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The Thirty Five Timely & Untimely Deaths of Cumberland County
1934: a doctor struggles with belief, mortality and murder; a novel inspired by real events.
John M. Bischoffberger is a Pennsylvanian doctor adrift in the relative wilds of Maine during the dying years of the great depression. Struggling with a loss of religious faith and retreating from painful memories of The Great War, John has married and set up practice in the town of Naples.
As Medical Examiner for Cumberland County, it is also John's job to investigate deaths that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances. Yet as he goes about his work, he begins to suspect that the deaths he is called upon to document are in fact far from routine.
Against his better judgement, he becomes convinced that an uneasy alliance of three itinerants is going about the county, killing. An old woman, a little girl and a thin man are fulfilling some strange and unspoken duty, drowning, suffocating, hanging and the like, men, women and children; each of the three harbouring a profound distrust of the other two, yet still this queer confederacy press on with their murderous work.
John confides in local outsider Joseph, an older man who becomes John's only outlet for his impossible fears. All the while the three continue to kill, and the deaths seem to be drawing closer to John: others who may suspect foul play, then acquaintances of John, then perhaps friends, even family members.
As the storm clouds of a new world war gather in Europe, and John's rationality slowly unravels, he must find a way to disprove what he has reluctantly come to believe, or to confirm his worst fears and take steps to end the killing spree of the three in the woods, whatever the cost.
With a narrative switching between the doctor and the trio of murderers, and inspired by, and including, genuine accounts made by the real Dr. John M. Bischoffberger in his medical journal between 1934 and 1941, The Dutch Wives weaves about them a fictional and dreamlike story of faith, community, and how we deal with life in the shadow of mortality.
John M. Bischoffberger is a Pennsylvanian doctor adrift in the relative wilds of Maine during the dying years of the great depression. Struggling with a loss of religious faith and retreating from painful memories of The Great War, John has married and set up practice in the town of Naples.
As Medical Examiner for Cumberland County, it is also John's job to investigate deaths that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances. Yet as he goes about his work, he begins to suspect that the deaths he is called upon to document are in fact far from routine.
Against his better judgement, he becomes convinced that an uneasy alliance of three itinerants is going about the county, killing. An old woman, a little girl and a thin man are fulfilling some strange and unspoken duty, drowning, suffocating, hanging and the like, men, women and children; each of the three harbouring a profound distrust of the other two, yet still this queer confederacy press on with their murderous work.
John confides in local outsider Joseph, an older man who becomes John's only outlet for his impossible fears. All the while the three continue to kill, and the deaths seem to be drawing closer to John: others who may suspect foul play, then acquaintances of John, then perhaps friends, even family members.
As the storm clouds of a new world war gather in Europe, and John's rationality slowly unravels, he must find a way to disprove what he has reluctantly come to believe, or to confirm his worst fears and take steps to end the killing spree of the three in the woods, whatever the cost.
With a narrative switching between the doctor and the trio of murderers, and inspired by, and including, genuine accounts made by the real Dr. John M. Bischoffberger in his medical journal between 1934 and 1941, The Dutch Wives weaves about them a fictional and dreamlike story of faith, community, and how we deal with life in the shadow of mortality.
400 pages, Paperback
Published July 3, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 21, 2018
This is the second book published by Unbound, an innovative new publisher with a radical new publishing model, that I’ve read and reviewed, the first being Sam Haysom’s The Moor (see here for my review of that title: https://bit.ly/2NLkOw9 ). Like Sam, Mason Ball is an author who’s new to me, and like The Moor, Thirty Five deaths has a strong supernatural element. The similarities don’t just end there however, for both books are extremely good reads.
Thirty Five Deaths is set in 1930’s Maine, the “dying years of the Great Depression” as the blurb puts it. John Bischoffberger, a doctor from the big city of Pennsylvania, has moved with his wife to the small town of Naples, Maine, where he runs a medical practice and is employed as the Medical Examiner for the surrounding area. In his medical practice he treats the living, as the Medical Examiner he issues death certificates for those who’ve passed in unusual or suspicious circumstances.
