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Gideon Stoltz #2
Nighthawk's Wing
In this thrilling second in the Gideon Stoltz Mystery series it’s now 1836 in the fast-growing town of Adamant. The young Pennsylvania Dutch sheriff Gideon has a new case when a beautiful woman—suspected of witchcraft and residing in a nearby German settlement—is murdered. Suffering from a head injury after a fall off his horse, Gideon can’t recall anything that happened at the time of the woman’s death. As flashes of memory return, he realizes that not only did he know the victim, he was with her the night she died. As Gideon delves into the investigation, he must include himself in the list of suspects.
When Gideon uncovers another dead body, he’s launched on a path to discover the truth, no matter the outcome. Gideon’s estranged wife, True, has her own reluctant methods of investigation. Gifted with unwelcome powers of second sight, True realizes that her husband’s life is in danger—and puts her own life on the line to save him.
When Gideon uncovers another dead body, he’s launched on a path to discover the truth, no matter the outcome. Gideon’s estranged wife, True, has her own reluctant methods of investigation. Gifted with unwelcome powers of second sight, True realizes that her husband’s life is in danger—and puts her own life on the line to save him.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published February 16, 2021
45 people are currently reading
167 people want to read
About the author
Charles Fergus
38 books36 followersI write a mystery series set in the 1830s in a rough-and-tumble county in backwoods Pennsylvania, where an "accidental" sheriff works to solve crimes while battling his own griefs and travails. My most recent Gideon Stoltz mystery, "Nighthawk's Wing" (Arcade Crimewise 2021), received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. It's the sequel to "A Stranger Here Below" (Arcade Crimewise, 2019), which just came out in paperback. I'm currently at work on a third in the series, with the working title "Lay This Body Down." The Gideon Stoltz mysteries take place during the Jacksonian era of American history, when our young nation was flexing its muscles and finding its identity.
Born and raised in central Pennsylvania, I now live on a farm in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. I love to spend time outdoors in all seasons, hiking, snowshoeing, and especially riding horses. I'm married to the writer Nancy Marie Brown. I have written many nature books, and my readers tell me my knowledge of natural history and wildlife helps inform my fiction.
Born and raised in central Pennsylvania, I now live on a farm in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. I love to spend time outdoors in all seasons, hiking, snowshoeing, and especially riding horses. I'm married to the writer Nancy Marie Brown. I have written many nature books, and my readers tell me my knowledge of natural history and wildlife helps inform my fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 6, 2021
I'll be honest, I almost sat this one aside a short bit into the book. I haven't read the first book, and it seemed like there was a lot of backstory mentioned that confused me. However, the story had me intrigued, so I continued on. And I am very glad I did. I enjoyed this one quite a bit.
The plot was well executed and kept me guessing right until the end. The setting was interesting, and the characters were intriguing. I'll definitely keep my eyes peeled for the next book in this series.
Two thumbs up from yours truly.
**ARC Via NetGalley**
The plot was well executed and kept me guessing right until the end. The setting was interesting, and the characters were intriguing. I'll definitely keep my eyes peeled for the next book in this series.
Two thumbs up from yours truly.
**ARC Via NetGalley**
February 28, 2021
I managed to read this book in one day! It was a great, quick read, and I'm grateful to the publisher for the advanced copy! TW: mental health struggles, rape, assault, body mutilation, drug use, murder.
I went into this thinking it was on the cozier side of mystery, but the descriptions and crimes committed were detailed and horrific. It is 1836 and Gideon Stoltz, 23, is the sheriff in Adamant, already running up against walls by being of Dutch descent. Living in a town that is slowly attracting more and more Pennsylvania Dutch settlers due to available land and great crop yields, Gideon is constantly investigating disputes between his fellow German settlers and the others in town. When a dead woman turns up on a German settlement not far out of town, Gideon is in for a challenge - accusations are flying, and a recent head injury has caused Gideon quite a bit of memory loss. When one of the townsfolk not-so inadvertently accuses Gideon of the murder, he is troubled by memory flashes that suggest that it may be true. At the threat of losing his job, Gideon has to race to solve this murder, even as he starts to think he may be the guilty one...
