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A Karen Pelletier Mystery #2
The Northbury Papers
Teaching American women's literature at New England's prestigious Enfield College has shown Karen Pelletier just how cutthroat the world of academe can be. But nothing in her tenure has prepared her for the perils to come, as this bastion of higher learning throws open its doors to a cleverly calculating killer.
A battered copy of Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre leads Professor Karen Pelletier to the long-forgotten novels of an obscure writer named Serena Northbury. When she decides to pen the author's biography, she sets off a raging controversy. Everyone, from her esteemed colleagues to her tyrannical department head, regards Northbury's nineteenth-century writings as trash. But when the intrepid researcher stumbles upon a treasure trove of Northbury's papers--including what looks very much like an unpublished novel--Karen knows she cannot quit, for what could be more thrilling?
Unfortunately, someone takes exception to Karen's penchant for digging up the past. Before long, she is the unlikely suspect in a homicide--and the target of an erudite killer who is poised to kill again.
A battered copy of Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre leads Professor Karen Pelletier to the long-forgotten novels of an obscure writer named Serena Northbury. When she decides to pen the author's biography, she sets off a raging controversy. Everyone, from her esteemed colleagues to her tyrannical department head, regards Northbury's nineteenth-century writings as trash. But when the intrepid researcher stumbles upon a treasure trove of Northbury's papers--including what looks very much like an unpublished novel--Karen knows she cannot quit, for what could be more thrilling?
Unfortunately, someone takes exception to Karen's penchant for digging up the past. Before long, she is the unlikely suspect in a homicide--and the target of an erudite killer who is poised to kill again.
335 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 20, 1998
4 people are currently reading
167 people want to read
About the author
Joanne Dobson
20 books74 followersAt midlife, after two decades as an English professor and literary scholar, Joanne Dobson surprised herself (and her colleagues) by writing a mystery novel set at a small, elite, New England college where the curriculum seemed to offer a major in murder. Joanne was even more surprised when QUIETER THAN SLEEP (1997) was published by Doubleday. QUIETER was the first of the six Professor Karen Pelletier academic mystery novels, and the sheer pleasure of writing mysteries lured Joanne's feet from the straight path of tenured professorship to the slippery slope of 21st-century fiction writing.
And now comes an unexpected new surprise, THE KASHMIRI SHAWL (2014). An historical novel set in an India in violent rebellion (1857) and an America on the verge of Civil War (1860). An epic journey from the sultry climes of nineteenth-century India to the cosmopolitan chaos of New York City on the eve of Civil War, and then back again to India in quest of a kidnapped daughter and a lost, forbidden, love.
Joanne taught for many years at Fordham University, Amherst College, and Tufts University. Currently she teaches at the Hudson Valley Writers Center.
And now comes an unexpected new surprise, THE KASHMIRI SHAWL (2014). An historical novel set in an India in violent rebellion (1857) and an America on the verge of Civil War (1860). An epic journey from the sultry climes of nineteenth-century India to the cosmopolitan chaos of New York City on the eve of Civil War, and then back again to India in quest of a kidnapped daughter and a lost, forbidden, love.
Joanne taught for many years at Fordham University, Amherst College, and Tufts University. Currently she teaches at the Hudson Valley Writers Center.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
August 19, 2015
The Northbury Papers is the second in Joanne Dobson’s series of murder mysteries set at a fictional New England college and focused on assistant professor of English Karen Pelletier. Once again (how could it be otherwise?) Pelletier is accidentally thrust into the middle of a homicide case not of her making, this time involving the descendants of a (fictional) nineteenth-century American writer of women’s pulp fiction and a previously unknown novel by said writer. Her relationships with colleagues and local police are further explored, and once again there is a female student who wants-but-doesn’t-want help from Dr. Pelletier.
The whodunit is complicated and there are good twists and red herring characters. The prose didn’t have quite the brio of the first book in the series, Quieter Than Sleep, which really wowed me; here the writing seemed competent, but less stylish. The author is very good at writing believable dialogue. I was surprised by the resolution—though the clue of the child’s photo was obvious to me from the start—and there were plenty of suspects and plenty of motives, from mercenary to mad. In spots the author seems a bit self-conscious about the classic scenarios of the genre, such as the climactic confrontation at gunpoint, but even though I would have preferred not to be set at a distance from the action at just that moment, her discomfort gave that climax a very funny twist so I can’t complain. The academic conflicts touched on are interesting and well woven into the story; they may be my favorite aspect of this series.
