Carol Amorosi’s A Body in the Square combines historical mystery, political intrigue, and character-driven fiction into a novel that feels larger than a traditional whodunit. Set in Pennsylvania during the tense weeks leading up to the First Continental Congress in 1774, the novel uses murder investigations and smuggling conspiracies to illuminate a society standing on the brink of revolution. Rather than allowing historical events to overwhelm the story, Amorosi keeps her focus firmly on the people whose ordinary lives are gradually consumed by extraordinary circumstances.
In Justice Rendered, we meet an eclectic character named Fred. The town dislikes him because he is what they call a junk dealer. One day Fred has his wares all over the sidewalk as people complain, and the next day he is found murdered. Sheriff Peter Elliot and his squad work diligently to find the culprit but find themselves going in many different directions. What they learn will shock readers.
The author starts her story with a cast of characters one would meet in small-town USA. Karson highlights the shop owners, concerned citizens, and the sheriff’s department. Her inclusion of the multifarious citizens of Anderson is a reminder that all towns have those special people we just cannot figure out. Each character is a reminder that just when you think you know everyone in town, you realize you don’t. Karson’s descriptions of his character are vivid and creative. An example of this is Karson’s description of the hotel manager:
A dapper man in a coat and vest reminiscent of the style worn in the old west stood at the hotel entrance. Manager Phil Meyer, hands on hips and a scowl on his face, confronted Peter. ‘You’ve got to do something about that mess, Sheriff. On top of the unsightly view, when the wind gets up just right, the smell goes straight into our dining room.’
The Monarch Alliance by Jessica James is a political thriller with a historical mystery. It follows Dani Vaughn, an investigative reporter who has made her way to the Mohonk Mountain House for an extended thirty-day stay under the name Danika Hunter, and with temporarily suspended press credentials. The GEM-Co conference is coming up, hosted by the very company she has been investigating for two years. During her stay, she ends up taking in more than the historical hotel and conducting a political investigation. Her curiosity is piqued when she sees Dalton Rivers, an actor who’d disappeared from the spotlight some time ago.
