A Simple Murder: A Mystery
Eleanor Kuhns
Jul 2024 · Will Rees Mysteries Book 1 · Macmillan + ORM
4.0star
10 reviewsreport
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333
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About this ebook
"A superbly researched and beautifully crafted historical mystery" about an estranged father and son and a murder in an early American Shaker community ( Toronto Globe & Mail).
Winner, Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition
Five years ago, while William Rees was still recovering from his stint as a Revolutionary War soldier, his beloved wife died. Devastated, Rees left his son, David, in his sister's care, fled his Maine farm, and struck out for a tough but emotionally empty life as a traveling weaver. Now, upon returning unexpectedly to his farm, Rees discovers that David has been treated like a serf for years and finally ran away to join a secluded religious sect—the Shakers.
Overwhelmed by guilt and hoping to reconcile with his son, Rees immediately follows David to the Shaker community. But when a young Shaker woman is brutally murdered shortly after Rees's arrival, Rees finds himself launched into a complicated investigation where the bodies keep multiplying, a tangled web of family connections casts suspicion on everyone, and the beautiful woman on the edge of the Shaker community might be hiding troubling ties to the victims. It quickly becomes clear that in solving Sister Chastity's murder, Rees may well expose some of the Shaker community's darkest secrets, not to mention endanger his own life.
"Kuhns' intimate voice and all-seeing eye make [the Shaker community] seem an exotic world indeed. But she also shows that greed, envy and materialistic values are nothing if not universal." — The New York Times Book Review
"Kuhns's closed-room mystery is refreshingly original, both for its setting and time period . . . Kuhns weaves together disparate threads into a beautiful finished piece." — Library Journal (starred review, Debut of the Month)
"Gripping, an ingenious story line (including a truly surprising conclusion)." — Richmond Times-Dispatch
Winner, Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition
Five years ago, while William Rees was still recovering from his stint as a Revolutionary War soldier, his beloved wife died. Devastated, Rees left his son, David, in his sister's care, fled his Maine farm, and struck out for a tough but emotionally empty life as a traveling weaver. Now, upon returning unexpectedly to his farm, Rees discovers that David has been treated like a serf for years and finally ran away to join a secluded religious sect—the Shakers.
Overwhelmed by guilt and hoping to reconcile with his son, Rees immediately follows David to the Shaker community. But when a young Shaker woman is brutally murdered shortly after Rees's arrival, Rees finds himself launched into a complicated investigation where the bodies keep multiplying, a tangled web of family connections casts suspicion on everyone, and the beautiful woman on the edge of the Shaker community might be hiding troubling ties to the victims. It quickly becomes clear that in solving Sister Chastity's murder, Rees may well expose some of the Shaker community's darkest secrets, not to mention endanger his own life.
"Kuhns' intimate voice and all-seeing eye make [the Shaker community] seem an exotic world indeed. But she also shows that greed, envy and materialistic values are nothing if not universal." — The New York Times Book Review
"Kuhns's closed-room mystery is refreshingly original, both for its setting and time period . . . Kuhns weaves together disparate threads into a beautiful finished piece." — Library Journal (starred review, Debut of the Month)
"Gripping, an ingenious story line (including a truly surprising conclusion)." — Richmond Times-Dispatch
Ratings and reviews
4.0
10 reviews
Maria Guzman
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June 3, 2015
I liked this murder mystery because it took place in an era past. It had me guessing all the way through on who was the killer.
Erin Kennedy
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March 29, 2020
This book had me guessing to the end. I love that the book takes place in the 1700s. Beautiful job.
Juanita Perrin
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May 31, 2015
Riveting
About the author
ELEANOR KUHNS is the 2011 winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel competition. She lives in New York, received her master's in Library Science from Columbia University, and is currently the Assistant Director at the Goshen Public Library in Orange County, New York. A Simple Murder is her first novel.
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