As for the protagonist, most of the same personal conflicts that arose in the first book continue to plague her, reinforcing her distinct personality and point of view. Hopefully, over the next several novels (I definitely intend to read them all) those conflicts will continue to develop or even resolve. It has not escaped my notice that her new professional appointment will remove her to a degree from a subordinate position that is cramping her social life! Some of the secondary characters were colorful but left hanging a bit—thinking especially of Helen and Sally here; I would have liked to see their threads tied up, though perhaps that is being saved for a future story. Shamega seemed to be more of a plot convenience than a real person; in the previous book, the hapless student was more tightly linked to the protagonist’s personal issues, resonating with the themes. A few elements crop up only to drop out of the story, but they are minor.
Dr. Pelletier’s world is vividly and convincingly portrayed, and it’s a world I’m looking forward to visiting again and again!
The whodunit is complicated and there are good twists and red herring characters. The prose didn’t have quite the brio of the first book in the series, Quieter Than Sleep, which really wowed me; here the writing seemed competent, but less stylish. The author is very good at writing believable dialogue. I was surprised by the resolution—though the clue of the child’s photo was obvious to me from the start—and there were plenty of suspects and plenty of motives, from mercenary to mad. In spots the author seems a bit self-conscious about the classic scenarios of the genre, such as the climactic confrontation at gunpoint, but even though I would have preferred not to be set at a distance from the action at just that moment, her discomfort gave that climax a very funny twist so I can’t complain. The academic conflicts touched on are interesting and well woven into the story; they may be my favorite aspect of this series.
As for the protagonist, most of the same personal conflicts that arose in the first book continue to plague her, reinforcing her distinct personality and point of view. Hopefully, over the next several novels (I definitely intend to read them all) those conflicts will continue to develop or even resolve. It has not escaped my notice that her new professional appointment will remove her to a degree from a subordinate position that is cramping her social life! Some of the secondary characters were colorful but left hanging a bit—thinking especially of Helen and Sally here; I would have liked to see their threads tied up, though perhaps that is being saved for a future story. Shamega seemed to be more of a plot convenience than a real person; in the previous book, the hapless student was more tightly linked to the protagonist’s personal issues, resonating with the themes. A few elements crop up only to drop out of the story, but they are minor.
Dr. Pelletier’s world is vividly and convincingly portrayed, and it’s a world I’m looking forward to visiting again and again!
December 23, 2012
For those who want mysteries with no blood and gore, this is it. Being an English major and a lover of books helped me appreciate this book even though it isn't the most thrilling mystery I've ever read.
July 8, 2024
"Teaching American women's literature at New England's prestigious Enfield College has shown Karen Pelletier just how cutthroat the world of academe can be. But nothing in her tenure has prepared her for the perils to come. as this bastion of higher learning throws open its doors to a cleverly calculating killer.
"A battered copy of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre leads Professor Karen Pelletier to the long-forgotten novels of an obscure writer named Serena Northbury. When she decides to pen the author's biography, she sets off a raging controversy. Everyone, from her esteemed colleagues to her tyrannical department head, regards Northbury's nineteenth-century writings as trash. But when the intrepid researcher stumbles upon a treasure trove of Northbury's papers -- including what looks very much like an unpublished novel -- Karen knows she cannot quit, for what could be more thrilling? Unfortunately, someone takes exception to Karen's penchant for digging up the past. Before long, she is the unlikely suspect in a homicide -- and the target of an erudite killer who is poised to kill again."
~~back cover
Another foray into the depths of academia: the gossip, the backbiting, the backstabbing, the frenzied quests for prominence in the respective fields. Our Karen -- who is eternally grateful to have escaped from a lower class start in life -- tries her best to avoid all the fun and games, but of course is drawn deep into the fray.
This one is a bit different, in that it centers around the great-granddaughter of Serena Northbury, her fortune, and her decision to bequeath a very large portion of her considerable fortune to the college for a research center dedicated to the works of Mrs. Northbury and other nineteenth century women authors, with the stipulation that Karen is to be the director of the center. What? All that money willed away from the heir apparent, who thinks he's been cheated out of some of his inheritance.
The ensuing fracas: the disappearance of the possible unpublished novel, the several deaths that seem to be the result of the terms of the will ... leave Karen vulnerable, harassed, and frantic to recover the stolen documents. And in danger.
A very entertaining read.
"A battered copy of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre leads Professor Karen Pelletier to the long-forgotten novels of an obscure writer named Serena Northbury. When she decides to pen the author's biography, she sets off a raging controversy. Everyone, from her esteemed colleagues to her tyrannical department head, regards Northbury's nineteenth-century writings as trash. But when the intrepid researcher stumbles upon a treasure trove of Northbury's papers -- including what looks very much like an unpublished novel -- Karen knows she cannot quit, for what could be more thrilling? Unfortunately, someone takes exception to Karen's penchant for digging up the past. Before long, she is the unlikely suspect in a homicide -- and the target of an erudite killer who is poised to kill again."
~~back cover
Another foray into the depths of academia: the gossip, the backbiting, the backstabbing, the frenzied quests for prominence in the respective fields. Our Karen -- who is eternally grateful to have escaped from a lower class start in life -- tries her best to avoid all the fun and games, but of course is drawn deep into the fray.
This one is a bit different, in that it centers around the great-granddaughter of Serena Northbury, her fortune, and her decision to bequeath a very large portion of her considerable fortune to the college for a research center dedicated to the works of Mrs. Northbury and other nineteenth century women authors, with the stipulation that Karen is to be the director of the center. What? All that money willed away from the heir apparent, who thinks he's been cheated out of some of his inheritance.
The ensuing fracas: the disappearance of the possible unpublished novel, the several deaths that seem to be the result of the terms of the will ... leave Karen vulnerable, harassed, and frantic to recover the stolen documents. And in danger.
A very entertaining read.
December 14, 2019
Karen Pelletier faces curriculum reform and a fight over traditional versus modern literature with Miles Jewell and other colleagues. But the real disagreement comes with the gift of a mansion, grounds and $10 million to create a library and research center for the study of American Women Writers. It is contingent on Karen being named the Director. There are, however, other "family" members who believe that they are entitled to the estate, instead.
Karen approaches Dr. Edith Hart, the granddaughter of Mrs. Serena Northbury, to research any documents she had on the Victorian writer of women's novels. When looking at some of the materials an unpublished sensational novel is discovered that clearing involves the love affair and child of a white woman and a black man. Dr. Hart is excited. Through the further research Karen discovers that the novel is autobiographical. The story is complicated by the love affair of a colleague, Jill Greenberg, with one of the distant relatives of Dr. Hart, Gerry Noval, that has resulted a pregnancy. He is a sullen poet, much appreciated by Miles Jewell, the English Dept chair, who believes that only traditional writers (read men not women or African Americans or other ethnic writers) be taught, resisting a course on Emily Dickinson, Karen's expertise, and other professors choices.
What follows are several deaths, probable murders, and the intense attempts to kill Karen to keep the college from accepting the bequest and redirecting the proceeds of Dr. Hart's sizable fortune. Again this installment is filled with literary references, personality clashes and plenty of suspects, enriching the well plotted story. I love this series.
Karen approaches Dr. Edith Hart, the granddaughter of Mrs. Serena Northbury, to research any documents she had on the Victorian writer of women's novels. When looking at some of the materials an unpublished sensational novel is discovered that clearing involves the love affair and child of a white woman and a black man. Dr. Hart is excited. Through the further research Karen discovers that the novel is autobiographical. The story is complicated by the love affair of a colleague, Jill Greenberg, with one of the distant relatives of Dr. Hart, Gerry Noval, that has resulted a pregnancy. He is a sullen poet, much appreciated by Miles Jewell, the English Dept chair, who believes that only traditional writers (read men not women or African Americans or other ethnic writers) be taught, resisting a course on Emily Dickinson, Karen's expertise, and other professors choices.
What follows are several deaths, probable murders, and the intense attempts to kill Karen to keep the college from accepting the bequest and redirecting the proceeds of Dr. Hart's sizable fortune. Again this installment is filled with literary references, personality clashes and plenty of suspects, enriching the well plotted story. I love this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2018
Only my second read by Joanne Dobson, and I found it really a fun read with its academic setting, the protagonist a female nontenured professor, Dr. Karen Pellitier. Karen is drawn into police matters through her thirst for literary information. The academic politics of her being female and an advocate for women authors being included in the curriculum also puts her in the sights of the male senior professors.