Gideon was a very likeable character. He is struggling throughout to remember the past he's forgotten, while also worried those memories will show him things he doesn't want to remember. The time period was interesting to read about, especially the way early American settlers lived. The detail in the setting, the character development, and the surprise twist at the end had me racing to finish this one! It was really a great, page-turning thriller and I’ll be looking for more from this author in the future!
4🌿
I went into this thinking it was on the cozier side of mystery, but the descriptions and crimes committed were detailed and horrific. It is 1836 and Gideon Stoltz, 23, is the sheriff in Adamant, already running up against walls by being of Dutch descent. Living in a town that is slowly attracting more and more Pennsylvania Dutch settlers due to available land and great crop yields, Gideon is constantly investigating disputes between his fellow German settlers and the others in town. When a dead woman turns up on a German settlement not far out of town, Gideon is in for a challenge - accusations are flying, and a recent head injury has caused Gideon quite a bit of memory loss. When one of the townsfolk not-so inadvertently accuses Gideon of the murder, he is troubled by memory flashes that suggest that it may be true. At the threat of losing his job, Gideon has to race to solve this murder, even as he starts to think he may be the guilty one...
Gideon was a very likeable character. He is struggling throughout to remember the past he's forgotten, while also worried those memories will show him things he doesn't want to remember. The time period was interesting to read about, especially the way early American settlers lived. The detail in the setting, the character development, and the surprise twist at the end had me racing to finish this one! It was really a great, page-turning thriller and I’ll be looking for more from this author in the future!
4🌿
August 28, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery set in backwoods PA and featuring a reluctant young sheriff whose roots lie in the Pennsylvania Dutch community. The history of these German settlers and some of the bad feeling towards them on the part of other settlers was especially interesting to me, as my mother’s family had ancestors who were German settlers of nearby rural Maryland. This was a solid mystery with well developed characters, a not too predictable culprit, and just a touch of of the mystical. The author’s knowledge of nature and birds contributed significantly to the atmosphere and enhanced this bird-lover’s enjoyment. I will surely read the novel in the series that preceded this one, and look forward to the next work-in-progress.
January 14, 2024
Nighthawk's Wing is the second of the Gideon Stoltz series, which is set in the 1830s in North Central Pennsylvania over the western branch of the Susquehanna. I find this time and setting quite interesting.
Stoltz is the young sheriff of the county and he is "Pennsylvania Dutch" which makes him "other" and sets him apart. His background adds interest to the story as does his relationship to his wife, True.
While believe one could read this book as a stand alone, I think reading the first book of the series is a better choice.
The mystery is quite interesting, but not unsolvable.
Stoltz is the young sheriff of the county and he is "Pennsylvania Dutch" which makes him "other" and sets him apart. His background adds interest to the story as does his relationship to his wife, True.
While believe one could read this book as a stand alone, I think reading the first book of the series is a better choice.
The mystery is quite interesting, but not unsolvable.
February 22, 2024
This is the second Stoltz novel I read based on the fact that, all the way back in 2019, I added the first novel to my TBR. I'm working through this list in chronological order for things like this, books that I never would have picked up otherwise.
This second book truly expands on the world built by Fergus in the first book, A Stranger Here Below. Stoltz finds himself needing to solve the murder of a woman in a neighboring town and is battling a dangerous case of amnesia after a fall off his horse. The religious weight of Stoltz's life, and that of his wife True, is a burden carried by him throughout, especially considering the events of the last novel. (Not required reading for this but I would highly recommend it.)