John is plagued by his experiences of the First World War, one mortally wounded soldier who died in front of him particularly haunting his dreams. He and his wife have never had children, a disappointment for them both which weighs on him heavily. Coming from a big city to a town where many have resided their entire lives, he also feels an outsider regardless of how much he’s welcomed. John is a rational man, though he has many a demon. This leads him to lose his faith in God, something that troubles his wife almost as much as their inability to have children. Paradoxically, this also leads him to proscribe his patients homeopathy alongside conventional medical remedies and this dichotomy, of his loss of faith in God yet reluctant, almost superstitious belief in something his scientific mind tells him cannot be so, is one of many conflicts that plague John’s troubled mind. Finally, this allows him to see what is hidden from others: namely that many of the deaths he is witnessing are in fact murders, homicides committed by a trio of supernatural beings in the guise of vagrants.
35 Deaths then is both a historical crime novel and a story of the supernatural. The historical setting is adeptly handled, the author really bringing to life the rural Maine town and its environs: the poverty of many, the absolute and grinding destitution of the vagrants who reside in the woods - not least the three beings, whatever they may be. In fact, the woods themselves, endless forest which stretches out around the small pockets of civilisation, become a character in and of itself, oppressive and threatening.
As John becomes more and more obsessed with the three beings killing spree, and the deaths come closer and closer to those he knows and love, the author ratchets up the tension and sense of foreboding perfectly. The supernatural element of this novel is extremely well done, as is the conflict John feels in response, knowing as he does that should he speak of it to others he’ll be thought insane. His impotence in the face of something he cannot understand, yet inability to look away and do nothing, brings out the essential characteristics of his nature perfectly and the author has created in his protagonist a deeply good and likeable hero.
35 Deaths is an incredibly well written book and one that will stay with me for a long time to come. Mason Ball is an incredibly talented writer and I look forward to reading more from him. Finally, once again I’ve been hugely impressed by an Unbound author; this is a publisher who’ve found some serious talent and their catalogue is one to watch.
Thirty Five Deaths is set in 1930’s Maine, the “dying years of the Great Depression” as the blurb puts it. John Bischoffberger, a doctor from the big city of Pennsylvania, has moved with his wife to the small town of Naples, Maine, where he runs a medical practice and is employed as the Medical Examiner for the surrounding area. In his medical practice he treats the living, as the Medical Examiner he issues death certificates for those who’ve passed in unusual or suspicious circumstances.
John is plagued by his experiences of the First World War, one mortally wounded soldier who died in front of him particularly haunting his dreams. He and his wife have never had children, a disappointment for them both which weighs on him heavily. Coming from a big city to a town where many have resided their entire lives, he also feels an outsider regardless of how much he’s welcomed. John is a rational man, though he has many a demon. This leads him to lose his faith in God, something that troubles his wife almost as much as their inability to have children. Paradoxically, this also leads him to proscribe his patients homeopathy alongside conventional medical remedies and this dichotomy, of his loss of faith in God yet reluctant, almost superstitious belief in something his scientific mind tells him cannot be so, is one of many conflicts that plague John’s troubled mind. Finally, this allows him to see what is hidden from others: namely that many of the deaths he is witnessing are in fact murders, homicides committed by a trio of supernatural beings in the guise of vagrants.
35 Deaths then is both a historical crime novel and a story of the supernatural. The historical setting is adeptly handled, the author really bringing to life the rural Maine town and its environs: the poverty of many, the absolute and grinding destitution of the vagrants who reside in the woods - not least the three beings, whatever they may be. In fact, the woods themselves, endless forest which stretches out around the small pockets of civilisation, become a character in and of itself, oppressive and threatening.
As John becomes more and more obsessed with the three beings killing spree, and the deaths come closer and closer to those he knows and love, the author ratchets up the tension and sense of foreboding perfectly. The supernatural element of this novel is extremely well done, as is the conflict John feels in response, knowing as he does that should he speak of it to others he’ll be thought insane. His impotence in the face of something he cannot understand, yet inability to look away and do nothing, brings out the essential characteristics of his nature perfectly and the author has created in his protagonist a deeply good and likeable hero.
35 Deaths is an incredibly well written book and one that will stay with me for a long time to come. Mason Ball is an incredibly talented writer and I look forward to reading more from him. Finally, once again I’ve been hugely impressed by an Unbound author; this is a publisher who’ve found some serious talent and their catalogue is one to watch.
January 31, 2018
I finished this book yesterday and had to seriously consider my review for it. Not because it was a bad story, on the contrary - but because there were so many thoughts that arose through the story. The author used the premise of Homeopathy, wherein treatments hold to the principle of 'like curing like'. And by the end of the book I had the feeling that the main character, a doctor - stopped the evil that was being inflicted in his community because he was drawn to the same evil. He was the 'like' curing the like. And the deaths themselves also appeared to be drawing evil to themselves. So curiously the book created a feeling of destiny in all the actions of the main characters.
