Evered

by Ben Ames Williams

In Ben Ames Williams's gripping "Evered," a small town's tranquility is shattered by a dark mystery. Set against a vivid historical backdrop, this novel delves into the heart of rural life, where secrets simmer beneath the surface. At the center of the tale is a butcher, drawn into a web of intrigue and crime that threatens to unravel the community. This meticulously prepared edition of "Evered" presents a classic work of historical fiction, showcasing Williams's skill in crafting suspenseful narratives. Blending elements of a police procedural with the intimate atmosphere of a close-knit community, the novel explores themes of justice, suspicion, and the hidden darkness that can reside even in the most idyllic settings. Readers who appreciate classic mysteries and stories rooted in the complexities of small-town life will find "Evered" to be an enduring and captivating read.


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108 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1921

About the author

Ben Ames Williams was born in Macon, Mississippi to Daniel Webster Williams and Sarah Marshall Ames on March 7, 1889. Just after his birth, he and his parents moved to Jackson, Ohio. Because his father was owner and editor of the Jackson Standard Journal in Ohio, Ben Williams grew up around writing, printing, and editing. In high school he worked for the Journal, doing grunt work in the beginning and eventually writing and editing. He attended Dartmouth College and upon graduation in 1910 was offered a job teaching English at a boy’s school in Connecticut. He telegraphed his father seeking career advice, but his handwriting was terrible and his father mistook “teaching” for “traveling” and, not wanting his son to become a traveling businessman, advised him not to take the job. Richard Cary says it later saved Williams from “a purgatory of grading endless, immature English ‘themes’” and propelled him “toward a career as one of the most popular storytellers of his time”. Right after graduation he took a job reporting for the Boston American.

Williams worked hard reporting for the local newspaper, but only did this for income; his heart lay with magazine fiction. Each night he worked on his fiction writing with the aspiration that one day, his stories would be able to support himself, his wife, Florence Talpey, and their children, Roger, Ben, and Penelope. He faced many rejection letters in the beginning of his career, which only drove him to study harder and practice more.

Williams was first published on August 23, 1915 in The Popular Magazine with his short story “Deep Stuff.” After that his popularity slowly grew. He published 135 short stories, 35 serials, and 7 articles for the Saturday Evening Post during a period of 24 years. After the Post took him, other magazines began eagerly seeking Williams to submit his fiction to their magazines.

Williams is perhaps most famous for creating the fictional town of Fraternity, located in rural Maine. 125 of his short stories were set in Fraternity, and they were most popular in the Post. Maine is also the setting for many of his novels.

Williams died of a heart attack in 1953.

Source: Wikipedia

Reviews

[W H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written in 1921 but is set somewhat earlier in a rural America prior to the automobile era. It is easy to read and for me the attraction was the background to the plot, being the time and place of small town life, hard agricultural toil and also the turn of phrase of the protaganists. I saw this as a superb faded snapshot of a time long gone. The storyline is quite convincing, dealing with the relationship of a strong-willed farmer and his family and his neighbours, following a tragic incident.