This is a fascinating series. It's not something I usually would read but I am immersed in it and love watching how Fergus writes a crime novel without any modern tools of crimefighting. Yes, I know that Holmes and Watson and Poirot exist, but Stoltz as a character doesn't have the skills, wit, charm, or...expediency...that any of those famous characters have. He's deliberate. Thoughtful. And all of this book, this series, is dripping in atomsphere of the time period in the best possible way. But, that ethereal tone also ends up leading to some sagging moments, especially with the frustrating amnesia plotline. When the main character has amnesia, they'll recover their memorites at exactly the right time. As a reader, it was hard to get through parts of this novel up to that point. Otherwise, it's a lot of Gideon worried he's going to hell, someone telling him something amorphous about how he isn't, him talking about cobwebs in his brain and then returning to solving the murder. It just is a cycle of this until he remembers what actually happened and, even then, his actions and their aftermath aren't resolved. Maybe in #3?
The best evolution this series can take is adding True as a bit of a sidekick of her husband. It's nice to see them working together, being on the same page, and having each other for balance. Plus...way to give your female lead in a period novel some agency. More please!!
This second book truly expands on the world built by Fergus in the first book, A Stranger Here Below. Stoltz finds himself needing to solve the murder of a woman in a neighboring town and is battling a dangerous case of amnesia after a fall off his horse. The religious weight of Stoltz's life, and that of his wife True, is a burden carried by him throughout, especially considering the events of the last novel. (Not required reading for this but I would highly recommend it.)
This is a fascinating series. It's not something I usually would read but I am immersed in it and love watching how Fergus writes a crime novel without any modern tools of crimefighting. Yes, I know that Holmes and Watson and Poirot exist, but Stoltz as a character doesn't have the skills, wit, charm, or...expediency...that any of those famous characters have. He's deliberate. Thoughtful. And all of this book, this series, is dripping in atomsphere of the time period in the best possible way. But, that ethereal tone also ends up leading to some sagging moments, especially with the frustrating amnesia plotline. When the main character has amnesia, they'll recover their memorites at exactly the right time. As a reader, it was hard to get through parts of this novel up to that point. Otherwise, it's a lot of Gideon worried he's going to hell, someone telling him something amorphous about how he isn't, him talking about cobwebs in his brain and then returning to solving the murder. It just is a cycle of this until he remembers what actually happened and, even then, his actions and their aftermath aren't resolved. Maybe in #3?
The best evolution this series can take is adding True as a bit of a sidekick of her husband. It's nice to see them working together, being on the same page, and having each other for balance. Plus...way to give your female lead in a period novel some agency. More please!!
February 13, 2021
Gideon is just 23 years old and Sheriff of Colerain county. It is 1836 and he is not popular as he is of Dutch extraction and other officials are sour over his appointment, especially his superior Fish. Apart from his official problems, he faces personal problems as his wife True has not recovered from the loss of their baby and is in deep depression most of the time.
Balancing his official life with his personal one, Gideon is now drawn into the murder of a young woman Rebecca - someone whose reputation is colorful (having been in prison for murdering her husband) and also the more complicated reputation of being a witch.
Trying to solve this takes all his effort as he is battling amnesia after a severe fall from a horse, and not able to recollect events, dealing with migraine and loss of vision and having no one to confide in as well.
It is a slow moving story reminscent of the times and detection takes much longer than it would today. However, well documented, well told and was interesting to read.
Balancing his official life with his personal one, Gideon is now drawn into the murder of a young woman Rebecca - someone whose reputation is colorful (having been in prison for murdering her husband) and also the more complicated reputation of being a witch.
Trying to solve this takes all his effort as he is battling amnesia after a severe fall from a horse, and not able to recollect events, dealing with migraine and loss of vision and having no one to confide in as well.
It is a slow moving story reminscent of the times and detection takes much longer than it would today. However, well documented, well told and was interesting to read.
February 26, 2021
Nighthawk’s Wing, Book #2 of the Gideon Stoltz series, drew me effortlessly back into 1830s backwoods Pennsylvania and into the lives of its characters.
