The Sulphur Springs Cure

by Jeffrey Round

Just before World War II, Violet and her parents visit the legendary Sulphur Springs Hotel. Famed for its curative waters, the spa attracts a diverse crowd. Some desperate for a cure, others for more intangible things. During her time at the hotel, curious young Violet begins to suspect something devious is going on behind the luxury façade. It’s not until she unwittingly becomes party to a murder that she realizes how desperate people really are. But it is never too late to make peace with your ghosts. At eighty-four years old, Violet travels back to the hotel, now in ruins, to recover clues to the forgotten murder. Her return brings back memories of her family, a much-missed girlhood friend, and of her own sexual awakening. But what happens when the past brings hurtful truths with it?

Genres: Canada, Mystery

256 pages, Paperback

Published March 16, 2024

About the author

Jeffrey Round is best known as the Lambda Award-winning author of two mystery series, the gritty DAN SHARP books, and the comic BRADFORD FAIRFAX books. He is also an award-winning filmmaker, television producer and song-writer.

SHADOW PUPPET, sixth in the Dan Sharp series, was published in 2019. Margaret Cannon of the Globe and Mail said, "...this is as good a whodunit as we will see this year." (26/4/19)

BON TON ROULET, fourth in the Bradford Fairfax mystery series, was published in 2017. In 2018, Jeffrey was invited by the William Faulkner Society to read from this book, along with mayor Mitch Landrieu and others, at the 300th anniversary of the founding of New Orleans.

His first novel, A CAGE OF BONES, was published by GMP (UK), topping bestseller lists around the world. The P-TOWN MURDERS, first in the Bradford Fairfax series, was published by the Haworth Press (US). Both titles were listed on AfterElton’s 50 Greatest Gay Books in 2008.

Jeffrey's ENDGAME was called a "brilliant recreation" of Agatha Christie's best-selling mystery AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, giving the original what one critic called a "punk-rock reboot." It was a best-selling e-book in the US in 2016.

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was hard to get into this book. The first half struggles. The back and forth in the timeline is useful, but a bit jarring as it has no rhythm. The second half of the book, though, is good. As a mystery, it was very good. I just wish I had been more consistent. I will say that the author does a good job of writing from a female perspective which is not common for male writers.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for a mystery with a local setting, so enjoyed this one. Planning to visit the scene of the crime for a walk soon!

[Katreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE SULPHUR SPRING CURE
By Jeffrey Round

Violet McAdams knows she's coming to the end of her life. Her husband dead, her body slowing, she's preparing to sell her house and move into a home for seniors. But memories are bothering her, the dead reminding her of her past and the secret she kept from that time seventy years ago. The time spend at the Sulphur Springs Hotel. The time she was involved in murder. With the dead becoming more insistent she decides to take one last trip. Accompanied by her youngest niece Violet heads back to Dundas, Ontario to discover the truth once and for all.

Part mystery, part coming of age story THE SULPHUR SPRINGS CURE is a unique and beguiling book. I appreciated the melding of the two time periods, the more recent past of 2009 and that of 1939. The historical part of the novel was fascinating with references to the upcoming war and compelling details of life at the Sulphur Springs Hotel. Invalids who nevertheless dressed for dinner, nightly dancing, the fact that personal time pieces weren't allowed, as well as the freedom given to the young girls all added to the ambiance and made it seem as if you were actually there, smelling the sulphur in the air, feeling the heat of the summer, and witnessing a girl growing up.

I really like Violet. She's a precocious youth and a headstrong senior. She knows her own mind and isn't afraid to speak it. Yet she's also naive and somewhat vulnerable. I enjoyed seeing Violet as both a fourteen year old and an elderly woman, how she's changed and adapted as well as how much she remained the same.

The author's use of foreshadowing lent a heaviness, a quietly oppressive atmosphere to the time spent in 1939. Knowing that before long something very wrong would happen, but not knowing exactly what kept me enthralled. So many mysteries, what was actually wrong with Violet's mother, what was Willoughby up to, and more. I was also captivated by the way the eighty-four year old determined the truth of what happened that fateful summer. It's interesting to note the use of tenses chosen by the author, with the modern section written in the present tense. I'm not a fan of present tense, but it did provide a notable change from Violet's past.

With wry humor and a distinct sense of time and place THE SULPHUR SPRINGS CURE is not only a mystery, but an intriguing story of a woman's search for truth and redemption.

[Novels Alive · Rating 4 out of 5]

For 70 years, Violet McAdams has kept a secret. However, as she prepares to move into a senior care facility, she is determined to put the past to rest.

