Customer Reviews

Cold Water Crossing: An Account of the Murders at the Isles of Shoals

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This historic murder mystery is a compelling read. Faxon's compassion and insight into the personalities of the people involved, the incompetency of the trial and the prison system all held my interest to the point where I couldn't put the book down. A very detailed, well documented account of two horrific murders. A great read!

This is probably the most poorly written book I have ever read. I do not purport to be an expert on the English language or that I do not make grammatical errors myself, but I also don't write books. The errors with punctuation (ie commas in the wrong place, missing periods, run on sentences missing commas altogether) were astonishing. The other grievance I had with the book is that he repeated his facts over and over and over again, almost obsessively. I do give him credit for the fact that the book was obviously meticulously researched. However, my humble advice? Read a different account of this event.

unable to put down..... riveting . page turner enjoyed. highly recommended great read. enjoyed immencely sue swartz

Cold Water Crossing by David Faxon - This is the best, authentic and well researched book detailing the two most horrific and controversial murders that took place in 19th century New England. This book is a must-read by an outstanding new author on the American scene. Keep them coming, David.

Found the book to be very interesting and it is an easy read. The historic background was superb and it was all woven together quite well. You could picture the places and circumstances in your mind and overall it was an excellent, vivid description of those events. Blending a factual recount together with some moderate amount of conjecture is tricky but this was done very well. I will definitely be watching for the next work done by the author.

This book came up as one of the Amazon recommendations based upon other books I've purchased. I grew up in NH and thought I would give it a shot. I literally couldn't put the book down. I LOVED IT! It was factual, and yet the author, Mr. Faxon took some liberties to give a feeling to the book.
I think even if you are not from NH, you would still appreciate this book. I thought too that the book was well constructed, and easy to follow.....sometimes books that jump between different characters at the same time can become confusing.
I would highly recommend it.....I wish there were some photos of the grave stones, smuttynose Island etc....that might even make it a little more intriguing.
I'm going to buy a few more copies from friends who I think would appreciat it.

I really enjoyed reading David Faxon's book about the murders of two Norwegian women on Smuttynose Island. Mr. Faxon does a great job giving the reader insight into the hardships encountered by the immigrant population coming to America in the late 1800s. Many of the Norwegian men worked hard in the fishing industry to buy their own boats and to bring their families to this country. The book is a spellbounding account of what took place on the Maine island in 1873.

David Faxon is a dynamic author who did a great amount of research for the book. His form of writing kept the reader interested in the material and the outcome of the story. Looking forward to Mr. Faxon's next book.

I have always been fascinated by the hard life our forefathers encountered in the 19th and 20th centuries, in particular the lonely, solace lives of those who worked and fished the New England Seacoast. Faxon paints a vivid account not only of the actual murders themselves, but of the way life really was in the late 1800's. The accounts of the loneliness Maren Honvet endured day after day waiting for her husband to return safely from the sea was magnificently portrayed. The detailed descriptions of the murders themselves and the survival instincts of the victims made this a book I just could not put down.

Great research and writing generated a great and interesting read. When the book is non-fiction, but feels like a thriller novel, you know you have done well. If you enjoy books that bring you back in time and make you feel as if you were there, this book is for you. I am looking forward to Mr. Faxon's next book, which I understand is in the works.