A Simple Murder

Will Rees Mysteries #1

by Eleanor Kuhns

An atmospheric portrait of a compelling time in American history, A Simple Murder is an outstanding debut from Eleanor Kuhns, Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America's 2011 First Crime Novel Competition Winner.Five years ago, while William Rees was still recovering from his stint as a Revolutionary War soldier, his beloved wife died. Devastated, Will Rees left his son, David, in his sister's care, fled his Maine farm, and struck out for a tough but emotionally empty life as a traveling weaver. Now, upon returning unexpectedly to his farm, Rees discovers that David has been treated like a serf for years and finally ran away to join a secluded religious sect—the Shakers.Overwhelmed by guilt and hoping to reconcile with his son, Rees immediately follows David to the Shaker community. But when a young Shaker woman is brutally murdered shortly after Rees's arrival, Rees finds himself launched into a complicated investigation where the bodies keep multiplying, a tangled web of family connections casts suspicion on everyone, and the beautiful woman on the edge of the Shaker community might be hiding troubling ties to the victims. It quickly becomes clear that in solving Sister Chastity's murder, Rees may well expose some of the Shaker community's darkest secrets, not to mention endanger his own life.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

333 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 8, 2012

About the author

Eleanor is a lifelong librarian. She wrote her first story at the age of ten and hasn't stopped since. She lives with her husband and dog in New York State.

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eleanor Kuhns certainly knows how to write and research a story, with both the setting and the time period integral to the tale. Will Rees is a flawed hero readers can enjoy, and he has enough sense of purpose to get the job done when obstacles begin to build around him.

The details and description proved plentiful throughout the novel, and the characters were by no means one-dimensional, but something was missing throughout most of the first half of this novel. It might have to do with the slow start, and the details that sometimes took the reader a bit too far away from the story. The second half moved a little quicker, and the ending provided a good summary, but it felt rushed.

While not a complete surprise at the end, this book had a decent plot and a few suspects to keep the reader’s interest. It was a unique read focused on a unique time period, but as the winner of the First Crime Novel Competition the bar should have been set a little higher.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[♥ Sandi ❣ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars

Great beginning to a series. This book is followed up with Death of a Dyer.

In this book you meet Will Rees. His profession is a weaver - who carries his own loom with him - but he also is very good at solving crimes. In A Simple Murder we not only get his life's background but also find him tracking down multiple murders in a Shaker community. In addition, it is in this Shaker community that Will tracks down his son, one he left in the care of his sister, when he started running from the death of his wife.

Very good clean historical mystery. No vulgarity in this book and all situations are handled delicately. Good writing, good character development and moving plot. This is my first Eleanor Kuhn book - a 2011 First Crime Novel Award Winner - but will not be my last.

[Mark Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s 1795, and Will Rees has spent the last few years as a traveling weaver while grieving his wife. He’s left his son and his Maine farm in the care of his sister and her husband, but his most recent trip home leads to the discovery that they’ve been abusing that trust, and his son, David, has run away to a Shaker community over a day’s travel away. Will goes to try to repair their relationship only to find himself involved in a murder. One of the Shaker women has been killed in their community, and the Elders have asked Will to find the killer. His problem, however, is that he is an outsider. Will anyone trust him enough to share the information he needs to solve the case?

I’m always on the lookout for a good historical mystery, so I was quite eager to pick this one up. I’m not familiar with the Shakers, so that was also an interesting aspect of the book. The plot is good with plenty of twists and a logical conclusion, however, I felt like the pacing could have been better. That might have just been me since Will could only talk to a couple of people at a time if he had to travel far to talk to them. This is a historical mystery, after all. That travel time may have helped lead me to feel like things were slow. The characters are strong. I really came to care for Will and several of the others. The characters were just as strong, and I had no trouble keeping them apart. However, as Will begins to find complex family relationships, I had a hard time keeping all of those straight. The everyday details of life in the time period were strong and helped make me feel like I was back in time when I was reading the book. I am definitely planning to visit Will again to find out what happens to him next.

