Over 100 years after a mass murder occurred, Nuala and Dermot discover an old diary that chronicles the investigation of that murder and the trial and conviction of an innocent man. As they read about the young journalist Edward Fitzpatrick, they begin to uncover a story that still angers the local inhabitants. As a series of modern crimes occurs, Dermot and Nuala wonder if there is a connection between the past and the present.

That author Andrew M. Greeley has done his homework is evident in his careful reconstruction of a historical time period and a fact-based crime. The story line of Fitzpatrick and the past murders is by far the more interesting one, and readers may happily skip to these italicized sections without missing much about Dermot and Nuala. Good fiction has great conflicts, and the Fitzpatrick story line has enough to keep your interest. --Nancy R.E. O'Brien