I so enjoyed reconnecting with Adamant’s Sheriff Gideon Stoltz, both tender and strong in his determination to remain open to truth whatever that may turn out to be. I loved following his wife True into the depths of her love and grief, the prescience of her uncanny insight, the emerging sinew of her personal power. I savored the chance to walk alongside her Gram as she sheltered and emboldened the granddaughter to whom she had transmitted her wisdom and her second sight.
Fergus brings nuance to his depiction of victim and villain alike, evoking in each the interplay of love and passion, grief and guilt. He has a powerful way of telling stories of particular place and time that both captivate and explore universal moral truths. I often found myself pausing to reread passages for the sheer joy of the phrasing, the scenes they evoke, their deeper meanings. And Fergus is funny, too!
I so enjoyed reconnecting with Adamant’s Sheriff Gideon Stoltz, both tender and strong in his determination to remain open to truth whatever that may turn out to be. I loved following his wife True into the depths of her love and grief, the prescience of her uncanny insight, the emerging sinew of her personal power. I savored the chance to walk alongside her Gram as she sheltered and emboldened the granddaughter to whom she had transmitted her wisdom and her second sight.
Fergus brings nuance to his depiction of victim and villain alike, evoking in each the interplay of love and passion, grief and guilt. He has a powerful way of telling stories of particular place and time that both captivate and explore universal moral truths. I often found myself pausing to reread passages for the sheer joy of the phrasing, the scenes they evoke, their deeper meanings. And Fergus is funny, too!
February 15, 2021
It's 1836 and young Gideon Stoltz, the sheriff of Colerian County, is struggling. He fell off a horse and has what is clearly a TBI; most importantly, he's lost part of his memory. His wife True lost their baby and is depressed. He's Pennsylvania Dutch in an area where that isn't a positive. And then Rebecca is found dead, with a nail through her skull. Rebecca killed her husband , some thought she was a witch, and Gideon vaguely recalls being with her on the day of her death. It's a lot. Fergus has created a wonderful character in Gideon (and True who is key here) and the atmospherics are terrific. While this might move a bit slowly in spots, savor it because there are clues along the way. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Don't worry if you didn't read the first book- this will be fine as a standalone. Fans of historical fiction should give this a try.
August 24, 2024
2nd in Gideon Stoltz stories of 1836 PA Dutch sheriff. Rich characters and intriguing small town mystery.
“He hadn't been able to get Rebecca out of his mind. He remembered riding to Sinking Valley only a couple of days after his encounter with her on High Street. Seeking her out in the bakehouse on the Trautmann farm. At night. A secret visit. He saw again the image of the woman in the candlelight, standing behind the chair, gripping its back, a frightened look contorting her face. The next thing he could remember was riding back to Adamant, troubled in his mind, angry, drinking whiskey—throwing away the empty bottle and startling some animal and then falling off his horse.
That much he remembered and no more.”
“He hadn't been able to get Rebecca out of his mind. He remembered riding to Sinking Valley only a couple of days after his encounter with her on High Street. Seeking her out in the bakehouse on the Trautmann farm. At night. A secret visit. He saw again the image of the woman in the candlelight, standing behind the chair, gripping its back, a frightened look contorting her face. The next thing he could remember was riding back to Adamant, troubled in his mind, angry, drinking whiskey—throwing away the empty bottle and startling some animal and then falling off his horse.
That much he remembered and no more.”
December 14, 2020
Gideon Stoltz is 23 years old in 1836, Pennsylvania Dutch, and the sheriff of Colerain County. Called the Dutch sheriff by the folks who think he's too young for this job. He has been sent out into the countryside to investigate a dead body. He hopes this will be quickly solved, as his wife at home is grieving for a baby they have lost and he should be there with her.
And yet, as in all mysteries, nothing is simple. Nothing is easy. People are not trusting and hard to understand.
A first rate mystery, well told, well written, well read.
I read this EARC courtesy of Arcade Crimewise and Edelweiss. Pub date 02/02/21
And yet, as in all mysteries, nothing is simple. Nothing is easy. People are not trusting and hard to understand.
