Die Like a Hero

Josiah Beede really has a full plate this time around, what with investigating whether President Harrison was murdered, while also looking into the disappearance of a neighbor and protecting Randolph and Louisa from a ruthless slave-catcher who came all the way to New Hampshire to get what he could not get in court in Louisiana. Once the stages are set in all these mysteries, the last half of the book just roars by. I was gobbling it up by whole paragraphs toward the end, when the slave catcher seems about to prevail. Highly recommended.

This is the third book in Linsley's Josiah Beede trilogy. All books are great. Linsley researched all three books extensively. Set in post-Civil War US, they bring out the customs of the era. The first book, Death of a Mill Girl, was set in New Hampshire, Saving Louisa in New Orleans and Die Like a Hero is set in Washington, DC. Characters and settings leap to life. Linsley's beautiful writing and his ability to concoct interesting puzzles make all these mysteries a great read.

I've read several mysteries this year but Die Like A Hero is definitely the most satisfying of them all. Josiah Bede is a wonderful character. He's a quiet, introspective man who'd really like to go be a gentleman farmer but murder and mayhem keeps getting in the way. In this book Josiah is asked to come to Washington and expose a possible conspiracy. President Harrison has died but did the old man really expire due to overwork and cold or was he given a push down Eternity Road? If the president was assasinated who did it and what will happen to the country? In the middle of this tense situation Josiah finds out that his ex girlfriend's new husband has vanished. Will he have a second chance with his sweetheart or did she have somehthing to do with the disappearance? On top of this someone is menacing Randolph and Louisa, Josiah's free black neighbors. This book is small but the large plot is handled very well. I really liked the way Clyde Linsley resisted the urge to turn Josiah Bede into a modern day man in fancy dress. He also manages to give the reader a look into Early America without bogging the story down or sugar coating the past. Although the North had no slavery it wasn't Heaven. Randolph and Louisa face quite a bit of unpleasantness and Linsley doesn't gloss over the rotten hand that was dealt to the Indians either. The book has excellent writing. Excellent characterization, (Randolph is a particularly well done character) an interesting plot and a lovavble hero all make up a terrific book. I'll be looking for more Josiah Bede mysteries.