A Simple Murder
Eleanor Kuhns
2012, 322 pages
Fiction
In 1787, Will Rees loses his beloved wife in childbirth. To cope with this loss, he takes to the road as a traveling weaver and leaves his son David in the care of relatives on his Maine farm, returning infrequently to visit his son. In 1795, he hears that his son has run away and been taken in by the Shakers in the village of Zion. He arrives to try to reconcile with his adolescent son and that evening, after he leaves, one of the village's sisters is murdered. As an outsider, Will is immediately suspected, but his alibi is verified by the farm family where he stayed.
Will discovered a gift for investigating crimes while in the Continental Army, and on David's recommendation, Elder White allows Will to stay on in the hopes that he can solve this murder. As he investigates, he learns of the disappearance of two brothers two years previous, and comes to suspect that the two events are connected. With the help of Lydia Jane, a former sister assigned to chaperone Will when he speaks to the community's sisters, he is able to work through the secrets of the Shakers and the familial relationships in the area that are connected to the murder.
This book by public librarian Eleanor Kuhns won the 2011 Mystery Writers of America/Minotaur Books First Crime Novel competition. The ending leaves one hoping this is just the first in a historical mystery series.
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