Book details

Agony Hill

A Mystery

Frank Warren (Volume 1), A Bethany, Vermont Mystery (Volume 1)

Author: Sarah Stewart Taylor

Agony Hill

Agony Hill

$28.00

About This Book

Set in rural Vermont in the volatile 1960s, Agony Hill is the first novel in a new historical series full of vivid New England atmosphere and the deeply drawn characters that are Sarah Stewart Taylor's trademark.
Page Count
320
Genre
On Sale
08/06/2024

Book Details

Set in rural Vermont in the volatile 1960s, Agony Hill is the first novel in a new historical series full of vivid New England atmosphere and the deeply drawn characters that are Sarah Stewart Taylor's trademark.

In the hot summer of 1965, Bostonian Franklin Warren arrives in Bethany, Vermont, to take a position as a detective with the state police. Warren's new home is on the verge of monumental change; the interstates under construction will bring new people, new opportunities, and new problems to Vermont, and the Cold War and protests against the war in Vietnam have finally reached the dirt roads and rolling pastures of Bethany.

Warren has barely unpacked when he's called up to a remote farm on Agony Hill. Former New Yorker and Back-to-the-Lander Hugh Weber seems to have set fire to his barn and himself, with the door barred from the inside, but things aren’t adding up for Warren. The people of Bethany—from Weber’s enigmatic wife to Warren's neighbor, widow and amateur detective Alice Bellows — clearly have secrets they’d like to keep, but Warren can’t tell if the truth about Weber’s death is one of them. As he gets to know his new home and grapples with the tragedy that brought him there, Warren is drawn to the people and traditions of small town Vermont, even as he finds darkness amidst the beauty.

Imprint Publisher

Minotaur Books

ISBN

9781250826626

In The News

Praise for Agony Hill

"Sarah Stewart Taylor’s Agony Hill kicks off a historical mystery series set in a time with shocking parallels to the present, and features a vibrant cast of characters led by handsome but haunted Detective Franklin Warren... Taylor’s strong sense of place and community sets Agony Hill apart, and the mystery of Weber’s fiery demise is resolved in a way that’s both satisfying and thought-provoking."—Book Page

"An intimate, slow-burning police procedural with strong, believable characters... superb." —Oline Cogdilll, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

“This is a richly layered and beautifully told book, and, of course, after my long journey with Sarah Stewart Taylor’s work, I’ve learned to expect nothing less.”—Deadly Pleasures Magazine

"An excellent historical crime novel that introduces readers to a wonderful new character in Warren as well as a fascinating town on the cusp of change."–Mystery and Suspense

“Atmosphere runs high with an underlying feeling that we are only privy to part of the story...this is about ordinary people finding their way through life’s drama.”–Historical Novels Review

“The author of the Maggie D’arcy mysteries (A Stolen Child) launches a historical mystery series with a compassionate, vulnerable detective and a setting so vividly described it could be a character. Julia Spencer-Fleming fans will want to try this one.” –Library Journal (starred review)

“A classic mystery that pulls the reader in and doesn’t let go until there’s a resolution.” –First Clue

Agony Hill itself is…by-the-numbers procedure of clues and tension and secondary crimes and little revelations, all punctuated by oddly random memorable moments of quiet revelation. It’s confident that it doesn’t need narrative tricks to keep the reader interested, and that confidence is not misplaced.” –Open Letters

“The world in Agony Hill is so real…If the reader is looking for a new cast of characters that feel like friends, this is a great place to look.”—Aunt Agatha’s

“[A] strongly character-driven story and Taylor’s nuanced handling of the events, not felt so much in the crime itself as in the larger picture—the locals and what they are withholding.”—Historical Novel Society

“A wonderful mystery set in 1960s rural Vermont, filled with sheep, an Old Home Day celebration, home canning...and murder. Or is it?...A terrific read!” — Archer Mayor

"Sarah Stewart Taylor's stunning new mystery examines life and death in a small town in 1965 with a loving but unsentimental eye. Her rich evocation of the physical world - summer heat, cool green water, the taste of fresh bread - matches the deep inner lives of her characters, all of whom have secrets to conceal and questions they're desperate to answer. Stewart Taylor builds the several investigations as carefully and intricately as one of Vermont's timeless stone walls - I loved this book, and you will, too."–Julia Spencer-Fleming

Praise for The Maggie D'arcy Mysteries

"The bucolic setting, emphasis on family and leisurely pace make for a nice end run around traditional police procedurals." —The New York Times Book Review

“A lyrical prose style that is a joy to read.” —Associated Press

“[An] impressive series.” –The Washington Post

“Readers will relish spending more time with Taylor’s storytelling and her smart characters.” South Florida Sun-Sentinel

About the Creators

Agony Hill

Agony Hill

$28.00