Read my full review at, Carstairs Considers.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up as an advance reader copy because I love historical mysteries and this was a time period that hasn't been done 1000 times. That said, I was rather disappointed overall and felt like it read very much like a first novel--not at all like an award winning mystery.

My concerns/problems with the plot:
The main character was a man, but most of his reactions and thought patterns read like a woman. I hadn't noticed there was a female author until in frustration I checked to confirm what my instincts were telling me. She should have just made the main character a woman if she couldn't figure out how to get inside a man's head.

There were points where I wanted to scream at the main character, William. He'd been told something important and reacted appropriately to the information. However, by the time he needs to connect it to a new piece of information--always less than a day later in the story--he hasn't got a clue. He seemed to spend much of the book trying to jam a square peg into a round hole (possibly the author is again pushing a male stereotype?).

Some of the sequences were very anticlimactic. William's confrontation with his sister wasn't very pertinent to the story, but it was completely unrealistic in how easily it was resolved and diminished the story in it's triteness.

The characters were all one-dimensional. While I found this rather annoying and indicative of a first time author, it is quite common in popular mainstream fiction so it may not be a problem for another reader.

The best part of the story was the revelation sequence. On the up side, and the reason I gave this book two stars instead of one, I think the author started with this scene and built the story around it. I know this is how mysteries are supposed to be written, but I've read a lot where this didn't seem to be the case.

In that respect (only), this book reminded me of a Poirot novel. I am not comparing William's little grey cells to Poirot's, but there was something undefinable there that put me in mind to how Poirot wraps everything up with a bow--although a contributing factor might be William's need for an audience for the revelation.

Overall, I think the author could have done both a lot worse and a lot better. I hope she keeps writing. I also hope in her next mystery the main character is a woman and there isn't a romance :-) For casual historical mystery readers, I recommend this book. For everyone else, I'd give it a pass and wait for a future title.

[Tonya · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found A Simple Murder disappointing.

Traveling weaver, Will Rhees, comes home to find his 14 year old son David has run away. David's Aunt and Uncle have usurped David's rights on the farm and made him into a hired hand. David, tired of the mistreatment and abandonment by his father, has gone to live with the Shakers. Will travels in haste to the Shaker settlement to reclaim his wayward son only to be immersed in the solving of a murder of one of the sisters.

What could have been a wonderfully written mystery incorporating both the Shaker lifestyle and a weaver's trade went downhill almost immediately. The time this novel is to have taken place is the 1790's, and aside from being beat over the head about horse and buggy travel, nothing else to seemed correct for the time period. The characters didn't seem believable in the least. The mystery itself was easily surmised if you paid attention to the lineages being told.

All in all an ok read, not period accurate nor very informative in the ways of the Shakers and I am very, very surprised this won an award from the Mystery Writers of America. In a word: boring.

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice setting; plot rather overdoes it in the twistyness department, though.

[Abigail Bok · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always had a thing for the Shakers. Mother Ann Lee, the founder of the sect, fascinates me, her rich blend of feminism and traditional approach to relations between the sexes especially. She contained so many contradictions! So when I heard of a series of historical murder mysteries set in a Shaker context, I was eager to dive in.

I think Eleanor Kuhns is a competent writer, and I may read on in the series to see if she goes deeper into the Shaker mind-set. This first book in the series, however, felt very modern to me in its sensibilities, grafting a modern worldview onto a period story as so many historical mysteries do. Perhaps it was the language, which makes little attempt to sound “period.” Or perhaps it was the very secular viewpoint of the protagonist—his interactions with the Shaker characters barely brushed the surface of their ideas. He was very much a tourist in Shakerland.

Nevertheless, it was a good mystery, nicely complex, with outbreaks of romance and mayhem to keep things lively. I liked her characters, wanted to know more about some of them, and enjoyed the ride to the climax.

[Amy Siggelow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book! I'm a big fan of mysteries and historical fiction, so this book had both aspects of the things I enjoy.

This book is set around the year 1795 and focuses on the main character William Rees. William is a weaver by trade and travels all over the countryside to work. After his wife passed away, he let his sister and brother-in-law live at his farm in return for caring for his 13 year old son. He came home a bit earlier than expected and found out that his son, David, had run away to the Shaker community a little ways away. He goes to this community to see his son, and gets roped into solving the murder of a young Shaker girl.

For being a first time author, I felt that Ms. Kuhns did a wonderful job. I read for pleasure, not to analyze the books that I read,therefore, in my eyes, this was a great book. I hope that she will be writing more historical fiction; I would be very interested in reading more from this author.

[Serrahfina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book initially as I love historical fiction, and I usually stay right around the Victorian period, but i decided to stray a bit and delve into the Amish community. This is the first book about the Amish/Shakers I have ever read, but I found it interesting. It kept my attention, but not in a 'counldn't put it down type of way'. I would take long breaks beofre picking it back up, I found it off putting, though I couldn't put my finger on exactly why. As the story progressed, I figured out why.

Spoilers beyond this point.

Everything in this book was very clearly placed out and the story was very linear. Rees, the main character, seemed to only be able to focus on one bit of information at a time, whether it be the threat of his farm being taken away, or a seemingly unrelated murder. At points, I wanted to reach in and smack him until he was able to get it together. And speaking of Rees, his internal thought process was off. I still can't really say what about it bothered me, but he seemed to over-analyze many things he said or did. I guess you could call it a character quirk, but in all honesty, it added nothing to the character except selected lack of backbone.

Also, I feel like the sexism is really forced in this book, Rees will randomly point out that Lydia, I think her name was, shouldn't be asking questions, or that she was too unfeminine. Yes, it is widely known that women were not treated as equals, but this sort of attitude should have been clear throughout the plot, not at key points where Rees would interject with a half hearted, and overly cruel, statement. These felt like an after thought, like the author thought, oh hes too nice, lets fix that a bit and just through these in at random places.

Not only was the path taken very linear, the plot elements were as well; for example, the murder weapon. The author mentions it once and once again, each time with no significance to the plot, so you could see it coming, the only reason for mentioning it was to show it was the murder weapon. Had there been a bit of back story as to which Rees noticed it such as the boy was swinging it around playing carriage or that Rees’ father had one or some little reason for that object to be memorable to him. Each character’s past was predictable, at best. The grieving widower, the unwed mother, the abandon, abused child. The three (what I consider to be major) characters all are stereotypes and the poor character development throughout left me not feeling connected or sympathetic to any of the characters.

And the ending bit was ridiculous, a grand show of how masterful Rees was, with the ability to round up every character mentioned the book, ever suspect, into one room. Not once did any of the guilty party say hey, he probably figured it out considering he is loading us all up into a crowd. Maybe we should skip town while we have the chance. I would have preferred to get a little wrap up at the end, did David really take the farm, what about Lydia, did she marry Rees? And what about Mouse, the only character I remotely cared for? Did David just walk out on his Shaker family and what happened to Rees sister, were they able to come to an agreement? I don’t mind when books leave the ending open for interpretation or flat out unresolved, but this is a perfect example of how not to do this. This book was so into the details, the fresh horse tracks, the squeaky shutter, whatever but it fails to end half of the story, making me feel like a chapter was lost along the way.
I would recommend this to someone who wanted something that dealt with the Amish community, but not to expect great things. It does supply some much needed, and frankly unexpected, adventure. The characters are either bland or stereotypical or even both.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will Rees, is a traveling weaver during the late 1700's. As he moves about taking in the spun thread of various women to weave into cloth he also solves crimes which he seems to have a knack for doing. During this story he visits a Shaker Village to see his son who has run away from his aunt and uncle to join the Shakers. Will learns that David was not treated well and pretty much ousted from the farm that would be his one day. Will also learns that a murder has occurred in the Village and is asked to solve it because the Shakers are peaceful people who do not believe in violence of any kind. As Will tries not to offend the Shakers he finds many twists and turns in their lives and in the lives of some of the outsiders in the area. This is a great story, about Shaker life and interesting as to how the Shakers and outsiders interact. Good, believable characters.

[Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

2020 bk 184: Full disclosure - I won this copy in a Goodreads Giveaway. Thank you so much Eleanor Kuhns. I had been wanting to read this title for quite a number of years, but it wasn't available through my local public library, and somehow I never got around to Interlibrary Loaning it. Now I have my very own copy-autographed, no less.
I started this book at breakfast and just continued on till I finished it about 3 p.m. The book is that good. Kuhns' research into Quaker communities was excellent. There were roaming weavers during the federalist era and our main character's family dynamics so true. (Well - I had run across a genealogy example of what happened when researching for someone else, so it was true to me.) While speaking from one main voice, Will Rees, Kuhn was able to deftly get across the points of views of many different characters AND able to give them each their own tone and tempo. This is an excellent mystery. Libraries are starting to open, bookstores are taking orders online. If you love historical mysteries and learning something about the early times of the U.S. - you need this book.

[Alyson Larrabee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning to middle gets 4 stars, the ending more like 2 or 3. Will Rees is a great main character, conflicted and flawed but heroic. He’s a Revolutionary War veteran and itinerant weaver who left his young son and his farm in the care of his sister and her husband, following the death of Will’s wife and their unborn child. As the story opens, Will’s son, David, is now 14 and he’s run away from the farm where he was being abused by his aunt and uncle. He’s found sanctuary in a Shaker community. Will finds his son, and a mystery to solve. The Shaker Elders invite Will to stay because he has a reputation as a good detective. Someone murdered a beautiful, young Shaker “sister” and they need to know who.
It’s a great set up and the Shaker community setting is really interesting. Fascinating characters are introduced and the plot moves along nicely. Then things get way too tangled and complicated. Too many characters, and they all seem to be brothers and sisters and cousins. I managed to keep the important stuff sorted out but it wasn’t easy. Had I known how crazy it was going to get, I would’ve made a chart. A map would be a good idea too.

[Pauline Rouse]

A simple Muder is based on a historical group called the "Shakers" whom were a religious, exsclusive and secluded group.

Willam Rees return from serving six years in the continental army takes a rough turn. Rees realizes that his fourteen year old son has run away due to emtional neglect he had recieved from his temporary adult supervisors. Ree is furious and sets out to find his son, who has joined the Shakers, and has yet to sign the covenant. Willam is immediately rejected by his son, when they are reunited. Determined to win his son's love, he begs Elder White to let him visit his son perodically. After Elder White agrees, Willam takes temporary residence at the Doucette household. As expected, Willam rides in to visit the Shaker community, but is confonted by Sheriff Coulton. He soon learns that he is a prime suspect for the murder of Sister Chasity/Catherine Parker. Eventually, after White's contemplation, he is released. Elder White, ashamed of his faulse accusation is determined to compensate. White offers shelter and nessesities and William gladly accepts. Later, William discovers that the Shaker's want him to investigate Sister Chasity's death, with the help of Lydia Farwell. William grasps this oppurtunity to get closer to his son and agrees. After days of investigation and no progress. He soon relaizes that he is now entwined and completly engulfed in a tangle of lies, sins, love, murder, betryal, deception, violence, greed, legacy and secrets. As bodies continue to show up, William and Lydia have no choice but to untangle the strings and face the unexpected truth. And the truth is more twisted and complicated then anyone ever would have expected.

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eleanor Kuhns’ A Simple Murder begins as traveling widowed weaver, William Rees, returns to his Maine farm after an extended time on the road to reconnect with his son, David (who was left on his Maine farm under the care of his sister Caroline "Caro"). When William arrives he is told that David has fled, probably to the nearby Shaker community of Zion. William does indeed find his son David amongst the Shakers but he also finds the remains of a young murdered Shaker woman, Sister Chastity there. Since he has experience from the Revolutionary War investigating strange deaths he becomes called on to find the killer.

