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The Body on the Bed
Reporter Mary Fanning finds the body on the bed, poisoned. Mary finds the body on the bed in the house next door. Smart, tough and inquisitive, she covers the murder trial as the first woman reporter for the Kansas Daily Tribune. Amid the upheaval of post-Civil War Lawrence, she unravels the diabolical plots and desperate lives that led to three dead bodies and a shocking last act.Did a doctor's brazen affair with his patient's wife incite him to murder? On the morning of April 28, 1871, the body of Isaac Miles Ruthman is found poisoned in his bed in Lawrence, Kansas. His doctor, John J. Medlicott, a fervent churchgoer, is arrested and charged with first degree murder. He's carrying a picture of Ruthman's wife, Anne Catherine, and two of her love poems in his wallet. He'd visited Ruthman the previous evening to give him a medicinal powder--a poison cocktail of deadly nightshade and morphine, according to the autopsy. Is it a coincidence that the doctor's wife, Sarah, died suddenly and mysteriously just four months earlier? Did Medlicott first kill her, then Ruthman? Or did Ruthman commit suicide, depressed over his finances and ill health--authorities had to break into his bedroom when they found the door locked from the inside.Mary Fanning, sharp, strong-willed, and the first woman correspondent for the Kansas Daily Tribune, is assigned to report on the trial and investigate Ruthman's poisoning. Her independence leads her to fight for suffrage for women and Blacks in post-Civil War Kansas. Her ardor leads her into an illicit love affair with a woman. Her incisive mind leads her to uncover lives torn by lust, obsession, and deceit, a trail of dead victims, and the fiendish scheme behind the body on the bed."A thrilling tale of murder and betrayal ... a defiant suffragist ... a lurid web of deceit ... impeccably researched."~Kirkus Reviews
358 pages, Hardcover
First published September 26, 2021
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1261 people want to read
About the author
Leonard Krishtalka
14 books33 followers Leonard Krishtalka has enjoyed two parallel careers––professional paleontologist, and author/novelist. As a paleontologist he has led and worked on expeditions throughout the fossil-rich badlands of western Canada and the US, Patagonia, Europe, China, Kenya and Ethiopia, excavating and studying the past life and cultures of the planet. He has held academic posts at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the University of Pittsburgh, the National Science Foundation, Washington, DC, and The University of Kansas, Lawrence.
As a novelist, Krishtalka uses the mystery genre to explore the human condition. He is the author of the award-winning Harry Przewalski novels: The Bone Field, Death Spoke, The Camel Driver, and the forthcoming Native Blood (Dec. 6, 2023). His fifth novel, The Body on the Bed, is historical fiction that investigates a murder and sensational trial in 1871 amid the social upheaval of post-Civil War Lawrence, Kansas.
Krishtalka is also an op-ed contributor to the Lawrence Journal-World, a past columnist for Carnegie Magazine, and author of the acclaimed book, Dinosaur Plots.
As a novelist, Krishtalka uses the mystery genre to explore the human condition. He is the author of the award-winning Harry Przewalski novels: The Bone Field, Death Spoke, The Camel Driver, and the forthcoming Native Blood (Dec. 6, 2023). His fifth novel, The Body on the Bed, is historical fiction that investigates a murder and sensational trial in 1871 amid the social upheaval of post-Civil War Lawrence, Kansas.
Krishtalka is also an op-ed contributor to the Lawrence Journal-World, a past columnist for Carnegie Magazine, and author of the acclaimed book, Dinosaur Plots.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 8, 2021
Reviewer's Note: Thank you to the author for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Plot in brief: A man is found dead in his bed behind a locked door. His doctor is arrested and tried for the murder. But there is more here than meets the eye and it's up to intrepid reporter, Mary Fanning, to solve the case.
The Characters: The author has taken a story from the pages of history, blown off the dust and brought a colorful cast of characters to life. Mary Fanning Apitz is ahead of her time, or perhaps just right for her time. Unhappy in her marriage she finds love in the arms of another woman. She fights for the right to choose her name and espouses the rights of women to vote. To her husband's displeasure she gets a job as a reporter for a local newspaper after the mysterious death of a neighbor. Krishtalka does an amazing job of fleshing out the victim, his floozy wife, the strange doctor and a host of courtroom characters.
The History: I have to admit, I don't know a lot about the period immediately following the Civil War, especially as it pertains to the Mid-West. The story takes place in 1871 in Lawrence, Kansas. We get a real feel for the town and it's inhabitants. I really enjoyed the courtroom scenes which are the bulk of the narrative. I was surprised by how familiar the process seemed. There is a lot to absorb in this story, from the chemistry of poisons to the minutia of daily life in a rural town. I found it all fascinating.
