This is the story of a barn fire located in Bethany, Vermont as Franklin Warren is relocated there in 1960. The fire killed Mr. Weber, member of the community that nobody liked. The people of Bethany Vermont have many secrets. This is the first look at a series and was a slow burn as it is a character driven book. I loved the character of Mrs. Alice Bellows and her WWII stories about her husband's activities. I look forward to more books by Sarah Stewart Taylor. If you love historical novels from the 1960's then you will love this book. Highly recommended!
While some readers will find the setting of Sarah Stewart Taylor's Agony Hill a strange and unfamiliar world, for me, being back in the days of Woodstock, draft dodgers, and communes-- let alone no cell phones-- was a blast from the past. (And one that I enjoyed revisiting because Taylor skillfully puts readers in her setting without a bit of "information dump.")
The cast of characters is interesting. Frank Warren is no stranger to tragedy, and he's taken the job as a detective for the Vermont State Police to get a fresh start. He's not familiar with small towns and farms, and there's a scene where he gets lost in the woods that both made me laugh and gave me chills, and that's a rare reaction indeed.
Warren finds himself drawn to the dead man's wife, Sylvie, an enigmatic woman who's a capable yet fearful wife, mother, and poet. The fleeting scenes when she tries various wordings to set her surroundings into poems were among my favorites in Agony Hill.
As for my favorite character, that would have to be Warren's next-door neighbor, widow, and amateur detective Alice Bellows. There's much more to this woman than her amazing gardening skills.
Frank Warren did want to learn how Agony Hill got its name, and, unfortunately, we never did find out. Taylor uses misdirection to good use, and although Agony Hill is a good, solid mystery with interesting characters, I find myself uninterested in reading more. I've read two previous books by this same author with much the same reaction, so... although she's good and I have friends who love her writing, she's just not my cup of tea. Don't be surprised if your mileage varies!
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)
The cast of characters is interesting. Frank Warren is no stranger to tragedy, and he's taken the job as a detective for the Vermont State Police to get a fresh start. He's not familiar with small towns and farms, and there's a scene where he gets lost in the woods that both made me laugh and gave me chills, and that's a rare reaction indeed.
Warren finds himself drawn to the dead man's wife, Sylvie, an enigmatic woman who's a capable yet fearful wife, mother, and poet. The fleeting scenes when she tries various wordings to set her surroundings into poems were among my favorites in Agony Hill.
As for my favorite character, that would have to be Warren's next-door neighbor, widow, and amateur detective Alice Bellows. There's much more to this woman than her amazing gardening skills.
Frank Warren did want to learn how Agony Hill got its name, and, unfortunately, we never did find out. Taylor uses misdirection to good use, and although Agony Hill is a good, solid mystery with interesting characters, I find myself uninterested in reading more. I've read two previous books by this same author with much the same reaction, so... although she's good and I have friends who love her writing, she's just not my cup of tea. Don't be surprised if your mileage varies!
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)