I thought A Simple Murder had a very interesting setting, a Maine Shaker community in 1796. To me Kuhns did a good job with the vocabulary and describing the Shakers. Unfortunately the book moved a little slow. I did have some of the murder mystery figured out early too although I had not solved the whole shebang until William learns various facts about the victims.

What’s really neat about this book, aside from the time and the utilization of the Shaker community as a major character, is that most of the lead personalities, including the protagonist have some variation of red hair.

[Kerstin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been savouring this series backwards and this was my least favourite book. If I had started with this one I probably would never have continued. Good thing that I have this quirky habit of jumping into the middle of a series😀. I started with “Cradle to Grave” and knew that this 1st book would be mainly about how Reese meets Lydia, giving a tiny bit of time insight into Reese’s strained relationship with his sister, and the background to how Lydia inherited land which is important in the later books. I expected to find out more about his son David and his first wife; what I learned can all be gleaned from the later books.

This is one of the most I intriguing series I’ve enjoyed this year. The series really takes off in book three and the author wisely switches the narration to a much, much better voice. I highly recommend this series, just remember that you may want to start with book three😀

[Tex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good debut novel set in late 1700s in a Shaker community. The leading man is a wandering weaver, a job that I didn't even know about before this book. For some reason, one that is not explained well, he is known for being able to solve crimes (and maybe just murders, again, not explained). So these Shakers ask him to help solve it even though there is a sheriff working on it.
I might have rounded up a little much in my ranking, but that was for making this community and its time in history to seem so current. Seeing that this is the first in a series, I will search for others.
**EDITED: just found out that the series are numbered out of order--hell for anyone with OCD, but now makes some of the unexplained stuff understandable.

[JoAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in the goodreads giveaway first reads program. I enjoyed this debut mystery novel. The writing was good, even though it needed a little more editing and fine tuning. The story was well-paced, and unfolded nicely; the characters developed and nuanced. My only criticsm would be that the dialogue, character's thoughts, attitudes and values were not authentic to the period, even though at times they tried to be, which was slightly confusing. It almost seemed like the story could have taken place at any time or place. I am looking forward to the sequel.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America’s 2011 First Crime Novel Competition Winner.

One of the reasons I chose to read this book was because it won the above competition. I enjoyed the setting of post-Revolutionary War America, and of the Shaker community. I also liked the reunion and relationship building between father and son. The mystery was pretty good too.

Recommended, especially for the historical setting.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple mystery that I found captivating. I enjoyed learning about the way of life of a traveling weaver in 1796 Maine countryside. Will Rees, the primary protagonist, has developed the ability to search out the truth concerning cases of murder. He is asked by the leader of a Shaker commune to help find out who has killed one of their group. I enjoyed this book for the history, the writing and the characters. I look forward to reading more of Elinor Kuhns books.

[Linda Rowland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must admit a lack of Shaker knowledge, so learned things. That is good.
Main character is likeable, so I may read more of this series.
I found this book entertaining and it went quickly. On a personal reading note I am trying to get past little things I find wrong or inconsistent. She has at least one, which bothers me even if it is not integral to the story. Maybe I am not doing such a good job of getting past these things.

Thank you Teresa for sending me the book.

[Anne Hawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though there were some problems, I liked this book. I hope the author will continue with these same characters. I enjoyed reading about this time period as well as the Shaker community. While the book wasn't as polished as I'd like to see, I like the way the author wrote and as a first novel, it was promising.

[writer... · Rating 5 out of 5]

Discovered this excellent read on a visit to a neighbouring library's mystery shelves.
Well written, this award winning author's debut features multiple mysteries in a unique setting and era. Fascinating Shaker community life set in 1795 with unexpected familial and neighbouring relational twists . Great reading.

[Sharon Huether · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Shaker community of Zion, is where a young red haired woman was struck in the head and killed.
Mr. Rees a weaver was visiting his son David at Zion. He told Elder White, he could help find the killer.

