Overview:
The sequel to A Simple Murder.
Will Rees feels at home. It’s been a long time since he last felt this way—not since before his wife died years ago and he took to the road as a traveling weaver. Now, in 1796, Rees is back on his Maine farm, living with his teenaged son, David, and his housekeeper, Lydia—whose presence contributes more towards his happiness than he’s ready to admit. But his domestic bliss is shattered the morning a visitor brings news of an old friend’s murder.
Nate Bowditch and Rees hadn't spoken in many long years, but as children they were closer than brothers, and Rees feels his loss acutely. Asked to look into the circumstances surrounding Nate’s death, Rees simply can’t refuse. At the Bowditch farmstead, Rees quickly discovers that everyone—from Nate’s frosty wife to his missing son to the shy serving girl—is hiding something. But are any of them actually capable of murder? Or does the answer lie elsewhere, behind stones no one even knew needed unturning?
The sequel to A Simple Murder, which won the 2011 Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America Best First Crime Novel competition, picks up the story of Will Rees, an itinerant weaver who fought for the Continental Army 20 years earlier. During the Revolutionary War, Rees investigated and solved a homicide within the army. This time, Rees is driven by honor to find a killer when he learns that his best friend from childhood, Nate Bowditch, has been brutally murdered in his own home. The suspect is Nate’s son, reportedly always in conflict with his father. The local constable refuses to look at any suspect beyond the son. Rees’ motivation in trying to investigate is multilayered. He has his duty toward his old friend and his son, tinctured by guilt in letting the friendship go. What is fascinating here is watching how Rees’ motivation increases with the difficulty of the investigation—he receives a cold reception at his old friend’s home, especially cold from the local doctor, who seems to be involved with his friend’s widow. Finding excuses and opportunities to investigate reveals the admirably flinty character of this sometime sleuth. Kuhns creates a marvelously chilly atmosphere throughout this suspense tale about seemingly upright people guarding evil secrets. Rees, the weaver, is a wonderful creation.
Death of a Dyer once again proves Eleanor Kuhns’s remarkable ability to spin a captivating story of a fascinating era and capture the light and darker sides of human nature on the page.
“What is fascinating here is watching how Rees’ motivation increases with the difficulty of the investigation…Finding excuses and opportunities to investigate reveals the admirably flinty character of this sometime sleuth. Kuhns creates a marvelously chilly atmosphere throughout this suspense tale about seemingly upright people guarding evil secrets. Rees, the weaver, is a wonderful creation.”—Booklist (starred)
“Kuhns’ follow-up to Will’s debut offers a sensitive look into matters of the heart woven into a nifty puzzle.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Well-constructed…Kuhns does a good job integrating the political developments of the time into the storyline, especially the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, and delivers a logical and surprising solution to this traditional whodunit.”—Publishers Weekly
“Absorbing…[Kuhns’s] finely done historical makes frontier Maine come alive.”—Library Journal
ENJOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!
And Blessed Are The Ones Who Care For Their
Fellow Men!
Thank you Mr. Donne
ReplyDelete