A first rate mystery, well told, well written, well read.
I read this EARC courtesy of Arcade Crimewise and Edelweiss. Pub date 02/02/21
June 1, 2021
A fast read. The young PA Dutch sherrif with a concussion and a wife with crippling depression has to solve the murder of a woman who nobody knows, but so many have crossed paths with. I like the meandering plot which took me places I did not expect to go. This had some strong elements of historical fiction - the author knows Central PA and, unfortunately, something about the murder of a loved one (see Fergus' bio at https://charlesfergus.com/about). It also had a twist or two of something supernatural. Somehow, it made me think of Harper's "The Dry" - imperfect detective in a specific landscape where the specific culture impacts the investigation.
February 27, 2023
Our hero, Gideon, investigates a murder as he recovers from a fall from which he suffered a concussion and loss of memory. Fergus further develops the set of characters introduced in the first book of this series. And he adds more of what life was like in 1836 Western Pennsylvania. Story starts slow but speeds up to a fulfilling if somewhat over the top ending.
September 25, 2021
Wonderful 2nd book in the series!
I loved the first Gideon Stoltz book and the the second delivers just as much atmosphere. The descriptions of the area, natural world and Gideon's character are so real. Please let there be a third book as I am so interested in the storyline!
I loved the first Gideon Stoltz book and the the second delivers just as much atmosphere. The descriptions of the area, natural world and Gideon's character are so real. Please let there be a third book as I am so interested in the storyline!
March 13, 2022
A great Historical mystery set in 1836 Pennsylvania Dutch Country. I loved how the author gave different viewpoints. Each one helped paint the picture of what had happened and why. The protagonist, Gideon, was very realistic and developed nicely. Great read. I am going back to read book one now.
February 24, 2021
Quick read. I love this series.
April 5, 2021
I would have given this 4 stars if there had been more plot development and less mysticism.
July 2, 2021
Couldn’t put it down! The only thing that is disappointing to me is that the next book in the series hasn’t been written yet.
July 3, 2021
Very well written follow up to the first book in this series. I look forward to more. Chronicles a time in U.S. history that is not well known.
September 18, 2021
Great book! Easy read and well developed plot kept you guessing. Can't wait to read more in his series. Super favorite author in many areas of his writings.
October 11, 2021
Excellent second installment of this fascinating and thoughtful historical detective series, starring Sheriff Gideon Stoltz.
November 10, 2021
Very good mystery novel about a young sheriff investigating a murder in central Pennsylvania in 1836. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading.more by the author.
February 12, 2022
First read of this author. Liked reading a book set in home state of Pennsylvania with Pennsylvania Dutch characters. I would like to now read the first in this series.
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June 18, 2024I love the work that Charles Fergus has assembled for this series. I can see the land that he is describing throughout these tales.
May 2, 2025
An excellent second book in the series. Set in the 1830s Pennsylvania, this series is a murder mystery and historical fiction combined. Well-written with a good flow, finished in one sitting.
August 13, 2021
This book continues the story of Gideon Stoltz inexperienced Sheriff trying to do the best he can. Once again a murder investigation is thrust on him that he must solve by next week or risk losing his job. He does this by asking a lot of questions repeatedly to the same people as that is the only way he knows to do his job.
The setting is 1836 Western Pennsylvania which was not all that far from the Western Frontier. And make no mistake about it, this novel is a Western situated in a pre-Western place. There are good guys and bad guys and some who are a little of both. A great read as we root for Sheriff Gideon to get his man.
The setting is 1836 Western Pennsylvania which was not all that far from the Western Frontier. And make no mistake about it, this novel is a Western situated in a pre-Western place. There are good guys and bad guys and some who are a little of both. A great read as we root for Sheriff Gideon to get his man.
October 19, 2025
Swift, engaging mystery and love story that dances with the art and science of botanics and the heart. The writer slightly touches some issues of race and gender that make me curious how he writes them throughout the series.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews