The Strange Death of Mistress Coffin - Softcover

Begiebing, Robert J.

3.03

102 ratings by Goodreads

9781565121454: The Strange Death of Mistress Coffin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1565121457 ISBN 13: 9781565121454

Publisher: Algonquin Books, 1996

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The time is the late 1640s, the place, the New England coast. A young woman has been found dead, stripped naked and thrown in a river. Her husband has mysteriously halted his legal proceedings against the most likely suspect, who has disappeared into the wilderness. Based on an actual unsolved murder that took place in colonial New Hampshire, Robert J. Begiebing's THE STRANGE DEATH OF MISTRESS COFFIN is at once a spellbinding mystery and a fascinating evocation of life in early America. "Unusual and mesmerizing. A striking and original work by a gifted writer with an extraordinary feeling for the past."--E. Annie Proulx, The New York Times Book Review; "Begiebing illuminates 'the dark and wonderful intricacy' of the human heart."-- Yankee. A MYSTERY BOOK CLUB MAIN SELECTION and a LITERARY GUILD SELECTION.

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About the Author:

Robert J. Begiebing was born in Massachusetts and holds degrees from Norwich University, Boston College, and the University of New Hampshire. He is a professor of English at New Hampshire College, where he teaches writing and American literature. He lives with his wife and their family in Newfields, New Hampshire.

From Library Journal:

Inspired by an actual unsolved murder in 17th-century New Hampshire, Begiebing's moody, atmospheric mystery unfolds tantalizingly slowly. A young woman is brutally raped and murdered. Her scholarly husband accuses Jared Higgins of the crime, then suddenly withdraws his accusation. Higgins disappears, abandoning his family. The husband disappears. The facts of the case are laboriously pieced together by Englishman Richard Brown, a newcomer with legal training asked by leading citizens to investigate the crime that so disturbs their peace. Brown, however, finds his investigation hampered by his growing love for Higgins's wife. The novel succeeds as an examination of the complex roots of a crime and its painful aftereffects. Literate and introspective, this will appeal to the thoughtful reader rather than the sensation seeker.
- Beth Ann Mills, New Ro chelle P.L., N.Y.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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