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When a living history museum turns deadly, an armchair historian must transform herself into a woman of action. It’s the week before Thanksgiving, and history book author, Miranda Lewis, has deadlines to meet. But when a check-in call to her eighteen-year-old niece, Caroline, ends in tears and a hang up, Miranda rushes to Plimoth Plantation, where Caroline works as an interpreter, portraying a Pilgrim woman.
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At the recreated seventeenth-century Pilgrim village in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Miranda encounters protesting Indians, quarrelsome Pilgrims, and finally a grisly murder. Overheard arguing with the victim the night before, Caroline is a suspect in the killing. Determined to clear Caroline’s name, Miranda delves into the present-day lives of the interpreters, including the victim himself. Her quest for the truth also leads her to explore the history of the often troubled relations between the white settlers and the Native peoples. In the end, she finds herself face-to-face with a killer who will stop at nothing to conceal his crime.
Rating
Having visited Plymouth (and Plimoth Plantation Museum), I could tell the author was familiar with the settings and local flavor of the area, which added to the fun in reading it. An historian as amateur sleuth was an excellent choice for the book. The characters were colorful. I admit, I’m one of those who is fascinated by the historical interpreters who portray the Plimoth colonists. Are they primarily actors, or historians? Equal parts of both? This book gives an imaginary entry into their lives, and I’ve often wondered what the historical interpreters themselves think of Ms. Wheeler’s portrayal of them (certainly a few of them have read the book). There are enough red herrings in here to make for a good-paced classic cozy mystery. I read the paperback edition, and was glad to see the digital edition now available. I have not read any others from this series, but this book was entertaining enough to make me interested in doing so. I gave away the paperback to a friend when I was done, and now I’m sorry I did. I rarely read a mystery twice, but I’d make an exception for this one. So I hope my friend enjoyed the book, and passed it along to someone else.
This is a very good mystery that includes a lot of historical information about Plimoth Plantation and the Pilgrims as well as the Indians who interacted with them. Each chapter is headed by a quote from either Mourt’s Relation or Good Newes From New England which are real accounts of Pilgrim life written in the 1600’s. The characters in the book are each very different and some are quite eccentric. In this installment of Leslie Wheeler’s Miranda Lewis Mystery series, Miranda has a frantic communication from her niece who is an interpreter of living history at Plimoth Plantation, so Miranda goes right away to find a very disturbed niece, Caroline. The interpreters speak and dress in the manner of the day. The person who plays the part of Miles Standish is murdered in a very gruesome way and Miranda sets out to find out who killed him and why. This is a very enjoyable book and especially if you like history it has a lot of factual information in it. I found it to be a page-turner and highly recommend it to mystery lovers and historical mystery readers.
I chose to read this book because I have Pilgrim ancestors, and I was curious as to how accurately Plimoth and the Pilgrims would be portrayed in this modern mystery. I found the historical information to be very authentic, and I was drawn into the story, and very much enjoyed the book.
If you like historical novels and also enjoy a good murder mystery, then this is a must read! You will be transcended back in time to the days of the pilgrims with lives complicated by far more modern problems. This interesting blend coupled with the author’s wonderfully descriptive writing style makes the book come to life. The ending was a real surprise. Suggest that you reread the first chapter at the end to see just how intricately this tale was spun!