The writing was beautiful, yet the topic was sometimes vomitous. There was a dark, gothic feel to the entire book, characteristic of how Maine is portrayed in many writings. The use of real death certificates was a touch of genius by the author - you knew he had created a work of fiction, but real deaths were used as the basis for the story. I think by understanding the premise of the story, to read it again, would open even more perceptions implanted by the author. Very interesting.
The writing was beautiful, yet the topic was sometimes vomitous. There was a dark, gothic feel to the entire book, characteristic of how Maine is portrayed in many writings. The use of real death certificates was a touch of genius by the author - you knew he had created a work of fiction, but real deaths were used as the basis for the story. I think by understanding the premise of the story, to read it again, would open even more perceptions implanted by the author. Very interesting.
January 31, 2018
Don’t read this book before bed. It’s a horror tale in the finest gothic tradition. But wait, it’s much more. There is very compelling philosophical parallel discussion that flows seamlessly through the narrative. The writing is at times exquisite. The horror grotesque, often senseless but the senseless horror is the critical element that supports the parallel discussion. I put the book aside at one point upon the grotesque treatment of a horse, but I found myself compelled to return and I am very satisfied that I finished this book. The main character is a doctor, a coroner, examining a number of deaths over the years between the World Wars. The inexplicable and the traumatic horror of the deaths draws him towards a kind of madness. The personification of his fears and shortcomings, a trio of ghouls, that he believes are involved in the deaths, haunt him relentlessly. The story is built around the deaths of local people, the Doctor’s attached real death reports add to the reader’s confidence in the bizarre tale. Reason, duty and courage ultimately prevail in an ingenious conclusion. In the end I loved this book and I intend to read it again.
June 27, 2018
I started off really loving this book - the voices of the key characters drew a vivid picture of the late 1930s in a backwoods community, of survival during the Depression, of the haunting effects of the brutal World War I on veterans (we’d call it PTSD today), and of the mind of evil. The homeopathy element was also really interesting. Then everything seemed to spiral downwards in tandem with the nervous breakdown of the gentle and sad Dr John Bischoffberger. What is reality and what simply his fevered imagination? The ending left me uneasy but everyone should absolutely judge for themselves.
January 30, 2018
An intriguing read, mixing parts of a medical journal with an otherworldly tale of death and the thoughts of a doctor in 1930s America. Not my usual reading but this was beautifully written and thought-provoking, and sometimes rather scary.
January 31, 2018
A most peculiar tale and one I couldn’t put down. It is beautifully written with such clear imagery that make it worth reading for that alone.
I also know this will be one of those books that will haunt me for a long time
I also know this will be one of those books that will haunt me for a long time
August 9, 2018
Written around an old collection of death records this book is incredible. Dark and at times brutal, it is beautifully written and an absolute rollercoaster to read.
September 13, 2018
*I received a free ARC of this book with thanks to the author, Unbound, and Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
This novel reads like a fever dream set in 1930’s America. Hot, dusty and oppressively atmospheric, the authenticity of the setting serves to highlight the surreality of the content.
The main character is Dr John Bischoffberger who, slowly unravelling from WWI PTSD and the strain of his work and family life, takes up literal and metaphorical arms in a fight against death itself. Other notable characters include ornery old man Joseph Allen with his introductory interjections of homespun wisdom and learned philosophy, and the three unnamed vagrants who appear to be an old woman, a thin man and a little girl, but are clearly much more… maybe everything.
The book is packed with symbolism, patterns and mirroring. John takes up using homeopathy alongside conventional medicine and carefully explains the distillation process with the importance of three drops and he is riddled with religious doubt, yet falls quite easily into belief in the power of the trinity in the woods. Much is made of the respective physical weaknesses of the three, mirroring the dilution of the homeopathic solution, and yet they are able to directly act upon stronger characters to great effect: a placebo effect, hallucination, or a mirror to the frailty of humanity despite our perceived strength? After all, it only takes a lungful of ephemeral smoke or a tiny pellet of lead, a few inches of water or a few inches of sharp steel…
I have never read a book that made me feel quite so small, frail and mortal. The author explores the big issues here: the fine line between strong belief and obsession; our ability to make a change in the small time we have in the world; the purpose of life and the inevitability of death. As for answers, they are left to the mind of the individual character or reader. The ending leaves a sense of futility in the human struggle, but also a feeling of purpose, that we need to find a path through the woods to our own ending, whatever it may be.
