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gretel7's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Great start to a new (for me) series.
marystevens's review against another edition
3.0
A cozy mystery, set in a Shaker community in Maine in 1795. Sister Chastity is found dead one morning just as Will Rees, a Revolutionary War hero, now an itinerant weaver, returns home to see his 14 year old son David. But David has fled Rees' farm and joined the Shakers. David volunteers his father to the leading Elder because he knows that Rees has several times successfully investigated other crimes. More bodies turn up, Rees falls for a lovely apiarian nearby and the plot thickens. It was an enjoyable read but the plot was a bit contrived.
lrconnol's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the most innovative mysteries I've read in a long time. The plot is well conceived with enough clues sprinkled in to make trying to solve the mystery possible while still challenging. The characters are well drawn and grow during the course of the book. Altogether a satisfying read that is only put aside with difficulty.
nicolepeck's review against another edition
3.0
7/16/14 - Won this on Goodreads.
7/27/14 - Received this book.
8/17/14 - Finished this book today. It was an interesting read and started out really well; however, I'd kinda lost interest and felt all the connections were so convoluted and stretched by the end that I couldn't really "get" who was who and how the murder ended up being. Plus, the sexual orientation of the first murdered girl and the way people talked just didn't seem to ring true to me for what I thought 1795 should be like. Then the ending I was frustrated with because so much was hinted at between Rees and Lydia and then it was a handshake. However, there are 2 more books with these characters, so I'm sure that's why the author left it that way. If I come across the other books in the series, I would probably pick them up to finish out knowing more about Rees, David and Lydia, but I struggled to enjoy this book towards the end.
7/27/14 - Received this book.
8/17/14 - Finished this book today. It was an interesting read and started out really well; however, I'd kinda lost interest and felt all the connections were so convoluted and stretched by the end that I couldn't really "get" who was who and how the murder ended up being. Plus, the sexual orientation of the first murdered girl and the way people talked just didn't seem to ring true to me for what I thought 1795 should be like. Then the ending I was frustrated with because so much was hinted at between Rees and Lydia and then it was a handshake. However, there are 2 more books with these characters, so I'm sure that's why the author left it that way. If I come across the other books in the series, I would probably pick them up to finish out knowing more about Rees, David and Lydia, but I struggled to enjoy this book towards the end.
briarsreviews's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a very slow start, but it had a very interesting and attention grabbing middle and ending.
I love myself a good murder mystery novel, and this book added to my love of trying to figure out who killed the victims.
The book follows William Rees as he goes back to see his son at a sort of religious gathering place. I did not fully understand the setting and what type of religion these people were, but it was a good place to throw a murder mystery in.
A young woman who is relatively new to the community is murdered and Rees is hired on to solve the murder. He ends up getting involved with multiple murders as he goes around trying to crack the mystery.
The book is set in the 1700s and proves to be a good time for the novel as well. At first I did not like the fact that it was back in the past, but once the book got farther along with the story I began to enjoy the setting.
Overall, I did not find many faults with the book other than finding it very slow. The beginning felt painful and the middle was okay until I reach the last fourth of the book. Once it got to the last fourth I was able to get into the book and feel attached to the characters. If the book moved a little faster, it could have been a five star book.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
I love myself a good murder mystery novel, and this book added to my love of trying to figure out who killed the victims.
The book follows William Rees as he goes back to see his son at a sort of religious gathering place. I did not fully understand the setting and what type of religion these people were, but it was a good place to throw a murder mystery in.
A young woman who is relatively new to the community is murdered and Rees is hired on to solve the murder. He ends up getting involved with multiple murders as he goes around trying to crack the mystery.
The book is set in the 1700s and proves to be a good time for the novel as well. At first I did not like the fact that it was back in the past, but once the book got farther along with the story I began to enjoy the setting.
Overall, I did not find many faults with the book other than finding it very slow. The beginning felt painful and the middle was okay until I reach the last fourth of the book. Once it got to the last fourth I was able to get into the book and feel attached to the characters. If the book moved a little faster, it could have been a five star book.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
bibliocat4's review
1.0
Didn't finish the book - I really did not like the reader and it was driving me crazy
emileod4974's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
ngerharter's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this one, but it needed some more work. I'm surprised it was an award winner. There wasn't a sense of time or place, the characters were not fully formed or believable, there were so many cliches used in phrasing, and, although I'm not a history buff so I could be wrong, several obvious anachronisms, especially in speech.
What will the book discussion group think?
What will the book discussion group think?