Judgment of the Grave

Sweeney St. George #3

by Sarah Stewart Taylor

GRAVESTONE EXPERT SWEENEY ST. GEORGE'S latest adventure finds her in historic Concord, Massachusetts, investigating a confusing and grisly murder. When the body of an unidentified man dressed in the uniform of an 18th century British soldier is found in the Concord woods, Sweeney can't help but want to know more. Soon, with the help of a young boy who has secrets of his own, she's looking into the 230-year-old disappearance of a local stonecutter who was one of Concord's famous Minutemen. But when her sleuthing collides with Cambridge homicide detective Tim Quinn's own investigation into a more recent disappearance, Sweeney has to face the fact that Concord's historic past may not be laid to rest and that secrets forged during the founding of a nation can come back to haunt the present in terrifying ways.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Academia, Art, Historical Fiction, Adult Fiction

322 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2005

About the author

Sarah Stewart Taylor lives with her husband and three children on a farm in Vermont where they raise sheep and grow blueberries.

Sarah is the author of the Sweeney St. George series and the Maggie D'arcy series. The first Maggie D'arcy mystery, THE MOUNTAINS WILD, was nominated for the Dashiell Hammett Prize and was on numerous Best of 2020 lists. The new Maggie D'arcy novel, A STOLEN CHILD, is out now. AGONY HILL, the first installment in her new series set in Vermont in 1965, will be out in 2024.

Reviews

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I read a biography of an early 18th c. Southern Maine stonecutter, Bartlett Adams earlier this year, and I am enjoying this series so very much, Sarah Stewart Taylor’s Judgment at the Grave
(Sweeney St. George #3) is a pleasing surprise as it is a mystery involving a mid-1700s stonecutter who becomes a member of the the American Revolutionary militia at Concord, MA, but who dies in 1775 when the Redcoats are confronted by The Concord Militia or ‘provincials’ as the British refer to them. Sweeney, an art historian assistant professor at Harvard, has decided to publish a paper on Josiah Whiting of Concord, an practically unknown stonecutter, and she leaves for Concord and its cemeteries to do research. Enter Pres, an older than his 12 years boy who is ill, but also a cemetery enthusiast. Sweeney and Pres work together to help Sweeney with her research, but, of course, a dead body is found wearing an American Revolution re-enactment uniform. It is all quite fascinating and educational as well. I am extremely enjoying this series especially as it incorporates my hobby of a cemetery enthusiast (epitaphs, symbols, styles of gravestones, & the people who are remembered). Taylor’s writing is fluid, the characters believable, and the settings real! Well done, Ms. Taylor. 4.25 stars.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

#3 in the Sweeney St. George series left me a tad disappointed. There were a few places where things did not ring true plot-wise and I agree with another reviewer--why so many potential love interests? The setting of Concord and storylines set in beginnings of the Revolutionary War and the current day (2005) held interest. This book reminded me of Jane Langston's wonderful books (adult and children's) set around Concord and Cambridge and made me long for Langston's accompanying sketches--I really needed visuals of the gravestones as they changed and as they provided a major plot point. Here's hoping #4 rises to original expectations (I read Taylor's 2020 book first and loved it, then went back to this earlier series).

[P.J. Coldren · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable blend of historical mystery combined with contemporary mystery. I particularly relished the depiction of Sweeney St. George and her relationships with the various men in this book; sometimes it's difficult to remember, at least in fiction, that one woman can have many men in her life and not be sure at any given time which man is "right" for her. I'll be looking for others in this series.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why do mystery writers believe their female characters need at least a dozen love interests? I don't know about you, but I just don't meet that many people I find attractive in the normal course of things. Aren't there potentially more interesting questions in a story than whether or not two people are going to have sex or fall in love, or is that just me?

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

JUDGEMENT OF THE GRAVE by Sarah Stewart Taylor is Book #3 of the Sweeney St. George Mystery series.
Our prologue is dated April 19, 1775. Josiah Whiting is one of the best stonecutters in the Concord area of the Massachusetts Colony. Josiah has answered the alarm - the men from the Minuteman companies are to meet at the tavern to prepare for the march of the Red Coats into Concord. He stepped out into the night, into the woods, and was never seen again.

Our main character, Sweeney St. George, an art historian with an interest in funereal art, is visiting the Concord area cemeteries looking for examples of colonial era stone-cutting; specifically examples of the ‘round-skull’ carver, Josiah Whiting.
We are treated to an abundance of colonial, Revolutionary War, and local Concord area facts and descriptions and folklore. We learn about reenactors. We learn of long-kept secrets and jealousies.
The location is wonderful, so incredibly New England. The characters are interesting and a bit quirky. Of course, there is a murder. And we meet Homicide Detective Timothy Quinn once again, along with local (dead and alive) Concord inhabitants.
A wonderful read. *****

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first of Taylor's books that I have read, and it's decent enough that I ordered more.

