Agony Hill, Sarah Stewart Taylor
Agony Hill, Sarah Stewart Taylor
List: $35.99 | Sale: $25.20
Club: $17.99

Agony Hill
A Mystery

Author: Sarah Stewart Taylor

Series: Franklin Warren

Narrator: Eric G. Dove

Unabridged: 9 hr 8 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/06/2024

Synopsis

Set in rural Vermont in the volatile 1960s, Agony Hill is the first novel in a historical series full of vivid New England atmosphere and the deeply drawn characters that are Sarah Stewart Taylor's trademark.In the hot summer of 1965, Bostonian Franklin Warren arrives in Bethany, Vermont, to take a position as a detective with the state police. Warren's new home is on the verge of monumental change; the interstates under construction will bring new people, new opportunities, and new problems to Vermont, and the Cold War and protests against the war in Vietnam have finally reached the dirt roads and rolling pastures of Bethany.Warren has barely unpacked when he's called up to a remote farm on Agony Hill. Former New Yorker and Back-to-the-Lander Hugh Weber seems to have set fire to his barn and himself, with the door barred from the inside, but things aren’t adding up for Warren. The people of Bethany―from Weber’s enigmatic wife to Warren's neighbor, widow and amateur detective Alice Bellows ― clearly have secrets they’d like to keep, but Warren can’t tell if the truth about Weber’s death is one of them. As he gets to know his new home and grapples with the tragedy that brought him there, Warren is drawn to the people and traditions of small town Vermont, even as he finds darkness amidst the beauty.

About Sarah Stewart Taylor

Sarah Stewart Taylor is the author of the Sweeney St. George series and the Maggie D'arcy series. Taylor grew up on Long Island in New York, and was educated at Middlebury College in Vermont, and Trinity College in Dublin. She lived in Dublin, Ireland, in the mid-'90s and she now lives with her family on a farm in Vermont, where they raise sheep and grow blueberries.

Reviews

Goodreads review by PamG on July 29, 2024

Agony Hill by Sarah Stewart Taylor is the first book in a new historical mystery series featuring Detective Franklin Warren. Set in 1965 in Bethany, Vermont and the surrounding rural area, Warren has just joined the Vermont State Police and has responsibility for the southern part of the state.......more

Goodreads review by Bam cooks the books on December 08, 2024

*Happy Publication Day!* 3.5 stars. Sarah Stewart Taylor has started a new series which is a historical mystery set in Vermont in the fall of 1965. Detective Lieutenant Tommy Johnson of the Vermont State Police has offered Franklin Warren, the son of his army buddy Allen, a job with Vermont's Bureau......more

Goodreads review by Judy on August 17, 2024

Prior to this book I had only read one by Sarah Stewart Taylor - one of her Maggie D'Arcy series. I was happy to have the chance to read another by her. Description: Set in rural Vermont in the volatile 1960s, Agony Hill is the first novel in a new historical series full of vivid New England atmospher......more

Goodreads review by Katie on May 20, 2024

This is the first book in a new series by Sarah Stewart Taylor (who I have NOT read before), and I really enjoyed it! It is set in the 60s so showcases some old school detective skills along with sleuthing in a different era. I liked the characters a lot. Franklin seemed so haunted but hid his feeli......more

Goodreads review by BiblioPeeks on May 18, 2024

Thank you Sarah Stewart Taylor and Minotaur Books for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own. ______ “That was how it was with other human beings. Until you started digging, you only ever saw snapshots of their lives.” Franklin Warren has recently moved to Bethany, Vermont from Boston for his new jo......more

Quotes

“Listeners will feel like they're nestled in the small town of Bethany, Vermont, in the 1960s.… This mystery is narrated by Eric G. Dove, who adds his own smooth tone to the story, making characters come alive. When Warren finally uncovers the truth of the small town and of Agony Hill, Dove makes it difficult to stop listening.” —AudioFile Magazine“The author of the Maggie D’arcy mysteries (A Stolen Child) launches a historical mystery series with a compassionate, vulnerable detective and a setting so vividly described it could be a character. Julia Spencer-Fleming fans will want to try this one.” —Library Journal (starred review)“Sarah Stewart Taylor’s Agony Hill kicks off a historical mystery series set in a time with shocking parallels to the present, and features a vibrant cast of characters led by handsome but haunted Detective Franklin Warren... Taylor’s strong sense of place and community sets Agony Hill apart, and the mystery of Weber’s fiery demise is resolved in a way that’s both satisfying and thought-provoking.” —Book Page

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