Thursday, August 1, 2024

Agony Hill

Agony Hill by Sarah Stewart Taylor
8/6/24; 320 pages
St. Martin's Press
Frank Warren #1

Agony Hill by Sarah Stewart Taylor is a highly recommended mystery set in rural Vermont during 1965. This is the first book in a new historical mystery series featuring Frank Warren. In 1965 the winds of change are blowing across the rural state of Vermont as a new interstate highway is under construction which will bring new people and opportunities to the area. This is also a time of  protests against the war in Vietnam and the Cold War.

Franklin Warren arrives in Bethany, Vermont, after accepting a position as a detective with the state police, and immediately called up to investigate a death in a barn fire along with help from Trooper Goodrich. By all appearances it is a death by suicide where Hugh Weber set fire to his barn and himself, with the door barred from the inside. There was a similar case where a farmer immolated himself in his barn protesting the interstate highway. Warren has his doubts that this is a copy cat case because Weber was so disliked in the area. Sylvie Weber is left a young widow with four boys and is also pregnant, seems reticent and self-contained.

A companion story line follows Warren's neighbor Alice Bellows, widow and amateur detective who clearly has her own secrets. She collects information, keeps track of Warren's investigation, and also conducts one of her own over stolen merchandise from a store. Alice is intelligent, insightful woman whose husband was part of the intelligence community.

The excellent writing captures the atmosphere of New England during this time in history while introducing us to the fully realized characters. All of the characters in this novel come to life along with the setting. Both Warren and Alice are exceptionally well written. There is a large cast of characters readers will be introduced and all of them add something to the atmosphere of the novel.

The plot is full of intrigue while being intricate and nuanced as the investigation unfolds in a slow, even pace. The numerous details do slow down the pace, but add to the rich experience reading Agony Hill. All of the details will likely serve readers well in future installments of this new series. I'll be looking forward to the next novel featuring Warren and Alice in Bethany, Vermont. Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

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