Sweeney St. George is an art historian. Specifically, she is interested in funerary art, so she comes to Concord to look at gravestones. She is particularly interested in one stone maker, but discovers the work of another that is intriguing.

When a man in a revolutionary war uniform is found dead in the woods near the graveyard, Sweeney starts to see connections that others do not. She provides some assistance to detective Quinn, whom she has met before, and their friendship continues to build.

Meanwhile, she is talking to boyfriend Ian on the phone every night. He wants to visit from England and she is not sure about the idea.

It's a cozy mystery by definition but not too cute so I enjoyed it.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweeney goes to Concord to look for more evidence of gravestones by an unknown carver, but sucked into a mystery when young Pres Whiting discovers a body in the woods. The investigation into the murder intersects with a search for a missing man being conducted by Cambridge detective Tim Quinn, who Sweeney met during a previous case. Once again she helps him untangle the snarls and determine whodunnit &mdah; and why. Excellent!

[Marne Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book more than the last one in the series. People who say it’s too slow are judging it by TV mysteries wrapped up in an hour, I’m sure. I like that we get all the extra stuff about history and about everyone’s personal lives. There’s just one problem. It says “a Sweeney St. George mystery” on the cover, but Det. Tim Quinn takes over the book. I was invested in his story, but maybe he should have had his own series.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good blend of history & mystery, relatable characters, so you want to know what keeps happening with them. However, there are too many lose ends when the book finishes. Lose ends that I think are relative to this particular story. Maybe I missed something.....I won't spoil it....you be the judge.

[Jeanne Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another entry in the Sweeney St George series of mysteries. This, again, featured St George is her role as an expert in funerary articles. She helped to solve a present-day murder and an old murder. Again, it is an interesting series with an interesting hook. I enjoyed it

[Nancy Kent]

I loved the characters in this book. Much richer plot!

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good, smart, and with really human (sad) elements. The author deftly handles the emotions, different characters, and plot lines.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started strong but ended weakly. There was too much going on that didn't add to the story and was distracting.

[Susan W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed.

[Betsy]

2024: Wasn't in the mood for this book. Will try again later.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review_Judgment of the Grave

I think these books are well written. The mysteries are complex, intriguing and the author offers insight into the characters as perspective changes among the major characters in the book. While Sweeney does get involved in solving the mystery, she is usually brought in because of her expertise. Since her work often involve her researching aspects of funerary art, so she just get a bit carried away sometimes and can’t stop researching when she is consulted.

At least she doesn’t run off foolishly and unnecessarily to interview suspects. She is not TSTL, but she does have her moments when she will act a bit recklessly. I like Sweeney. She does need help with her love life, however. She seems to be a commitment-phobe. She also isn’t the nicest person at time – she has this habit of stringing her best friend Toby along who seems to be a bit in love with her (Toby is a guy). She waffles about how she feels about him, but uses him at times. She’s doesn’t go overboard, but she does seem to take advantage of his good nature and feelings for her.

I’m also sad that the author is apparently not writing more books about this character. I’ve read all four and the last one was completed in 2007.

[Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a lot going on with this story, but it all came together in the end. This is my first book in the series (this is book #3 in the series) and I found the characters to be interesting, complex, and flawed. The storyline and mystery definitely kept me guessing and as a good mystery should, had me thinking at one time or another that everyone could be the murderer.

Sweeney St. George is a Harvard art history professor who has come to Concord, MA to research eighteenth-century headstones. Being one who loves to explore historic cemeteries, reading about the stonecutters who created these headstones feed right into my obsession.

The only issue that stood our for me on the, 'what??' factor was that the detective brought his baby daughter to active crime scenes and into the police precinct when he was working. Now, I haven't been into many precincts, but I just found that odd and not sure why Ms. Taylor included it. Did it bother me enough that it took me out of the story, no. I just found it a little bizarre.

Good story, good mystery, good characters. Looking forward to catching up on all the Sweeney St. George mysteries.

[Larraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've fallen in love with this short lived series and have two more to read. This is such an interesting and literate series of books. I guess I can understand why it apparently didn't do well. The author is now writing childrens' books. So unless she lost interest in the series, I can only assume that it didn't sell well. That's too bad because a reader can learn a lot. Sweeney St. George is an art historian whose specialty is grave stones. She is in Concorde researching Josiah Whiting whose grave stones were very artistic and much more unusual than a lot of his contemporaries. When the body of one of the re-enactors is found, it is apparently the body of a professor and historian who was researching the same person as Sweeney but from a totally different angle. Then it turns out it's NOT his body, but someone else. The book features Detective Quinn whose wife committed suicide leaving him with an infant daughter. Soon Sweeney finds herself embroiled in the investigation. It's a fascinating story with a lot of rich detail. It's really too bad that it had to end.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweeney St. George's latest adventure finds her in historic Concord, Massachusetts, investigating a confusing and grisly murder. When the body of an unidentified man dressed in the uniform of an 18th century British soldier is found in the Concord woods, Sweeney can't help but want to know more. Soon, with the help of a young boy who has secrets of his own, she's looking into the 230-year-old disappearance of a local stonecutter who was one of Concord's famous Minutemen. But when her sleuthing collides with Cambridge homicide detective Tim Quinn's own investigation into a more recent disappearance, Sweeney has to face the fact that Concord's historic past may not be laid to rest and that secrets forged during the founding of a nation can come back to haunt the present in terrifying ways.

