Breaking Ground

Julie Williamson #2

by William D. Andrews

Julie Williamson is embroiled yet again in another mystery set at the Ryland Historical Society in western Maine. This time, a well-known benefactor is murdered on the morning of the ceremony to celebrate construction of an important new building. As she did in Stealing History, Julie, the historical society's puzzle-loving director, can't help but want to solve the murder, much to the dismay of those around her.

From the familiar board of trustees to the tireless town police chief, to Julie's professor boyfriend, Andrews presents another suspenseful novel filled with Maine characters and history.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

282 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2011

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging mystery set in a small town in Maine. Living in Northern New England, admittedly, that's part of the story's appeal - I love reading references to familiar places. That aside, it's well done and the central character, Julie, is down-to-earth, appealing, intelligent and likable. She loves a puzzle, and that draws her into police business, distracting her a bit from her work as the local historical society's director. She's also a runner, which is another nice connection for me. Recommend.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second in what is shaping up to be a series of murder mysteries about the Ryland Historical Society in Ryland, Maine. This time the society is just about to break ground for a new building meant to house the library, a conference room and an events space. The morning of the ceremony, the benefactor trustee whose money is building the center is found dead at the site. Who killed her makes up the rest of the narrative. The same characters from the first book are Here: Julie, the society's director; Rich, her history professor boyfriend; Mike, the chief of police; Mrs. Detweiler, the curmudgeonly secretary; various society trustees, etc. Suspects range from the developer and the builder of a new condominium complex to the son of the deceased. But this time I found small town gossip and prickly Maine personalities less appealing and the relationship between Julie and Rich is really starting to become annoying. Rich keeps giving in a passive aggressive sort of way and Julie keeps taking but resisting further commitment. Plus the writer keeps hinting that Mike would be a better fit with her, even though she seems sublimely unaware of this. I was also sorry the victim this time was the stately and sometimes difficult Mrs. Swanson. At the end of the previous book, she was returning a Ku Klux Klan robe she had liberated from the collection because she felt it reflected badly on her husband family. This time, she was dead on the first page. And she was such an interesting trustee, too!

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, the Ryland Historical Society is ready to break ground for its new building — that is, until a major donor is found dead on the site! And it seems she may have had quite a few enemies, so naturally Julie Williamson, the society's director, can't help trying to put the pieces together to solve yet another puzzle. But can she do it without putting herself in danger? Interesting characters, bits of Maine history, and a compelling plot all add up to make this hard to put down. Recommended.

[Jim Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sticking to the winning formula of "Stealing History" Mr. Andrews has penned another murder mystery in the small western Maine of Ryland. Summer reading at its finest. Fun and forgettable.

[Cindy White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great mystery by William Andrews.