In the Blue Hour by Elizabeth Hall

Hi, everyone! Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for Elizabeth Hall's In the Blue Hour. 

Elise Brooks had a dream about a car accident. The road was snowy, the car was hers, but in the dream she couldn't see the driver. She never told anyone because she never believed dreams could be real. 

But then her husband died - driving her car on a snowy road. 

Elise senses that her husband may still be with her. And though she never believed before, she recognizes that even those around her are open to the idea. As time goes by, she begins to believe her husband might be trying to tell her something. Something important. And so Elise embarks on a journey to find the meaning of her husband's messages.

This is a quite different book from Hall's debut, Miramont's Ghost. It begins in New Mexico, in the time since her husband's death, Elise hasn't really dealt with the loss. She's holed herself up in their remote cabin, closing herself off from the world. As we meet her, she's entering her husband's studio for the very first time. It's her first step to rejoining the world in the wake of her loss.

With some prompting from her best friend, some help from a psychic and fellow widow, and a surprising new acquaintance, Elise begins to heal from her loss while unraveling the message she believes is coming from beyond the grave.

Hall's characters are wonderful - full of depth and emotion. And I loved how place itself became almost becomes a character as well. New Mexico - its life and spirit, culture, food... - are all a big part of the story. As is the Native American lore of the area. From there, Elise travels to Tennessee, a place she barely remembers thanks to having left early in her childhood. These places anchor and inspire Elise and her story. They all - the characters and settings - come to life in Hall's prose in a way that allows the reader to easily slip into and become completely immersed in the story.

I quite enjoyed In the Blue Hour. I've been in something of a reading rut of late, taking what feels like ages to finish even one book. But I found myself sucked into In the Blue Hour from the start, finishing the first third of it almost before any time at all had passed. And of course then had to continue!

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Books a Million | Barnes & Noble