During research, Karen finds an old book with links to a local retired physician, and also an interesting sepia photo of a child. When the physician dies, a "deadly" struggle for inheritance ensues.
Karen stumbles onto connections among those vying for the estate and solves the "mystery."
I will look for other Dobson reads.
During research, Karen finds an old book with links to a local retired physician, and also an interesting sepia photo of a child. When the physician dies, a "deadly" struggle for inheritance ensues.
Karen stumbles onto connections among those vying for the estate and solves the "mystery."
I will look for other Dobson reads.
March 20, 2022
Karen Pelletier, Professor, is very interested in Serena Northbury. Karen finds out that a niece of Serena Northbury is still around. Karen meets up with Edith and comes over to help go through Serena Northbury's papers. Later she finds out that Edith has pass. She knows that she was elderly but she still really lively and interested in what Karen had been finding out. Then the nephew is killed and it was not a drowning. Can Karen find out who did kill Edith as well as the nephew and keep herself safe? This book also gives us alot of back history of the early time period and the beliefs and morals of women and men.
April 8, 2021
Book 1 was much better. Maybe this is Sophomore Slump. Karen was a snob this time around. Lt Piotrowski came across as much more intelligent in Book 1. Different backgrounds, but still intelligent and respectful. Didn't like all dumbing down of his speech throughout this book. Too many to remember or mention. Generally using 'gonna' instead of going. Annoying to read and imagine.
January 2, 2020
I’ve been re-reading all the Joanne Dobson Karen Pelletier books, and this one is my favorite. An intriguing cast of characters and possible suspects, a fascinating literary mystery, and a burgeoning romance.
August 2, 2020
An intriguing academic murder. Fantastic. Once I started, I couldn’t pause. Great characters, inventive academic literature mystery, I wish her fictional author was real. I’d want to read it all....
December 7, 2017
A good mystery.
September 15, 2019
Good story. Kept me on the edge of my seat till the end.
October 30, 2024
Well, I wanted this to be another Amanda Cross. It’s not that. But it does have an academic and literary flavor that I enjoyed.
January 30, 2014
This is the second of Joanne Dobson’s Karen Pelletier mysteries, and again takes place in the fictional New England college of Enfield. Again, I enjoyed the literary references and I like the character of Karen Pelletier.
The story starts with Karen being given an old copy of Jane Eyre by her friend Jill, whom we may remember from the first book. This copy was owned by one Serena Northbury, a mostly-forgotten 18th century author. Karen has however, become attached to Northbury’s work, and has been intending to write a biography. In following up with the woman who had been the previous owner of the book, she finds that she (Dr. Edith Hart) is a descendant of the author and has a treasure trove of the papers of Mrs. Northbury. It turns out that they include a previously unknown manuscript, which may be very valuable.
But death seems to follow Karen around. Having met Edith Hart only twice, the poor woman is subsequently found dead, and the police are treating the death as suspicious, and naturally Karen turns up too often for coincidence. Dr Hart’s will is read after her funeral, and causes some more awkwardness. In the will, she assigns $10M to Enfield College to set up a foundation for 19th century women authors, if it will be run by Karen. Vicious politicking ensues, from relatives and colleagues.
Apart from the story, this was perhaps the most interesting part of the book. The old guard at the College wants to continue to teach about books by DWM (Dead White Men), and ignore women or non-white authors. It has always interested me how “literature” has been defined. Who defined it? Why is Shakespeare good, but other playwrights are forgotten? In this fictional case, Karen is already in bad odor for having championed an Emily Dickinson course. Now she is (grudgingly) willing to head a foundation dedicated to what are seem as “trashy” novels by unimportant women authors! More power to her elbow!
The bequest especially upsets a blue-blood college trustee, Thibault Brewster, nephew of Dr Hart, who believed he deserved the whole estate. Brewster’s son also causes trouble in the story by disrupting one of Karen’s classes and harassing Shamega, a black female student. Blue-blood versus working classes are a smaller theme in the book than the last one, but the theme is there. The returning local homicide detective, Piotrowski, has a sidekick (Schultz) with a serious working class chip on her shoulder also.