There is also exploration on the theme of personal accountability. If a tree falls on someone is that an accidental death? What if someone had taken an axe to the tree previously, with or without intent? Ah, but what if the person who planted the tree seed in the first place chose the spot with murder in mind? These are fascinating moral questions that really induce the reader to ponder their own beliefs and values.
I need to warn that the book is peppered liberally with bad language, violence, graphic death (including suicide) and some disturbing sexual scenes. None of these instances are gratuitous and they all contribute to the plot and character development, specifically the characterisation of ‘the Three’. However, this is not a quick, easy read, and certainly not for more delicate readers.
I would definitely recommend the book to book groups, as it is packed with discussion points, and to readers who like a vivid, gritty read which asks the questions but doesn’t spoon feed the answers.
It can be overstated then, certainly, but hardly ignored or denied. Let me say it again, almost anyplace is built on blood; Cumberland County, Maine, you can be sure is no different.
– Mason Ball, The Thirty Five Timely and Untimely Deaths of Cumberland County
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
This novel reads like a fever dream set in 1930’s America. Hot, dusty and oppressively atmospheric, the authenticity of the setting serves to highlight the surreality of the content.
The main character is Dr John Bischoffberger who, slowly unravelling from WWI PTSD and the strain of his work and family life, takes up literal and metaphorical arms in a fight against death itself. Other notable characters include ornery old man Joseph Allen with his introductory interjections of homespun wisdom and learned philosophy, and the three unnamed vagrants who appear to be an old woman, a thin man and a little girl, but are clearly much more… maybe everything.
The book is packed with symbolism, patterns and mirroring. John takes up using homeopathy alongside conventional medicine and carefully explains the distillation process with the importance of three drops and he is riddled with religious doubt, yet falls quite easily into belief in the power of the trinity in the woods. Much is made of the respective physical weaknesses of the three, mirroring the dilution of the homeopathic solution, and yet they are able to directly act upon stronger characters to great effect: a placebo effect, hallucination, or a mirror to the frailty of humanity despite our perceived strength? After all, it only takes a lungful of ephemeral smoke or a tiny pellet of lead, a few inches of water or a few inches of sharp steel…
I have never read a book that made me feel quite so small, frail and mortal. The author explores the big issues here: the fine line between strong belief and obsession; our ability to make a change in the small time we have in the world; the purpose of life and the inevitability of death. As for answers, they are left to the mind of the individual character or reader. The ending leaves a sense of futility in the human struggle, but also a feeling of purpose, that we need to find a path through the woods to our own ending, whatever it may be.
There is also exploration on the theme of personal accountability. If a tree falls on someone is that an accidental death? What if someone had taken an axe to the tree previously, with or without intent? Ah, but what if the person who planted the tree seed in the first place chose the spot with murder in mind? These are fascinating moral questions that really induce the reader to ponder their own beliefs and values.
I need to warn that the book is peppered liberally with bad language, violence, graphic death (including suicide) and some disturbing sexual scenes. None of these instances are gratuitous and they all contribute to the plot and character development, specifically the characterisation of ‘the Three’. However, this is not a quick, easy read, and certainly not for more delicate readers.
I would definitely recommend the book to book groups, as it is packed with discussion points, and to readers who like a vivid, gritty read which asks the questions but doesn’t spoon feed the answers.
It can be overstated then, certainly, but hardly ignored or denied. Let me say it again, almost anyplace is built on blood; Cumberland County, Maine, you can be sure is no different.
– Mason Ball, The Thirty Five Timely and Untimely Deaths of Cumberland County
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
October 31, 2018
I am the first to admit that I’m not the worlds fastest reader , but The Thirty Five Timely & Untimely Deaths of Cumberland County just gripped me from the start .
I had brought this book and was waiting for the right time to sit back and enjoy it . Once I started, I did not want to put it down .
Work , the need to sleep and the every mundane of life got in the way of wanting to escape in to world of this story . I wanted to read what was going to happen next , read more of the life of the the people of Cumberland County and the fascinating dark happenings occurring around them.
The book is so beautifully written. The Authors use of words and language are so descriptive that it just paint a picture in your mind that just lights the imagination so well , that you can feel and taste yourself there in the scenes of each chapter ar times .
It’s a thought provoking read . It makes you question and think about your ideas and beliefs of the world as a whole . At times it is dark and unnerving and shocks you ,not in horror style , but In a very clever way .
If you like your read to be clever , thought provoking , dark and not a book to put down thorn I I highly recommend this book .
