I don’t know exactly what to say about Sarah Stewart Taylor’s Hunter’s Heart Ridge, the second in her Bethany, Vermont series. I like her two main characters, Vermont State Police detective Frank Warren and Alice Bellows, a widow who grew up in Bethany. It’s an atmospheric mystery set during November’s first snowfall. Taylor takes us back to 1965, before the draft for the Vietnam war. That time period sets the scene. However, as in the first book, Frank Warren fumbles around, and doesn’t actually solve the crime. He stumbles upon the solution.

Warren’s assistant, Trooper Walter “Pinky” Goodrich, gets him out of bed to tell him there’s been a hunting accident at the Ridge Club, a small exclusive hunting and fishing lodge. Unfortunately, at the lodge, Warren is dismayed to find the group of men have moved the body of former Ambassador Moulton. Warren questions everyone at the lodge, with everyone guessing Moulton was shot. However, the autopsy reveals the victim was stabbed first, and then shot.

While Warren and Pinky settle in to investigate, Alice Bellows wonders how much an old friend knows. Arthur Crannock was a spy who worked with Alice’s husband. A few years earlier he appeared in town to say he and his wife bought a home in nearby Woodstock. But, Alice wonders since he appeared again just before the Ambassador’s death. She’s too preoccupied though, helping a pregnant neighbor, to dwell on Arthur’s activities.

Warren isn’t getting far with his investigation, and everyone seems to be hiding a secret. When the first heavy snow of the season hits, knocking out the phones and later the power, Warren and Pinky are stuck in the lodge with the suspects. And, one of them might be a killer.

After his first case as a Vermont State Trooper, Warren is afraid to make a major mistake. Instead, he treats the suspects with kid gloves, and someone else dies.

As I said, I’m not sure what to think. I love the setting and the characters in this series. There aren’t too many authors writing about the 1960s as history, and I want to see what Taylor does in the future. But, so far, Warren is lucky to solve his cases. And, although we learn more about Alice Bellows, a wonderful character, she’s underutilized in this mystery. I’ll wait and see what happens.

Sarah Stewart Taylor’s website is https://www.sarahstewarttaylor.com/

Hunter’s Heart Ridge by Sarah Stewart Taylor. Minoaur Books, 2025. 320p.

FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher approved a galley through NetGalley with no promise of a positive review.