“Agony Hill” by Sarah Stewart Taylor is the first book in a new series set in Vermont in the mid-1960’s. The characters have depth and it is obvious that some of their stories will be continued in the future novels in the series.
Franklin Warren has just moved to Bethany, Vermont as the new regional detective and is thrown into a case of suicide/arson/murder. The victim, Hugh Weber, was a husband to Sylvie and the father of 4 boys. They lived off of the land and kept to themselves. Hugh was not well liked in the community, while Sylvie and the boys were just thought of as ‘odd.’ Warren has to investigate the case and meets many of Bethany’s townspeople in the process. Warren’s neighbor, Alice Bellows, is a widow with secrets of her own. She helps Warren to adjust to his new community and does some sleuthing of her own.
I will be anxious to read the second installment of this series when it comes out next summer! I read this mystery in one afternoon and found it engaging and entertaining. The town of Bethany has a sleepy down-home feel to it, and the characters were likable. “Agony Hill” probably won’t win lots of literary awards, but I enjoyed it!
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