Author: Katie Tietjen
Published: April 9, 2024 by Crooked Lane Books
Format: Kindle, 288 Pages
Genre: Historical Amateur Sleuth
First Sentence: Wednesday, October 16, 1946. “Twelve dollars and sixty-seven cents?”
Blurb: Inspired by the real life Frances Lee Glessner.
Maple Bishop is ready to put WWII and the grief of losing her husband Bill behind her. But when she discovers that Bill left her penniless, Maple realizes she could lose her Vermont home next and sets out to make money the only way she knows by selling her intricately crafted dollhouses. Business is off to a good start—until Maple discovers her first customer dead, his body hanging precariously in his own barn.
Something about the supposed suicide rubs Maple the wrong way, but local authorities brush off her concerns. Determined to see “what’s big in what’s small,” Maple turns to what she knows best, painstakingly recreating the gruesome scene in death in a nutshell.
With the help of a rookie officer named Kenny, Maple uses her macabre miniature to dig into the dark undercurrents of her sleepy town, where everyone seems to have a secret—and a grudge. But when one of her neighbors who she never got along withher nemesis goes missing and she herself becomes a suspect, it’ll be up to Maple to find the devil in the details—and put him behind bars.
Drawing inspiration from true crime and offering readers a smartly plotted puzzle of a mystery, Death in a Nutshell is a stunning series debut.
My Opinion: This historical mystery grabbed me from the first chapter.
Mabel “Maple” Bishop, a World War II widow, is finding her way in rural Vermont after her husband’s death. Her husband was a good man and well-liked by the community, but Maple’s honesty has caused rejection from the townspeople.
Maple has been left with no money, and though she is an attorney, the town will not accept a woman in that position. Her only moneymaking skill is in building dollhouses. So, she sets to work, with the help of a local hardware store owner, to generate some cash.
While out on a delivery, Maple, an inquisitive woman with a photographic memory, discovers the body of a local farmer. Initially, she thinks it might be a suicide, but the coroner calls it accidental. When she points out inconsistencies, the police dismiss her opinions. Then Maple gets to work and builds a nutshell of the scene of the crime. With a newly minted officer, Kenny, in tow, she uses budding forensic science to unravel the truth behind the tragedy.
I hope this will become a series since I have enjoyed all the characters and know that Katie Teitjen has found an interesting scientific niche in the Historical / Amateur Sleuth genre.
Blurb: Inspired by the real life Frances Lee Glessner.
Maple Bishop is ready to put WWII and the grief of losing her husband Bill behind her. But when she discovers that Bill left her penniless, Maple realizes she could lose her Vermont home next and sets out to make money the only way she knows by selling her intricately crafted dollhouses. Business is off to a good start—until Maple discovers her first customer dead, his body hanging precariously in his own barn.
Something about the supposed suicide rubs Maple the wrong way, but local authorities brush off her concerns. Determined to see “what’s big in what’s small,” Maple turns to what she knows best, painstakingly recreating the gruesome scene in death in a nutshell.
With the help of a rookie officer named Kenny, Maple uses her macabre miniature to dig into the dark undercurrents of her sleepy town, where everyone seems to have a secret—and a grudge. But when one of her neighbors who she never got along withher nemesis goes missing and she herself becomes a suspect, it’ll be up to Maple to find the devil in the details—and put him behind bars.
Drawing inspiration from true crime and offering readers a smartly plotted puzzle of a mystery, Death in a Nutshell is a stunning series debut.
My Opinion: This historical mystery grabbed me from the first chapter.
Mabel “Maple” Bishop, a World War II widow, is finding her way in rural Vermont after her husband’s death. Her husband was a good man and well-liked by the community, but Maple’s honesty has caused rejection from the townspeople.
Maple has been left with no money, and though she is an attorney, the town will not accept a woman in that position. Her only moneymaking skill is in building dollhouses. So, she sets to work, with the help of a local hardware store owner, to generate some cash.
While out on a delivery, Maple, an inquisitive woman with a photographic memory, discovers the body of a local farmer. Initially, she thinks it might be a suicide, but the coroner calls it accidental. When she points out inconsistencies, the police dismiss her opinions. Then Maple gets to work and builds a nutshell of the scene of the crime. With a newly minted officer, Kenny, in tow, she uses budding forensic science to unravel the truth behind the tragedy.
I hope this will become a series since I have enjoyed all the characters and know that Katie Teitjen has found an interesting scientific niche in the Historical / Amateur Sleuth genre.
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