Author Jeffrey Round takes a determined octogenarian and her niece on an adventure in The Sulphur Springs Cure. While the Sulphur Springs Hotel was destroyed by fire, it didn’t deter Violet.

As the storyline intertwines past and present, Violet’s visit to the hotel with her parents unfolds along with the revelation of the secret. It’s interesting to see how Violet manages to put together all the memories and finally realize she had reached the wrong conclusion about the murder.

While the story possesses the ingredients for a mystery, it’s also a coming-of-age as Violet wrestles with images from her childhood. Seeing them through the eyes of an adult allows her to find the truth.

The Sulphur Springs Cure offers an opportunity for a woman to find peace after being haunted by what she thought was her role in a man’s murder. ~ Amy for Novels Alive

[Enid Wray · Rating 2 out of 5]

I suppose one word for this - what it was trying to be - would be “quaint.” It wants to be Nancy Drew meets Miss Marple - and didn’t quite find its mark on either count.

By about page 25 or thereabouts I’m getting very tired of continually being “teased” about this horrible thing that happened way back when. Violet even “tells” her niece about it - but we, the reader, are not privy to the actual details. I get that this is supposed to be building suspense, but it only served to annoy me.

With the historical sections set back in 1939, and references to it being 70 years later, that would put the current action in 2010 - give or take.

But the entire book - even the contemporary timeline - has a very Victorian feel to it - in the language, dress and behaviours/customs on offer. It’s all very anachronistic - out of time for the ages of the individuals.

For me, it just fell flat. There is no joie de vivre, and I found reading it to be very ponderous.

Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for granting me access to an early digital review copy.

[Sheila Holyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely book with an endearing main character: Violet. I loved the author's comment in the acknowledgments that he wanted to honour his mother's request to write a book with "polite sex scenes". I enjoyed reading young Violet's reaction to those polite scenes! Her confusion and consultation with Julia about what it was exactly that she had seen and then looking it up in the dictionary! So great! Exactly what we did pre-internet.

Highly recommend. Good for local Ontario setting too. Take note Hamilton-area readers.

[John Rudell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book, loved it. Jeffrey Round transports the reader with a great location, environment, cast of characters and a compelling need to explore the main character's need to go back into her past and search for the answer to a long, lingering mystery. The narrative takes us back and forth between present day and 70 years ago and opens up more questions as we go, with a REAL and satisfying conclusion. I don't know how mystery writers do it but Mr. Round certainly does. Take the plunge.

[Peter Pontsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the story a lot. Even at eighty four years of age, feisty Violet Adams can’t leave behind unfinished business. We see her relive her teenage years to solve a murder that happened during her youth at the Sulphur Springs Hotel. Nice twist at the end. I recommend this great mystery story to the fans of Agatha Christie. I plan to visit Sulphur Springs because the setting described by Jeffrey Round is so intriguing.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and found myself fully engaged with protagonist Violet's past and present. Generally, I'm not drawn to mysteries and I don't really care whodunit, but Jeff Round has built a tight, believable world here that was irresistible. I'll definitely be looking for his other books.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very gentle, reflective read. Some of the dialogue seemed a bit stilted, and the character of Claire seemed very flimsy. Imperious Violet – young and old – was a bit irritating at times, but that was her character. I enjoyed the mystery, and the historical setting was well handled.

[Christian Baines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeffrey Round delivers another great mystery full of character and intrigue, though it veers from traditional genre tropes in satisfying ways.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gem of a book with an unforgettable heroine. Thanks to Cormorant Books and 49th Shelf for providing this copy of a lovely Canadian read.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have read all the Dan Sharp novels and enjoyed them. This one did not grab me and I almost DNF'd half way through. I also thought the ending was disappointing. I wouldn't recommend.

[Angela Breemen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant book. While a departure from the Dan Sharp series, this novel illustrates the versatility and extent of Jeffrey Round's writing prowess. Violet, a fourteen year old girl in 1939, discovers the body of a young man. Troubled his murder was never solved, seventy years later, Violet's inquisitive nature compels her to make a trip back to Sulphur Springs, the scene of the crime.

The transitions between Violet as a youngster and as an eighty-four year old were seamless. Violet's character illustrates that the core of us remains essentially the same and provides hope that we will embrace the teenager within us as we grow older - wiser or not. The mystery was intriguing, and the plot twist at the end very satisfactory. Enough subtle clues were laid out for the reader to have that aha moment.

I highly recommend this book.