Review: Death in Salem (Will Rees Mysteries #4) by Eleanor Kuhns

• Series: Will Rees Mysteries (Book 4)
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (June 16, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1250067022
• ISBN-13: 978-1250067029

Book Description

 It’s 1796, and traveling weaver Will Rees is visiting Salem, Massachusetts. He's in town to buy a luxurious gift for his pregnant wife, a few yards of well-made fabric from the traders at the famed Salem harbor. While traveling through Salem, however, Rees comes upon a funeral procession for the deceased Mrs. Antiss Boothe. When Rees happens upon Twig, a friend who fought alongside him in the war, he learns that Mrs. Boothe had been very ill, and her death had not come as a surprise. But the next morning, the town is abuzz with the news that Mr. Boothe has also died—and this time it is clearly murder. When the woman that Twig loves falls under suspicion, Twig persuades Rees to stay in Salem, despite the family waiting for him back home in Maine, and help solve the murder.

Rees is quickly pulled into the murky politics of both Salem and the Boothe family, who have long been involved in the robust shipping and trading industry on the Salem harbor. Everyone Rees meets seems to be keeping some kind of secret, but could any of them actually have committed murder?

Will Rees returns in Death in Salem, the next delightful historical mystery from MB/MWA First Novel Competition winner Eleanor Kuhns

About the Author

 Eleanor is a lifelong librarian. She wrote her first story at the age of ten and hasn't stopped since. She lives with her husband and dog in New York State.

http://www.eleanor-kuhns.com

My Review

Death in Salem is the fourth book in the Will Rees Mystery series by author Eleanor Kuhns. Death in Salem is the first book in the series that I have read. It definitely will not be the last.

As a Canadian, I did not learn American history in school. Most of the things that I know I learned by reading books. Reading a delightful novel is the best way to learn history in my opinion! I always enjoy reading books in historical settings.

I've been to Salem before and was very intrigued by the witchcraft history. Eleanor Kuhns does a fabulous job of bringing this dark and fascinating period in history to lift. Will Rees is visiting Salem in order to buy a gift for his wife. He is caught up in a murder involving the Boothe family as his old friend Twig's girlfriend is under suspicion.

I love the authenticity author Kuhns brings to Death in Salem. She portrays the darkness of Salem vividly. Her characters really bring Salem in the late 1700s to life. I enjoyed the twists in the plot and the mood of the novel.

Great historical mystery! Loved learning more about this period. Looking forward to the next book in the series.