Fallen From Grace

Arahpot, Pennsylvania, the setting for J. R. Lindermuth's book, Fallen From Grace, is a peaceful town in the early 1900's. Far removed from the wild, wild west Arahpot is civilized and up to date in all the newfangled  amenities like a telegraph office. Sheriff Sylvester Tilghman has little to occupy his time except drive around in his spanking new Sears and Roebuck buggy and wonder if his lovely Lydia will finally accept his proposal of marriage or, more importantly, if she will invite him to supper. That is - until a teamster delivers a badly wounded man to Doc Mariner's door. It turns out to be murder. 

Who was this man and what connection, if any, did he have with the newly arrived Delbert family? During the course of the investigation the suspicious Valentine Delbert drops dead of - natural causes? That remains to be seen. Did the beautiful new wife poison her obese husband? And what was going on with the girls that worked at Matilda's boarding house? Were they just house maids, with the occasional entertainment assignment, or innocent bystanders?

'Rubbing salt in a raw wound' as Sheriff Tilghman would no doubt say was the appearance of the lovely Lydia's charming cousin, Cyrus Gutshall. Lydia is determined that he will make the ideal deputy for the sheriff and Tilghman is just as determined to stay far away from the obnoxious interloper. But when Tilghman's life is on the line will Gutshall help or hinder?

Fallen from Grace is a delightfully easy read with fascinating characters and a true sense of place. It is also a good mystery with plenty of suspects and enough twists in the plot to offset its leisurely pace. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Learn more about J. R. Lindermuth at Village of Mystery