A compelling, character-driven historical mystery with a searing period flavor…
Past secrets, treachery, murder, and intrigue mark Gutteridge’s gripping sixth installment in the Marc Edwards Mystery series. 1838. With his military career behind, Marc is preparing to start as a lawyer. But when Billy McNair, a young soldier, is accused of poisoning Caleb Coltrane, a high-ranking American officer wounded and captured following a battle across the border, Marc takes it upon himself to defend the accused, unaware his quest will throw him into a dark web of a sinister conspiracy of national consequences. Gutteridge, an expert worldbuilder, sets up his historical setting with impressive efficiency, folding his crime story into an insightful and fully realized portrait of the early 19th century’s colonized Canada and the struggles of the fledgling state as it tried to defend itself against American militia raiding across the border. Gutteridge’s narrative is inventive and propulsive and the characters richly detailed. The central mystery adds urgency to the historical snapshot without overpowering it. Lovers of finely crafted historical mysteries will want to take a look.
Death of a Patriot
(A Marc Edwards Mystery Book 6)
Don Gutteridge
Touchstone
Pub date January 7, 2014
ISBN 978-1451690521
Price $8.49 (USD) Paperback