.

And listen, if you’re going to personify a tree, toss in some magical realism, and add in a splash of murder, one would hope it would be done well, and it was. The story was enjoyable, the characters likable, and the narrative engaging. I appreciated the author highlighting the challenges of women entering into primarily male-dominated professions, the subtle and obvious sexism and misogyny, and the patriarchal lens that unfortunately still exists today.

I did find that I wanted more from Catherine’s murder, and felt a little disappointed in the resolution of her story. I feel like I almost would have preferred her murder remain unsolved - not that I wouldn’t that closure for Catherine - but more that the “who” of the whodunnit fell a bit flat for me, and that simply discovering her may have been enough to set her free.

Ultimately, this was such a unique story, and I applaud the author is taking a creative leap of faith - it’s certainly paid off.

~👩🏻‍🦰

⧞ Fractured Oak will be available for purchase April 25th, and we encourage you to check it out!

This was a strange read, the only witness to a murder is a tree. Yes you heard right. The story itself was good but so predictable with no surprises. All in all a mediocre read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

An interesting and unique read. The writing could have been a bit more…natural. At time the dialogue was a bit off. The story and characters were fine.

Thank you to NetGalley and Indigo Dot Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

“What happens when the only witness to a murder is a tree?” is a very interesting premise, so the premise along with the excellently designed cover grabbed my attention and I knew I had to give the book a chance.

I really enjoyed the 2 mysteries that were on display here and thought the use of the 2 POVs was done well, allowing for more insight than just a regular mystery / thriller story.

Overall it was fun read and easy to recommend to anyone who enjoys a nice old mystery.

At first, I was skeptical about this book because the reader is omniscient and there isn't much of a mystery but this book kept me HOOKED. I could not put this book down, The main characters were unique and interesting. Catherine, despite being a tree who cannot talk or move, plays such an important role in the story. She is such a lovable character.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free review copy

What caught my attention first was the beautiful cover and then I read the description. I usually don't read such fanciful books but I did enjoy the way the author told the story through the eyes of a tree. As much as I thought that would take me out of the story it didn't, I thought it was actually quite beautiful and made me want to appreciate nature more.

I usually stick to more fast past thrillers but this was a nice change of pace and still had enough mystery to keep my attention to the end of the book.