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WITNESS IN BISHOP HILL
by Sara Hoskinson Frommer
St. Martin's Minotaur, November 2002
256 pages
$23.95
ISBN: 0312302436


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Joan Spencer and her husband of three months, police lieutenant Fred Lundquist, are making plans for a belated honeymoon trip during the Christmas holidays when Fred's sister calls, asking Fred and Joan to come home to look after their parents while she and her husband take a break. Fred hasn't been home in a long time and Joan has never met her in-laws so they decide they'll stay at a bed-and-breakfast to at least have a little privacy.

Much to Joan's surprise, Joan's college-aged son, Andrew, asks to go---having her son along doesn't quite fit her idea of a honeymoon. Still, Fred's sister has implied that their mother is showing signs of Alzheimer's and, while Fred wants to ignore the notion, Joan's work at the adult day care center makes her more aware of the possibility. When Andrew willingly agrees to stay in the house with Helga and Oscar, it seems that Joan and Fred may still have their honeymoon.

Bishop Hill is a tiny Swedish-American village, steeped in history, where everyone knows everyone else. Even here, though, there are secrets and when Helga wanders off, she's found later hiding in the woods and shaking with fear, claiming someone killed Fred. Fred, of course, is alive and well but he and Joan find a murdered man. Helga is very unclear on what she saw, and her memory fades in and out, but it soon becomes obvious that the killer knows she saw him and her life is in danger. Fred and Joan must work with the local sheriff's department, and very quickly, if they are going to save Helga. Then, Helga disappears again and another body is found...

It's been much too long since the last Joan Spencer mystery and Sara Hoskinson Frommer has come up with a winner once again. Joan is a believable amateur sleuth with the ability to think things through while knowing what should be left up to the police. Frommer also gives us a delightful visit to a community grounded in old-world customs. I highly recommend this to all who love a good traditional mystery.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, August 2002

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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