Historical mysteries featuring well-known persons usually fall a bit flat with me. I enjoyed this one a bit more than some of those. In it Elizabeth Cady Stanton, acquaintance of the murder victim and her mother, testifies in the case. While local officers are investigating the murder, librarian Glynis Tryon plays an important role in the solution. Set during a time women are struggling to earn the right to own property and vote, the mystery's biggest flaw lies in gaps in evidence collection. The genealogist in me screamed "obtain a copy of the marriage license" in one instance. Another situation in the book's narrative produced one. A license plus other evidence readily available would quickly establish the proof needed for the earlier situation. ( )

First in a series of light murder mysteries, set during the 1848 Woman’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, NY. The main character is a small-town librarian, Glynis Tryon. The social problems, sexism and racism of 19th century America all all reflect the times in which the story is set. The main characters are fictional but real places are used and real people mentioned enough to lend verisimilitude. I enjoyed this book and intend to search out the rest in the series and look for other books by this author. ( )

First in a series of light murder mysteries, set during the 1848 Woman’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, NY. The main character is a small-town librarian, Glynis Tryon. The social problems, sexism and racism of 19th century America all all reflect the times in which the story is set. The main characters are fictional but real places are used and real people mentioned enough to lend verisimilitude. I enjoyed this book and intend to search out the rest in the series and look for other books by this author. ( )

When Seneca Falls librarian Glynis Tryon discovers a body in the canal behind the library, it's assumed the woman's death was a tragic accident. After the woman's injuries have been examined, it becomes apparent that she was murdered. The woman, a stranger in town, claimed to be an heir of a recently-deceased local man, one of the wealthiest farmers in the area. Is the woman's death related to her potential inheritance? While the sheriff, Glynis's good friend Cullen Stuart, is away on business, Glynis conducts an unofficial investigation with his blessing. Meanwhile, Glynis's friend, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, has roped her into canvassing the town's women to see if they would be willing to attend a public meeting on women's rights. Glynis worries that her involvement with Stanton's project may cause her to lose her job as the town's librarian.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I was troubled by some logical inconsistencies and historical anachronisms. The book was set in 1848, the year of the Seneca Falls Convention. This was almost a decade before the first female librarian on record. Melvil Dewey wasn't even born yet, and female librarians didn't become common until he founded his school for the education and training of librarians.

SPOILERS
Elizabeth Cady Stanton had urged the mother of the dead woman to reveal her father's identity to her daughter after his death. She was said to be a friend of the mother's, yet she was contemporary in age to the daughter. It never made sense to me that the mother would have revealed this secret to Stanton and not to her daughter. Also, everyone assumed that the only way to prove the daughter's claim was to find the missing family Bible to see if her birth was recorded there. Her parents had been married and the marriage was later annulled. Both of these events would have generated records, but no one suggested looking for them. These records and her mother's testimony would have supported the daughter's claim. When the dead woman's husband made a claim as her heir, he was asked for and produced their marriage certificate. It didn't seem logical to me that they would look for a marriage record in one instance but not in the other. ( )

Most of the characters here are fictional, but Elizabeth Stanton does have a role, Oliver Winchester (whom I assume created the Winchester rifle has just been mentioned. There's also quite a bit about the Married Women's Property Act and the lead up to the first Woman's Rights Convention. If anyone wonders why an emphasis was needed on women's rights, Monfredo mentions many instances of women's earnings being under the control of their husbands or fathers and their inability to inherit. An interesting aspect of the Married Women's Property Act was that women could inherit for themselves but only money. The deed to property could be controlled again by whatever man had legal control over them.

Add to these facts the story of a about a crime fighting feminist librarian and of course a hunky sheriff and a half blood Indian deputy. She has a whole Glynis Tryon Mystery series. I'm looking forward to reading some more of them.

I recommend this book as perfect historical fiction with an interesting picture of 19th century New York and America, a view of what the early woman's movement was about, and characters who make learning easy, ( )