As a first novel by the author it’s very impressive. I cannot wait to read what else is waiting to escape his imagination.
I had brought this book and was waiting for the right time to sit back and enjoy it . Once I started, I did not want to put it down .
Work , the need to sleep and the every mundane of life got in the way of wanting to escape in to world of this story . I wanted to read what was going to happen next , read more of the life of the the people of Cumberland County and the fascinating dark happenings occurring around them.
The book is so beautifully written. The Authors use of words and language are so descriptive that it just paint a picture in your mind that just lights the imagination so well , that you can feel and taste yourself there in the scenes of each chapter ar times .
It’s a thought provoking read . It makes you question and think about your ideas and beliefs of the world as a whole . At times it is dark and unnerving and shocks you ,not in horror style , but In a very clever way .
If you like your read to be clever , thought provoking , dark and not a book to put down thorn I I highly recommend this book .
As a first novel by the author it’s very impressive. I cannot wait to read what else is waiting to escape his imagination.
March 8, 2019
This is one of those books that leaves you affected long after you put it down.
Whilst based on a degree of 'fact' concerning a number of fatalities in Cumberland County, it is wrapped in fiction, the kind you might hear whispered amongst the dense trees of Cumberland County.
It is perhaps slightly allegorical, speaking to how we deal with stress, and grief and change, indeed the 'human condition'.
it deals with death visiting in many forms, a quiet release, an unfortunate end and a petulant rage.
It is so very very beautifully and cleverly written - Dr Bischoffberger and Cumberland County will remain with me for quite some time.
Whilst based on a degree of 'fact' concerning a number of fatalities in Cumberland County, it is wrapped in fiction, the kind you might hear whispered amongst the dense trees of Cumberland County.
It is perhaps slightly allegorical, speaking to how we deal with stress, and grief and change, indeed the 'human condition'.
it deals with death visiting in many forms, a quiet release, an unfortunate end and a petulant rage.
It is so very very beautifully and cleverly written - Dr Bischoffberger and Cumberland County will remain with me for quite some time.
July 12, 2019
An intricate historical horror story and a love letter to anger, this book is extraordinarily evocative and strange. The plot is a compelling descent into a nightmare, but the book's real strength is its texture. Drenched in haunting imagery and with an incredible use of language, this is a book that will sit with me for years to come. With horrific imagery reminiscent of William Hope Hodgson, and a richness of character at home in the works of Walter De La Mare, Mason Ball is an author to become familiar with for anyone in love with the uneasy.
July 28, 2018
This book is not your regular book. It's one that takes you on a journey both wonderful and strange. It makes you think and draws you into the world that the author has created. I am not one to give away details of a story. You should read it and learn about it through your eyes but I will say that you should pick it up and take the journey.
February 11, 2024
Really fun, horrific and tragic. Hit some classic horror notes for me as a Stephen King fan, with a classic supernatural finish. Some grammar/punctuation lacking made some parts hard to read but what a minor complaint haha
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2019
I love this book, it's story has stayed with me, it is one of those books that I want to read again soon, just in case I missed something.
I would receive this book to anyone.
I would receive this book to anyone.
September 19, 2018
When I was first approached for reading this book the cover alone drew me in, and I am glad to report that I was not disappointed. I thought that the authors use of actual medical records throughout was inspired and added to the story in a way that I have not experienced before. In my opinion the characters here are brilliantly created, our protagonist is a fantastically troubled genius, but the strength of this novel lies in the trio who are preying on the locality. I was truly captivated by them while at the same time they scared the living daylights out of me. Let’s just say that although I was reading this at nighttime, I was doing so in quite a well-lit room. With all the doors locked.
I thought this book was fascinating. While I was frightened of the trio, this is not exactly a horror story. Goodreads itself has listed this as history, mainly due to the fact that it is set in the 1930’s and 1940’s, but the are many elements at play here, that all come together to make one brilliant read. I will definitely be recommending (and have already done so) this to more people.
Originally Posted on donjimmyreviews.wordpress.com
I thought this book was fascinating. While I was frightened of the trio, this is not exactly a horror story. Goodreads itself has listed this as history, mainly due to the fact that it is set in the 1930’s and 1940’s, but the are many elements at play here, that all come together to make one brilliant read. I will definitely be recommending (and have already done so) this to more people.
Originally Posted on donjimmyreviews.wordpress.com
October 16, 2018
DNF. Finished 10% of the book and couldn't figure out what it's about. Also, far too many grammatical issues. Life is too short for badly written books.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews