Wishful Seeing

June 6, 2016
In the fifth book in Kellough’s (The Burying Ground) historical mystery series, Thaddeus Lewis, a saddlebag preacher and sometimes sleuth in rural Ontario in the 1850s, finds himself in an awkward situation. For the first time since the death of his beloved wife, Betsy, he guiltily feels an attraction to another woman. Ellen Howell, however, is married, and she and her absconded husband are accused of murder. Thaddeus hires a charming young lawyer to defend her because he says he hates “to see anyone subjected to trial without adequate council” but questions his own motives. This all takes place against the backdrop of the construction of a new section of railway that everyone in the area hopes will make them rich. As he investigates, Thaddeus uncovers a fraudulent scheme that could jeopardize the completion of railway and looks like a possible motive for murder. Kellough’s characters are fully realized and believable. Thaddeus is all too human. His granddaughter and housekeeper, Martha, is spunky, smart, and helps Thaddeus solve the case. Kellough masterfully portrays life in pre-Confederation rural Canada and explores sexism and the legal system at the time. A great pick for readers who love a mix of history and mystery. Agent: Robert Lecker, Robert Lecker Agency

June 15, 2016
In 1851, a Canadian minister with a penchant for solving mysteries is suddenly involved in one that will change his life.Thaddeus Lewis, a saddlebag preacher, has just landed a plum circuit whose perks include a large manse in the growing town of Cobourg, the services of an assistant, James Small, and the pleasure of the company of his 15-year-old granddaughter, Martha Renwell, who acts as his housekeeper. The construction of the Cobourg to Peterborough Railway has the area bubbling with hopes of prosperity, raising the value of land and providing employment for the surrounding farms and small towns. At a camp meeting, Lewis meets many of his new flock as well as some who have come along to be entertained. There he makes the acquaintance of George Howell and his wife, Ellen, whose blue dress reminds Lewis of his late wife. Howell is not well-liked, and when Ellen is arrested for murder after her husband vanishes, Lewis feels he must help her. To that end, he finds a young lawyer willing to work for free to enhance his career. Martha finds Mr. Townsend Ashby--clever, handsome, and well-off--attractive and fascinating, much more appealing than James Small, an unwelcome suitor who's been pestering her with his attentions. Lewis, who's already been instrumental in solving several murders (The Burying Ground, 2015, etc.), pitches in with Martha to collect local gossip and other clues in an attempt to find the real killer. George, whom Lewis suspects as a counterfeiter, remains stubbornly missing, and his young daughter, who's hiding on their farm, disappears whenever people come to look for her. It will take a climactic trial to bring the case to a close. An appealing look at life in mid-1800s Canada, full of historical detail, engaging characters, and a murder investigation that takes many surprising twists and turns before it can be solved.

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June 1, 2016
The fifth Thaddeus Lewis mystery, set in 1853, finds the preacher and sleuth looking into a murder in Rice Lake, Ontario. The suspected killer is a woman for whom Thaddeus has a rather inappropriate romantic attraction (for one thing, she's married; for another, she could be a murderer). Much of the charm of the Lewis novels comes from the way they are set in a remote time and place but feel quite familiar. Very loosely based on a real man, Thaddeus Lewis is a wonderful character, and the environment, both landscape and the era itself, is rendered with enough detail to make it seem real but without so much disquisition that it feels like we're reading a history text. And the stories themselves would be entirely at home in contemporary-set mystery novels, which makes the series perfect for readers of historical mysteries and for those who are simply looking for a good yarn, regardless of when it's set.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)