“Marty Arnold melds romance, suspense, humor, menace, environmental concerns and a love for all things zoological into a totally coherent and entertaining page turner . . . skillfully constructed and engaging.” -Richard Judy, THRU: An Appalachian Trail Love Story

“A gem of a book . . .The descriptions of both fauna and flora open a new understanding of what is happening in our natural world today . . . Throw in some intrigue, romance, and interesting characters and you’ve got a real page-turner that’s hard to put down.“ -Chris Byron, author, Vintage Views books

“Marty Arnold escorts her readers over familiar geological and historical terrain, from the orchards of “Fruit Ridge” north of Grand Rapids to the gypsum mines below the city . . . and over several generations of one farm family’s history . . . . Arnold offers up a healthy serving of contemporary animal rights and land use issues, and she does it all with a smooth straightforward style.” -Gordon Olson, Grand Rapids City Historian Emeritus

“A beautifully written story of friendship and love couched in a mystery . . .Arnold navigates the conflicts between her characters and the issues they deal with expertly . . . an inspiring story.”  Lisa McNeilley, Ph.D.

“I was trying to describe Raised in Captivity to someone at a party and couldn’t think of a genre. It almost had a Raymond Chandler “mystery” feel, but obviously more emotional weight and less murder (although similarly inventive phrasistry). I found the evolution of the relationship between Caroline, Iris, and Rafa to be especially affecting. The research is very apparent, and I enjoyed the device of making chapters out of Iris’s columns as a way to broaden the story into the world of facts and science. I could have read a book of nothing but those. Moreover, I really like the way the book so carefully and methodically makes the moral case for environmentalism. Beautiful book.” –Sam, Austin, TX

“Found your book to be completely compelling, so much so that I stayed up way too late the last few nights because it had me to thoroughly engrossed and not wanting to put it down . . . there is so much local lore involved. I haven’t lived there for a very long time, but I was delighted with each reference to familiar places that popped up in the story line. There’s enough other gripping story, characterizations, romance, nature-loving information, and crime-thriller aspects, not to mention anyone interested in animals, zoos, botany, geology, and what we humans have done to habitat for other species let alone ourselves, to keep just about anyone interested, except maybe some guys who would prefer blood ‘n guts action thrillers. (No thank-you.)  This one had enough of a thrill for me, so I can recommend it most highly, and indeed, I will!” –Ruth, Richmond, CA

“Loved it!  I know it’s a really good book because I was in tears a couple of times in the last chapter. It would make A GREAT MOVIE!  But, first things first I suppose.” -Shirley, Washington D.C.