The potential suspects include the aforementioned Brewsters, Dr Hart’s long-time friend, who may have done a mercy-killing, and the morose handyman who lives on the estate. So, having laid out the scenarios, we have to leaven them with Jill’s unexpected pregnancy, a grubby historical book-finder, and a second murder. Read the book for more details. We finally have a showdown in the old house that clears most things up.
There are some similarities to the first book – the both involve missing manuscripts; they both have female working class students being harassed by rich and/or powerful men; people Karen knows keep getting killed. I was a little surprised, after the way the first book had ended, that Karen's love life wasn’t progressed in this second book, but that wasn’t especially important. (Her ex-lover, now married, shows up to mix up her feelings a bit). But the stories work, and are good to read. Number 3 please?
The story starts with Karen being given an old copy of Jane Eyre by her friend Jill, whom we may remember from the first book. This copy was owned by one Serena Northbury, a mostly-forgotten 18th century author. Karen has however, become attached to Northbury’s work, and has been intending to write a biography. In following up with the woman who had been the previous owner of the book, she finds that she (Dr. Edith Hart) is a descendant of the author and has a treasure trove of the papers of Mrs. Northbury. It turns out that they include a previously unknown manuscript, which may be very valuable.
But death seems to follow Karen around. Having met Edith Hart only twice, the poor woman is subsequently found dead, and the police are treating the death as suspicious, and naturally Karen turns up too often for coincidence. Dr Hart’s will is read after her funeral, and causes some more awkwardness. In the will, she assigns $10M to Enfield College to set up a foundation for 19th century women authors, if it will be run by Karen. Vicious politicking ensues, from relatives and colleagues.
Apart from the story, this was perhaps the most interesting part of the book. The old guard at the College wants to continue to teach about books by DWM (Dead White Men), and ignore women or non-white authors. It has always interested me how “literature” has been defined. Who defined it? Why is Shakespeare good, but other playwrights are forgotten? In this fictional case, Karen is already in bad odor for having championed an Emily Dickinson course. Now she is (grudgingly) willing to head a foundation dedicated to what are seem as “trashy” novels by unimportant women authors! More power to her elbow!
The bequest especially upsets a blue-blood college trustee, Thibault Brewster, nephew of Dr Hart, who believed he deserved the whole estate. Brewster’s son also causes trouble in the story by disrupting one of Karen’s classes and harassing Shamega, a black female student. Blue-blood versus working classes are a smaller theme in the book than the last one, but the theme is there. The returning local homicide detective, Piotrowski, has a sidekick (Schultz) with a serious working class chip on her shoulder also.
The potential suspects include the aforementioned Brewsters, Dr Hart’s long-time friend, who may have done a mercy-killing, and the morose handyman who lives on the estate. So, having laid out the scenarios, we have to leaven them with Jill’s unexpected pregnancy, a grubby historical book-finder, and a second murder. Read the book for more details. We finally have a showdown in the old house that clears most things up.
There are some similarities to the first book – the both involve missing manuscripts; they both have female working class students being harassed by rich and/or powerful men; people Karen knows keep getting killed. I was a little surprised, after the way the first book had ended, that Karen's love life wasn’t progressed in this second book, but that wasn’t especially important. (Her ex-lover, now married, shows up to mix up her feelings a bit). But the stories work, and are good to read. Number 3 please?
August 7, 2010
This is one of those literary amateur detective novels only set in modern times. Karen is a literature professor at a Boston college who has the nerve to teach Emiliy Dickinson instead of all those dead white men most Eurocentric universities push.
While researching the biography of a little known female 19th century writer, she's really excited to find that there's living relative nearby, Dr. Edith Hart. Not only that, there are lots of papers from the writer up in the attic. They even find what might be a lost manuscript. However,a after a short acquaintance, Hart dies but leaves a 10 million dollar inheritance to the university for a women's studies program, but only if Karen is the director.
Then it turns out that Dr. Hart was murdered. There are a lot of suspects even though it's pretty obvious who the killer is. Still, that doesn't spoil the novel, at least not for me.
The writer does an excellent job of showing the backstabbing that goes on in academic circles, the trials of a professor, and developing characters.
I enjoyed and look forward to more in the series.
While researching the biography of a little known female 19th century writer, she's really excited to find that there's living relative nearby, Dr. Edith Hart. Not only that, there are lots of papers from the writer up in the attic. They even find what might be a lost manuscript. However,a after a short acquaintance, Hart dies but leaves a 10 million dollar inheritance to the university for a women's studies program, but only if Karen is the director.
Then it turns out that Dr. Hart was murdered. There are a lot of suspects even though it's pretty obvious who the killer is. Still, that doesn't spoil the novel, at least not for me.
The writer does an excellent job of showing the backstabbing that goes on in academic circles, the trials of a professor, and developing characters.
I enjoyed and look forward to more in the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2010
I enjoyed the academic background and literary references (I got very
interested in the fragments of the "missing novel"), and I like the
character of Karen Pelletier very much. The various threads kept me
interested, and tied together nicely in the end. I was a little
disappointed that Karen's social life (or do I mean love life?) didn't
move forward, despite the intriguing possibilities in the first novel
things didn't change much in this one. But I guess you can't have
everything, and this was still very good.
interested in the fragments of the "missing novel"), and I like the
character of Karen Pelletier very much. The various threads kept me
interested, and tied together nicely in the end. I was a little
disappointed that Karen's social life (or do I mean love life?) didn't
move forward, despite the intriguing possibilities in the first novel
things didn't change much in this one. But I guess you can't have
everything, and this was still very good.
December 25, 2010
Another good cozy. This time the plot was a little more convoluted, and there were a lot more threads to keep track of (which kind of bugged me in some places), but the characters were still enjoyable. I had the same problem with the main character that I had in the last book - she tends to get whiny sometimes. I like how we get to see the day to day workings of a college campus, and that the literary part of the mystery did not take over the entire story line. There's still room for character development in future novels, so I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series.
November 30, 2010
I didn't like this one as much as the first in this series. I found this plot to be more complicated and confusing. More than once, I had to go back and refresh my memory of who was who. But, overall, I enjoyed the book and I'm looking forward to getting the next one in the series from the library. :)
August 13, 2011
I've never really liked or read any contemporary mysteries. My mom reads them all the time and they always seem to have cats or really silly premises. I think there's a series that includes recipes with every chapter because it's about a caterer. I'll finish this review later because I have to go selll pillows....
August 9, 2007
This is the second book in the series about Karen Pelletier, English professor at fictional Enfield College. This one is probably my least favorite of the series, since it doesn't seem to hold together as well when I go back and think about the plot. Still a good literary mystery, however.
March 10, 2008
If you like mysteries and love literature, Joanne Dobson's series with Karen Pelletier, assistant professor of 19th century American literature, is a total delight. Add her to the list of your favorite female detectives.
April 16, 2008
An English professor as the detective. The new mystery series I've tried have been work to get through. This was a lovely change. I read it straight through and the literary aspects added to the enjoyment.
March 5, 2009
A good mystery read that gives you insight into the daily operation of a university and a professor much engrossed in her English Literature specialty. A little too much chatter about what every one eats and wears and who is involved with who.
April 27, 2014
Another excellent story. I was afraid as I read the author info at the end that this meant I'd found another author and series I really enjoy, only to be is appointed that there were only-so far- two books in the series. I am DELIGHTED to learn that isn't the case.
July 14, 2014
While looking for a summer mystery, I found this, book two of a series centered on Prof. Karen Pelletier. The mystery is okay, but I enjoyed the main character immensely. I'll read more of Dobson's novels.
February 23, 2015
An okay cozy. I was grateful for the lack of recipes and mystery solving pets, and I liked the setting. A bit preachy about the need to include more minorities and women in English department curriculums. It is a bit dated that way - that battle has been won.
January 12, 2008
I enjoy her mysteries. This one was no exception. Mysteries set in academia have me home sick.
June 6, 2008
Good continuation of the series.
January 31, 2009
Delightful read. This is the second of Joanne Dobson's books that I have read and I really enjoyed it. She does such a good job of letting you get to know her characters.
January 5, 2010
Really enjoyed this book--love the locale, outside Boston, and the subplot about early American women authors. Guessed the "villain" early on, but still found the story a good read.
September 17, 2010
Great fun read
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews