Book Review: The Cartographers

Title: The Cartographers
Author: Peng Shepherd
Publication Date: 2022
Publishing House: William Morrow

This book is one that caught my eye at random at the library and it had me hooked. Support your local library and read what makes you happy.

Synopsis:

What is the purpose of a map?

Nell Young’s whole life and greatest passion is cartography. Her father, Dr. Daniel Young, is a legend in the field and Nell’s personal hero. But she hasn’t seen or spoken to him ever since he cruelly fired her and destroyed her reputation after an argument over an old, cheap gas station highway map.

But when Dr. Young is found dead in his office at the New York Public Library, with the very same seemingly worthless map hidden in his desk, Nell can’t resist investigating. To her surprise, she soon discovers that the map is incredibly valuable and exceedingly rare. In fact, she may now have the only copy left in existence… because a mysterious collector has been hunting down and destroying every last one—along with anyone who gets in the way.

But why?

To answer that question, Nell embarks on a dangerous journey to reveal a dark family secret and discovers the true power that lies in maps…

From the critically acclaimed author of The Book of M, a highly imaginative thriller about a young woman who discovers that a strange map in her deceased father’s belongings holds an incredible, deadly secret—one that will lead her on an extraordinary adventure and to the truth about her family’s dark history.

This book is one of those stories that had me floating theories the whole time I was reading it. I was wrong more often than I was right but that’s the mark of a well written book. Nell is stubborn, almost to the point that it is bad for her health and definitely to the point where it is bad for her relationships. That being said, Nell looks for the truth despite secrets and lies that have been told for years.

One of the things that I appreciated about this book is the fact that as things come to light they are told by the person that was there. Whereas the rest of the book is told from first person perspective of Nell. There is a romantic air to this story: old maps, love, secrets. People appreciating the artistry of the past, putting the time and effort into creating something useful as well as beautiful.

I suggest this book for those who enjoy maps, those who enjoy mysteries, and those looking for a story to take them somewhere new. Happy reading.

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