Because I’m such a fan of Sarah Stewart Taylor’s Maggie D’Arcy mysteries set in Ireland, I was a little reluctant to try the first in a new historical mystery series set in small-town Vermont in the mid-1960s. I should have known Taylor wouldn’t steer readers wrong with Agony Hill.
Franklin Warren is the new detective with the Vermont State Police, but he doesn’t even have a chance to settle into his new position in Bethany when he’s called to what could be a crime scene. A barn on the top of Agony Hill is half-consumed with fire, and there’s a body inside. Is Hugh Weber a murder victim or did he commit suicide? The barn door is barred from the inside, and the victim was drunk. Did he copy another suicidal farmer who protested the interstate coming through farmland in Vermont? Why did he leave his widow, Sylvie, with four sons and another baby on the way?
Warren doesn’t yet know any of the neighbors, so he relies on a young trooper, Pinky, who is local. Warren’s mysterious neighbor, Alice Farnham Bellows, seems to know most of the secrets in town. And, if she doesn’t know them, Alice knows who to ask. Her late husband was in the OSS during the war, and Alice still has some connections to the intelligence community.
When there’s another fire on Agony Hill, Warren’s early theories are no longer pertinent. And, there are just some secrets related to the Cold War and Vietnam that might remain hidden, hindering his investigation.
Agony Hill slowly unfolds, introducing an intriguing cast of characters, and some secrets that might or might not be revealed in future books. Warren has a troubled past, left behind in Boston, but it still makes him vulnerable, and compassionate. Vermont, changing due to the interstate, Vietnam, and the influx of new people, is vividly described, almost a character in the book.
Taylor doesn’t let anyone down in this traditional historical mystery. Fans of Julia Spencer-Fleming’s Clare fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mysteries set in upstate New York might want to try Agony Hill.
Sarah Stewart Taylor’s website is https://www.sarahstewarttaylor.com/
Agony Hill by Sarah Stewart Taylor. Minotaur Books, 2024. ISBN 9781250826626 (hardcover), 320p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I read a galley through NetGalley in order to review the book for a journal.
This does sound like a good story and I like the 1960s setting. I should read the first book in her Maggie D’arcy series first though, since I already have that one.
Only because you already have that one, Tracy. They have nothing to do with each other.
Loved it and excited for this series!
Oh, good, Kaye! I really liked the novella, too.
Wow, I definitely want to read it.
I hope you enjoy it, Carol!
Like Kaye I loved this book. I’m a fan of the author’s series set in Ireland but almost think I liked this book better. The Vietnam War timeline and small town Vermont make it a little different. Sure hope this is the start of a new series.
I think it is the start of a new series, Susan. And, there’s a totally different atmosphere in this one.
I am so excited to read this one! The setting looks super-interesting, and I am curious to see what role Alice’s faith plays (or if it is mentioned) after the snippet we saw in the short story preview.
I liked Alice in the preview, Trisha. I hope she continues in future books.
Just bought it, and really looking forward to it.
I hope you enjoy it, Kim!
Hi all, thinking of the Vermont setting I thought you might enjoy this insta post from a Vermont Olympian
https://www.instagram.com/p/C8fFCcDJ3j7/?hl=en&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Thank you, Trisha! Fits perfectly with the book.