Monday, July 1, 2013

"Death of a Dyer"

In Death of a Dyer, Eleanor Kuhns's second Will Rees mystery,
Will Rees feels at home. It’s been a long time since he last felt this way—not since before his wife died years ago and he took to the road as a traveling weaver. Now, in 1796, Rees is back on his Maine farm, living with his teenaged son, David, and his housekeeper, Lydia—whose presence contributes more towards his happiness than he’s ready to admit. But his domestic bliss is shattered the morning a visitor brings news of an old friend’s murder.
Kuhns applied the Page 69 Test to the new novel and reported the following:
Wow, what an interesting choice. Page 69 is representative of Death of a Dyer and reveals several of the primary conflicts in the story.

First, Rees's difficulty in readjusting to his home town is clearly delineated. So much of what he remembers about the Dugard community is different now.

He is shocked to realize how his childhood friend Nate (and whose murder he is investigating) has changed. Nate has not only become very wealthy but also a friend of the Carletons, the largest landowners in town. As boys, Rees and Nate had nothing but contempt for James Carleton. But Nate and James became business partners and good friends. And Rees will now have to reacquaint himself with his former nemesis.

And finally, Richard, the prime suspect for his father's murder, is revealed to be courting James' Carleton's daughter Elizabeth and has a notoriety of his own in the town.
Learn more about the book and author at Eleanor Kuhns's blog and Facebook page.

My Book, The Movie: Death of a Dyer.

--Marshal Zeringue