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A review by katemc7
Agony Hill by Sarah Stewart Taylor
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is the first book in a new series by Sarah Stewart Taylor (who I have NOT read before), and I really enjoyed it! It is set in the 60s so showcases some old school detective skills along with sleuthing in a different era. I liked the characters a lot. Franklin seemed so haunted but hid his feelings well. I liked the glimpses we got into his grief and how much this case affected him. The setting is a small town and focuses on the family that everyone knows about and thinks they are just different. I am looking forward to reading the next one (whenever it comes out).
Franklin is just getting settled into his new job in upstate Vermont when he gets a call about a fire and a body. Being the outsider and newbie, he doesn't recognize the family name or know that the deceased, Hugh Weber, was rough around the edges. He was very vocal and a newly minted drunk. He also had a large family of boys and a wife who looked young and unsure. The question is did Hugh kill himself or was there malice involved? And so the story unfolds. Franklin starts uncovering things about the town that people know about but don't address like the farm where men who don't want to get enlisted go that seems to be more of a cult. He learns that Hugh was drawn to this farm and helped start it up until a rift came between him and the owner. He learns that Hugh was hiding a lot about his finances to everyone including his wife all while he tries to figure out who had the motive to make a move. He also is trying to not follow his gut and make a move on Sylvie but he is DRAWN to her. So was it her that killed her husband who was abusive but not physically? Was it the unknown mountain man who has his own backstory? Was it someone in town who was just sick of how Hugh talked to people?
I liked the plot twist at the end. I kept thinking it might come back to that how it did but wasn't disappointed when that is how it unfolded. I liked the different POVs we got with this story and how it ever so slowly unraveled. I liked the potential for future stories and cases and the added element of the war and the threat of Russia going on. I liked the snippets we got that there were larger government spies involved somehow and think that could go somewhere. I HOPE that Franklin and Sylvie become something. There was potential there and Franklin needs someone to help him on his darker days.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I would definitely recommend this one for a slower small town secrets detective story.
Franklin is just getting settled into his new job in upstate Vermont when he gets a call about a fire and a body. Being the outsider and newbie, he doesn't recognize the family name or know that the deceased, Hugh Weber, was rough around the edges. He was very vocal and a newly minted drunk. He also had a large family of boys and a wife who looked young and unsure. The question is did Hugh kill himself or was there malice involved? And so the story unfolds. Franklin starts uncovering things about the town that people know about but don't address like the farm where men who don't want to get enlisted go that seems to be more of a cult. He learns that Hugh was drawn to this farm and helped start it up until a rift came between him and the owner. He learns that Hugh was hiding a lot about his finances to everyone including his wife all while he tries to figure out who had the motive to make a move. He also is trying to not follow his gut and make a move on Sylvie but he is DRAWN to her. So was it her that killed her husband who was abusive but not physically? Was it the unknown mountain man who has his own backstory? Was it someone in town who was just sick of how Hugh talked to people?
I liked the plot twist at the end. I kept thinking it might come back to that how it did but wasn't disappointed when that is how it unfolded. I liked the different POVs we got with this story and how it ever so slowly unraveled. I liked the potential for future stories and cases and the added element of the war and the threat of Russia going on. I liked the snippets we got that there were larger government spies involved somehow and think that could go somewhere. I HOPE that Franklin and Sylvie become something. There was potential there and Franklin needs someone to help him on his darker days.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I would definitely recommend this one for a slower small town secrets detective story.