Death of a Mill Girl: A Josiah Beede Mystery (Josiah Beede Mysteries) [Paperback]

Clyde Linsley (Author)

Book Description

Series: Josiah Beede Mysteries | Publication Date: June 25, 2009

Once again, after many years, here is the first book in the critically acclaimed Josiah Beede series of historical mysteries. Critics praised its "richly realized setting and period details, impeccable plotting, and a wise hero made more appealing by his foibles." Set in New England in 1836, the story concerns the murder of a beautiful young girl, one of many, hired to work like slaves in the new textile mills spawned by the Industrial Revolution.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Veteran journalist Clyde Linsley drew upon many years of living and working in New England to capture the essence of the region in "Death of a Mill Girl." A Southerner by birth, he now lives with his family in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (June 25, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1440125015
• ISBN-13: 978-1440125010
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,854,142 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining blend of history and mystery., December 2, 2002

By 

Lawrence Williams (Manchester, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death of a Mill Girl (Josiah Beede Mysteries) (Paperback)

Clyde's Linsley's second novel is an entertaining blend of history and mystery, starring a young lawyer/war hero/farmer/detective named Josiah Beede. (Disclosure: The author and I are old friends.) Set in 1836 New Hampshire, "Death of a Mill Girl" also takes a damning look at the fabric industry, which made owners rich and employees sick. When a girl's body is found on a neighbor's farm by a traveling peddler, Beede agrees to investigate. Beede, we are told, is famous for having solved a crime or two while in New Orleans, where he was a war hero serving under Andrew Jackson. The investigation takes Beede to a nearby mill town, while the peddler, a suspect by default, works on Beede's farm where Randolph, a former slave, can keep an eye on him. The way Randolph is treated and viewed by all these Yankees shows that racism wasn't limited to the South. And Beede's overnight stay with a mill owner sheds light on the economics of the cotton industry, relying on slave labor in the cotton fields and exploited labor in the mill, where the air was choked with fibers and employees were powerless to force changes. From the mill, Beede embarks on a search for the killer that is both involving and surprising. Linsley weaves a lot of background on Beede into the story, creating a fully rounded, believable character from whom we can expect more entertaining adventures in future novels.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful historical mystery, July 7, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Death of a Mill Girl (Josiah Beede Mysteries) (Paperback)

I'm not even a huge mystery fan, but I LOVED this book because of the New Hampshire setting and the broody hero, Josiah Beede. I love books that teach me something without knocking me over the head with it and I learned a ton about mill girls and how badly they were treated. Really, a terrific read--I can't recommend it highly aenough. Great setting, suspenseful plot, and wonderful characterization.