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Author: Hester Fox
Title: The Widow of Pale Harbor
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Romance
Format: Paperback
Pages: 352
Published: September 17, 2019
Where I got It: My shelf (Gift)
Summary:
Maine, 1846. Gabriel Stone is desperate to escape the ghosts that haunt him in Massachusetts after his wife's death, so he moves to Pale Harbor, Maine, where there is a vacancy for a new minister. Gideon and his late wife had always dreamed of building their own church, and Pale Harbor is the perfect opportunity.
But not all is as it seems in the sleepy town of Pale Harbor. Strange, unsettling things have been happening, and the townspeople know that only one person can be responsible: Sophronia Carver, a widow who lives with a spinster maid in the decaying Castle Carver on the edge of town. Sophronia is a recluse, rumored to be a witch who killed her husband.
When Gabriel meets her, he knows the charming, beautiful woman cannot be guilty of anything. Together, Gabriel and Sophronia realize that the mysterious events have one thing in common: they all contain an element from the wildly popular stories of Mr. Edgar Allan Poe. And when the events escalate to murder, Gabriel and Sophronia must find the real killer, before it's too late for them both.
Review:
This was given to me as a gift and I've been sitting on this for a moment, but I finally brought it out.
Gabriel is desperate to start a new life after the death of his wife. He moves to the sleepy town of Pale Harbor, but nothing is as it seems. There has been strange and unsettling things happening and the townspeople are starting to blame Sophronia Carver. She is a widow who lives with a spinster maid on the edge of town. She has become a recluse after the death of her husband, but everyone thinks she killed him and is a witch. Gabriel meets her and realizes she couldn't do what everyone is accusing her of. Will Gabriel and Sophronia discover who the real killer is before it is too late?
I really loved the intertwining of Edgar Allan Poe's works. The mysterious events all have some element from the popular stories. That was a lot of fun. A nice edition to this mystery!
Which! I had my suspects, but I wasn't sure about whodunit and why. The ending was fantastic! Lots of red herrings and lots of suspicious people. Lots of finger pointing too. Poor Sophy.
Now.....I do have a complaint (which seems silly coming from a Romance-lover), but the romance element was overdone. It seemed to dominate the story sometimes. A splash too much for my liking when reading a mystery. I figured there would be some. Two lonely widows...alone in the world...of course. However, it took over the plot sometimes and I would forget I was reading a mystery/thriller for a moment.
Other than that, I did enjoy the story. The mystery was top notch and the extra little elements was a nice touch. I would suggest this for Historical mystery lovers. Just note there is a lot of romance about. 3 stars overall from me.
- Favorite Character(s): Sophy and Tom
- Least Favorite Character(s): Helen
Challenge(s):
- Cloak & Dagger #1
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