The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd Pages: 400
Published by William Morrow on March 15, 2022
"A wildly entertaining, imaginative ride with a cinematic plot that keeps the pages turning." —Real Simple
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.
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 . . .
Perfect for fans of Joe Hill and V. E. Schwab, The Cartographers is an ode to art and science, history and magic—a spectacularly imaginative, modern story about an ancient craft and places still undiscovered.ps...
The Cartographers is an adult mystery/thriller by Peng Shepherd. This book was incredible. It was not only one of the best books I have read in 2022, but this is a book that is going to stick with me for a long time. It is the type of book that you immediately run out and recommend it to everyone. I will never look at maps the same way again.
In The Cartographers, we meet our main character Nell. Nell is the daughter of two famous PhD parents who study maps. Her mother died when she was a baby in a house fire and her father was very respected in the maps department of the New York Public Library. Nell wants to follow in his footsteps and she was well on her way, until one day her and her father fought over a silly old road map from the 1930s. They became estranged that day and didn’t speak for the next seven years, until one day her father was found dead in his office. Nell is in disbelief, and even more so when she finds that infamous roadmap in his things. Why did he keep it after all this time? That commonplace map sets Nell off on an adventure into the past, where she will learn more about her parents and their graduate school friends than she ever imagined.
The Cartographers drew me in right from the start. This book was expertly crafted. There was not a dull moment and I could not put this book down. The Cartographer’s is a very, very special book. You won’t understand the magic of it, the magic of a map, until you read it for yourself. Holding this book in your hands and reading it, opened a whole new world to my eyes. Full of mystery and a touch of magic, the Cartographers is a contender for best book of 2022. This one is going to be hard to top!
To enter, visit my instagram post below to win 1 of 10 copies of The Cartographer.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CbDYoCAD4Qe/?utm_medium=copy_link
About Peng Shepherd
Peng Shepherd was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, where she rode horses and trained in classical ballet. She earned her M.F.A. in creative writing from New York University, and has lived in Beijing, London, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and New York. The Book of M is her first novel.
Christine @ Captivated Reading
Ohhhh, this one sounds fabulous! I love the magic interwoven with the adventury feel to it. Thanks for sharing!