When there were other murders and the remains of two missing men were found; he knew he would be exposing secrets of the Shaker Community

[Patricia Worth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great solid historical novel with murder in a Shaker community. Writer is a librarian so she understands what makes a good read - she won a Minitaur award for this book! We have all loved this book in the store & will handsell it to you!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I have been interested in the Shakers since realizing some of my mother's ancestors appeared to be involved with the Enfield, CT Shaker community. The characters are well developed and the identity of the killer had me guessing until the end.

[Lynn]

A Goodreads First Reads win! I'm looking forward to this story. It will be fun to read a brand new author and a story of a time period I don't usually read about!

[Tory Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there are many books about the Amish community, the Shaker society is less well known. There are similarities between the two movements but it was nice to see a story that incorporated this culture. The mystery while interesting was not gripping, but I enjoyed reading about this culture.

[ANNETTE · Rating 4 out of 5]

A traveling widow / weaver who is asked by the Shakers and sheriff to help solve a mystery. I thought the story line was kinda slow but as Ms.Kuhns was building up the characters I saw the story take hold. I loved the reunion between the father & son.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story - and communities after the Revolutionary War.

[Cathy Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Line: By late afternoon William Rees was past Rumford and heading southeast, almost to Durham and the coast.

It's Maine in 1795, and traveling weaver William Rees has come to Durham to find his son David. Five years ago Rees loaded his loom in his wagon and set off for a nomadic life after the death of his beloved wife Dolly. Now he's discovered that his sister and brother-in-law have treated David worse than the hired help, and David has run away to the Shaker community of Zion, outside Durham.

As a traveling weaver, Rees has always been an outsider with a knack for solving the various crimes with which he comes in contact. When he's asked to look into the death of Sister Charity in the Zion community, Rees accepts. The time spent in the area will give him a chance to finish a local weaving commission and to spend time with his son. What he doesn't count on is how very complicated the death of the young Shaker woman will turn out to be... or how attracted he'll become to another woman living nearby.

Kuhns does an excellent job of portraying the era and the Shaker religion without being heavy handed. She also doesn't use the common speech of the day, opting instead for plain modern speech. This may not give the full flavor of the era, but since modern slang isn't used either, it's not jarring and the meaning is always clear.

Another thing I appreciated was a bit more subjective. Rees is constantly having to hitch up his horse and wagon and race off to some village or farm, often spending hours holding reins and seated on a rigid board. This isn't anything different than many other characters in other historical mysteries I've read, but in this book, when Rees gets a chance to stop and get down from the wagon, his body is full of aches and pains-- as it should be. (After all, he didn't just travel in an air-conditioned Lincoln Town Car on a paved road!) In just that one small detail, the author won a fan.

The plot is a complicated one that I solved at just about the same speed as the main character, which is another good thing. I know I'm not Sherlock Holmes, so if I start figuring out too many mysteries in their early stages, I know something's wrong.

The characters are where author Eleanor Kuhns really shines. Rees is a grieving man who made a mistake when he gave his young son to someone else to raise. He's learned how wrong he was, and he's determined to make amends-- which might not be as easy as he thinks with a young teenage boy. Rees has also become attracted to Lydia Jane Farrell, a young woman living in a small house on the Zion property who's brought in to help Rees interview the Shaker women. Lydia is fiercely independent, opinionated, and full of her own secrets, and it's not long before Rees finds it difficult indeed to stay away from her.

The Shaker religion is a fascinating one, and the author portrays it in an honest yet sympathetic light. The Shakers believed "Hands to work, Hearts to God" but they were really no different from any other group of humans living together-- bundles of strengths and weaknesses, sometimes in tandem, sometimes at cross purposes.

Since William Rees is a weaver who's gone from Georgia all the way up to Maine and shows no signs of wanting to stop, I look forward to reading more of his efforts in crime solving... as well as his developing relationships with his son and with Lydia.