third in the Sweeney St. George series

[Martha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although this started out well, it was ultimately kind of irritating. If a book is supposed to be more or less realistic fiction, I expect it to follow normal rules. Since when do policemen take babies with them on assignment? And I was very bothered by the murderer's confession. A confession extracted at gunpoint would not have been admissible in court, and there didn't really seem any reason for said murderer to suddenly tell all--no evidence. The whole thing just seemed far-fetched. Then there were way too many subplots that never came to anything. Why spend so much time on Sweeney's various (strange) relationships? And the historical mystery, which is what originally attracted me to the book, turned out not to have any bearing on anything. I liked Sweeney as a character and there was some good potential here, but just too many disjointed parts.

[MrKillick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gleich vorneweg: mir hat das Buch wirklich gut gefallen - vermutlich aus dem gleichen Grund, warum es manchen nicht so gut gefällt. Die Autorin konstruiert den Fall sehr sorgfältig um die amerikanische Unabhängigkeitsbewegung des 18. JH. herum, und nimmt sich ebenso sehr viel Zeit, die einzelnen Akteure zu charakterisieren: kaputte Ehen, alleinerziehende Polizisten, krebskranke Kinder. Für viele Leser hätte man diese Teile sicher rigoros kürzen können, und stattdessen den Kriminalfall schneller vorantreiben sollen; für mich machten sie aber gerade den Reiz des Buches aus, weil die Personen bis in die Nebenrollen wirklich sehr überzeugend und lebendig wirken.

Wer also ruhige, sorgfältig konstruierte Krimis mit viel Lokalkolorit schätzt und vor ein bisschen amerikanischer Geschichte nicht zurückschreckt, müßte mit diesem Buch eigentlich gut bedient sein.

[Jenn Estepp · Rating 3 out of 5]

the third sweeney st. george mystery. they're decent darker cozies, although not as strong as some of the more literary books that i think they're akin.

for the most part, things that bugged me in the first two books have been pared down. that said, sweeney acts really stupidly at the end, and that kind of pissed me off. and there's melodramatic bits that you can see coming for miles and miles. that being said, i'll totally read the fourth and maybe keep an eye out for ones that come out in the future.

[Metagion · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book EXCLUSIVELY for this reason: the character Sweeney St. George is a taphophile (someone that enjoys cemeteries) and this book highlighted the lore and the background of one of the premier stone cutters of the 1700s. Other than that, it's one of those "boilerplate" mysteries that was really good, but a little too "off track" for me (in other words there was some stuff they could've left out and it still would've been good) but a great read.

[Mark Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweeney's interest in grave art leads her to Josiah Whiting, a gravestone carver from the Revolutionary War. But a researcher who was looking into Josiah goes missing. What could Josiah's secret be? Another good story with characters I like. Well, most of them anyway. I still haven't warmed up to Tim Quinn.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Becky Rippel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Number 3 in the series of Sweeney St. George, gravestone expert and Harvard art historian. I had a friend who wrote her master's thesis on gravestone history and I find the subject very interesting! Sweeney has come to Concord, MA to study the works of an 18th century stonecutter. In a Revolutionary War area of a cemetery, she meets Pres Whiting a young boy who tells her about a reenactment taking place nearby. On their way out, they find a body in a Revolutionary War uniform.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another very satisfying mystery from Sarah Stewart Taylor. The setting and the characters were very well done -- the resolution, not so much, in my opinion. I find the main character so appealing though, and the romantic sideplots so nicely handled (as usual), that the randomness of the main plot is easily overlooked.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I enjoyed this book mostly because of its setting in Concord, Massachusetts. I visited Concord last year for the Patriots' Day re-enactment and this story brought it all back. I also found the descriptions of old New England gravestones to be very interesting. Sweeney St George is an off-beat and unusual character, and I learn something new with each installment of this series.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book more than I expected. I have read out almost every author I am following at my branch library, so I decided to start some new (to me) authors, making sure I chose some with several books to their credit. This looked "cute". I am happy to say that it was more interesting than cute. Enjoyed the characters.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mystery itself was reasonably well done, though the ending was weak, and there was kind of a melancholy to the whole thing. Granted, murder doesn't exactly lend itself to cheeriness, but it seemed like everyone - including the detectives - had really messed up lives. Somehow the historical side wasn't as strong as I was expecting, either. Ah well.

[Julie Golding Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series gets better with each subsequent entry. I enjoyed this mystery very much and found the characters compelling and increasingly interesting. I'm especially curious to see what happens in the future between Sweeney and Detective Tim Quinn.