Quaker Indictment

Elizabeth Elliot Mystery #4

by Irene Allen

At the urging of an old friend, devout Quaker Elizabeth Elliot travels far from her peaceful New England home to visit a town simmering with the deadly fallout of a government cover-up. Reba Nichols, Elizabeth's ex-college roommate, is convinced that a region of central Washington State is contaminated with radiation from the Hanford nuclear plant. Counting on Elizabeth for support, Reba sets out to gather some damning evidence. But to Elizabeth's horror, Reba's zealous search for the truth quickly reaps a grim reward-murder. Swept up in a deadly confrontation with the darkest side of human nature, Elizabeth's Quaker ethics are put to the ultimate test.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Irene Allen is the pen-name of Dr E Kirsten Peters, former faculty member in Washington State University's Department of Geology. She is a native of rural Washington State who graduated with a degree in geology from Princeton University in 1984. She earned her doctorate from the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department at Harvard University in 1990. She has also done published research in the late-Pleistocene outburst floods of eastern Washington State. Since 1995 she has taught undergraduate-level geology and interdisciplinary science classes at Washington State University in her hometown of Pullman, Washington. She became an assistant professor in the College of Sciences at WSU. She has written two non-traditional geology textbooks and helped revise Thomson's Essentials of Geology for its current edition.

Under her pen-name, Irene Allen, she is the author of four murder mysteries. She herself is a practising Quaker and regularly attended the Cambridge meetinghouse.

Reviews

[Diana Sandberg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh dear. I have so enjoyed the first three of this series, but this one...dreadful, truly dreadful. A tract about the sins of the U.S. government in regard to Hanford. I don't at all disagree with the politics of the author's position, but it's a damn poor mystery story, and not even a good lecture as each gets in the way of the other. Very disappointing. Still recommend the others, though.

[Chuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quaker Indictment was published back in 1998 and was the fourth and apparently final book of a series featuring an older Quaker widow. In this story our heroine travels from Cambridge, Mass. to Washington State to visit a friend and gets involved in a cover up by the nearby nuclear plant.

Author Irene Allen is a pen name for Dr. E. Kirsten Peters, a geologist, college professor and Quaker. She has also contributed to textbooks, books on geology for lay people, and written essays under the name "Rock Doc".

The story has the feel of a cozy mystery without the recipes or focus on crafts. As noted, the main character is an older woman, with aches and pains, who moves slowly and methodically and follows her Quaker beliefs. The story is well-thought out but moves at the speed of its protagonist. I enjoyed the change of pace from most of my reading, but it won't suit everyone!

Although this is a work of fiction, the Hanford nuclear plant and radiation fall out issues are all real and affect a large area surrounding the plant. As of 2014, lawsuits were still being settled. The site has been included under the Superfund for clean-up and will be an environmental disaster for years to come.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a disappointing end to this series. This one takes place in a new setting with all new characters other than Elizabeth. The book kept repeatedly referring to Elizabeth as “the old Quaker” which I thought was kind of weird—she’s only 67, I think. It just seemed odd, especially since the prior books didn’t keep saying that. Also, there was 0 mention of anyone back at the Cambridge meeting, including the guy that Elizabeth had been dating! So we have 0 idea what happened with their relationship (and we never will, since this was the end of the series). This story also paints government as a dishonest, disorganized, evil institution, which was violating peoples’ rights repeatedly. (As in tracking people, detaining people, lying about pollution, etc etc.) It felt extreme and it made me sad that this was the representation.
All in all, this book really was a bizarre ending to the series.

[Kevin Brubaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this series for its justaposition of murder mystery with Quaker sensibilities. However, this was the least gripping that I've read so far in the series. Too much explication of the setting (rural Washington state) and too little interaction among the characters. Nevertheless, an enjoyable escape.

[Sandra Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great summer read

[Jeannie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy but intriguing read quiet Elizabeth Elliot steadfastly solves a murder. Although a bit dated in her approach, the issue of nuclear waste, pollution and cover-up is still timely.

[kaitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

same old stuff

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

one of a series featuring Elizabeth Elliot, a 60-something widowed Quaker meeting clerk in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Elizabeth leaves her safe New England home to visit college friend Reba Nichols in Washington State. Reba is murdered. The murder appears to be part of another crime by the Hanford nuclear plant folks trying to stop investigation into safety issues. The murderer is Reba’s own cousin who did not want Reba to continue with her plans to prove Hanford had damaged Reba and cousins land with their nuclear leaks. Murderer was obvious. Mrs. Elliot and her health problems were nothing I could relate with. Don’t plan to read anymore Irene Allen Quaker mysteries although Quaker aspects / perspective was interesting.

[Emily Cullen · Rating 3 out of 5]

New England Quaker Elizabeth Elliot flies to Seattle to see her best friend, who suspects contamination from a nearby power plant. But Reba's search for the truth ends up in murder, leaving Elizabeth to find out who wanted her friend dead. This was #4 and the last of the Elizabeth Elliot cozy mystery series. It was also my least favorite. I like Elizabeth better in Cambridge plus they left a cliffhanger in #3 that was never addressed in this book! Still, I'm sorry to see this series end and wish she had written more.

[Sherrill Watson · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's the first Quaker book I've read.

The blurbs between the chapters are great; Kierkegaard, etc. But it was pretty predictable. I got tired of having to help Elizabeth in and out of cars, of her migraines and her arthritis (I KNOW she's 70-something), the other main character is killed off without much reason, and, WARNING: the dog, Panda, is killed at the end. I'm not sure I'd read another Quaker novel if this is typical.

[trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this a while ago, but as I get rid of the book, I want to remember that I read it. (Approximating when I read it.)

I liked it from someone who admires the Friends.

Revisiting the series and seeing how I like the most current version.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Quaker Witness better. This one was less realistic. I don't think that a person would enter a high security military area impulsively without a lot of forethought. Much less pull another person along unwillingly.

[Karyn]

A nice, short read. The Quaker in the story is a tad sanctimonious, but overall I liked how it incorporates Quaker principles.

[Fred · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well thought-out ideas, concisely expressed. Informative!

[Judith · Rating 2 out of 5]

A really boring end to this series.

[Weavre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enough fun for me to grab another in the series. Pleasant fluff for the most part.