The Writing: Very well written and edited. The prose is fluid and wonderfully descriptive. I really felt like I could picture the scenes in my head. This is the second book I've read by this author and I really enjoy his writing style.
Recommendation: I would highly recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction. Read it for the story--Stay for the history!
My Rating: I give this book 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐stars
The Plot in brief: A man is found dead in his bed behind a locked door. His doctor is arrested and tried for the murder. But there is more here than meets the eye and it's up to intrepid reporter, Mary Fanning, to solve the case.
The Characters: The author has taken a story from the pages of history, blown off the dust and brought a colorful cast of characters to life. Mary Fanning Apitz is ahead of her time, or perhaps just right for her time. Unhappy in her marriage she finds love in the arms of another woman. She fights for the right to choose her name and espouses the rights of women to vote. To her husband's displeasure she gets a job as a reporter for a local newspaper after the mysterious death of a neighbor. Krishtalka does an amazing job of fleshing out the victim, his floozy wife, the strange doctor and a host of courtroom characters.
The History: I have to admit, I don't know a lot about the period immediately following the Civil War, especially as it pertains to the Mid-West. The story takes place in 1871 in Lawrence, Kansas. We get a real feel for the town and it's inhabitants. I really enjoyed the courtroom scenes which are the bulk of the narrative. I was surprised by how familiar the process seemed. There is a lot to absorb in this story, from the chemistry of poisons to the minutia of daily life in a rural town. I found it all fascinating.
The Writing: Very well written and edited. The prose is fluid and wonderfully descriptive. I really felt like I could picture the scenes in my head. This is the second book I've read by this author and I really enjoy his writing style.
Recommendation: I would highly recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction. Read it for the story--Stay for the history!
My Rating: I give this book 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐stars
October 24, 2021
I did not like this book that much at all. It is a historical fiction that clumsily mashes together newspaper clippings, our main character's diary entries, and third person narration. Our lead is also a woman who loves other women, and is kind of living with a woman whom she helped get out from under the thumb of her abusive husband. The side characters all are shallow representations of archetypes and kind of boring. I think I would have had a better time with it if the formatting on the ebook was better. It jumps around too much, and some pages only had one paragraph on them for no real reason. It made it extremely difficult to follow, to the point I had stopped having fun with it.
I have no real specifics because I just ended up stop caring about the whole thing. Even the surprise ending was flat. Mary Fanning, the protagonist is not as interesting as I'd hoped she'd be with her profession and her detecting abilities. Overall a massive disappointment from me.
*ARC was given to me in return for my honest opinion
I have no real specifics because I just ended up stop caring about the whole thing. Even the surprise ending was flat. Mary Fanning, the protagonist is not as interesting as I'd hoped she'd be with her profession and her detecting abilities. Overall a massive disappointment from me.
*ARC was given to me in return for my honest opinion
October 10, 2021
A well-crafted novel that reels in the reader until hooked.
The story, set in Lawrence and Garnett, Kansas, in the post-Civil War conditions, covers events from January 1871 to March 1872. Mary Fanning, who, early in the story, becomes the first female reporter for the Kansas City Tribune, is our guide to the story’s events. The event that propels the story occurs on April 27, 1871, when the body of Isaac Miles Ruthman is discovered on a bed, in a lock room. Poison is suspected, but whether intentionally self-administered (suicide) or deceptively done (murder) is the question that the law, the lawyers, and the Tribune’s new report attempt to determine.
The author has taken facts and created an engrossing, seductive narrative to fill in the holes between those facts. He has reviewed the 1,000 plus page transcript of the trial of Dr. John J. Medlicott, physician to both the deceased and his wife, accused of murdering the deceased. These he uses for the court scenes. Also, the author has taken the newspaper articles from the time, mostly by Mary Fanning, and with modest edits has reproduced them in the book to anchor the story to real events.
The author's creative contributions come from filling in the characters of the players, adding dimensions to them no discernable from transcripts or the newspaper articles, and from writing to heighten tension of the story. In particular, Mary Fanning is a thoughtful and determined individual to lead her life on her terms.
As with the author’s other books, there are memorable lines throughout, such as “Geography has no monopoly on idiocy” (page 221) after a description of an altercation turned deadly; or, when one doctor is criticizing a defending lawyer, “… the difference between science and the law lies in the irony of trial and error. Science establishes facts within degrees of error. The law establishes doubt with those degrees of error.” (pages 185-6).
Also, a key trait of the author, and a treat for the readers of his works, is his weaving of science into discussions and, in this case, testimony at court. Darwin then, as by some accounts now in Kansas, is controversial. When the prosecuting attorney attempts to introduce scientific evidence that “Cats and humans share a physical and physiological affinity, as Darwin has–”, the defense shouts “Objection!” and states “A cat is not a person. Indeed, as Genesis tells us, cats and humans are separate creations. We are not prepared to accept Darwin’s theory.” The judge, a lively character in this book’s pages, after some deliberation replies “… using your logic, one could also make the case that because men and women were separately created, as Genesis attests, they are altogether different animals. Apparently, our Congress agrees, judging by the right to vote. Or to serve on the jury for our peers.” (pages 200-1).
Given the author’s own scientific and professional career, I smiled when I read that Mary Fanning had talents in displaying “skulls and skeletons of robins and shrews and three frogs and copperheads…” and had been invited to learn taxidermy at the museum laboratory at the University of Kansas, by its director Francis H. Snow. [U Kansas has a world renown Natural History Museum.]
Last and not least, the author has a knack of having surprise happen right to the end.
FB. A well-crafted suspenseful murder novel, firmly set in historical fact, and imaginatively drawn to fill in character and dialog in post-Civil War Kansas. The author’s finest work to date.
The story, set in Lawrence and Garnett, Kansas, in the post-Civil War conditions, covers events from January 1871 to March 1872. Mary Fanning, who, early in the story, becomes the first female reporter for the Kansas City Tribune, is our guide to the story’s events. The event that propels the story occurs on April 27, 1871, when the body of Isaac Miles Ruthman is discovered on a bed, in a lock room. Poison is suspected, but whether intentionally self-administered (suicide) or deceptively done (murder) is the question that the law, the lawyers, and the Tribune’s new report attempt to determine.
The author has taken facts and created an engrossing, seductive narrative to fill in the holes between those facts. He has reviewed the 1,000 plus page transcript of the trial of Dr. John J. Medlicott, physician to both the deceased and his wife, accused of murdering the deceased. These he uses for the court scenes. Also, the author has taken the newspaper articles from the time, mostly by Mary Fanning, and with modest edits has reproduced them in the book to anchor the story to real events.
The author's creative contributions come from filling in the characters of the players, adding dimensions to them no discernable from transcripts or the newspaper articles, and from writing to heighten tension of the story. In particular, Mary Fanning is a thoughtful and determined individual to lead her life on her terms.
As with the author’s other books, there are memorable lines throughout, such as “Geography has no monopoly on idiocy” (page 221) after a description of an altercation turned deadly; or, when one doctor is criticizing a defending lawyer, “… the difference between science and the law lies in the irony of trial and error. Science establishes facts within degrees of error. The law establishes doubt with those degrees of error.” (pages 185-6).
Also, a key trait of the author, and a treat for the readers of his works, is his weaving of science into discussions and, in this case, testimony at court. Darwin then, as by some accounts now in Kansas, is controversial. When the prosecuting attorney attempts to introduce scientific evidence that “Cats and humans share a physical and physiological affinity, as Darwin has–”, the defense shouts “Objection!” and states “A cat is not a person. Indeed, as Genesis tells us, cats and humans are separate creations. We are not prepared to accept Darwin’s theory.” The judge, a lively character in this book’s pages, after some deliberation replies “… using your logic, one could also make the case that because men and women were separately created, as Genesis attests, they are altogether different animals. Apparently, our Congress agrees, judging by the right to vote. Or to serve on the jury for our peers.” (pages 200-1).
Given the author’s own scientific and professional career, I smiled when I read that Mary Fanning had talents in displaying “skulls and skeletons of robins and shrews and three frogs and copperheads…” and had been invited to learn taxidermy at the museum laboratory at the University of Kansas, by its director Francis H. Snow. [U Kansas has a world renown Natural History Museum.]
Last and not least, the author has a knack of having surprise happen right to the end.
FB. A well-crafted suspenseful murder novel, firmly set in historical fact, and imaginatively drawn to fill in character and dialog in post-Civil War Kansas. The author’s finest work to date.
May 23, 2022
This was a Goodreads Giveaway - thank you, publisher!
I understand this is a fictional account based on a true story and that is one of the things that drew me to it. However, since it is a novel, I am just going to review it without considering its historical background so much, except to say that it's a fascinating case.
I feel like I start book reviews with the words "I'm torn" too often, but it is once again the case with this book. It got off to an interesting start and I loved the main character...even all the female characters, I'd say! I love Mary for the badass feminist she is, and I love Kate for being a dramatic hot mess of the highest order. But, that aside, I felt like half the story was over by the time I was 25% in. The presumed murderer was already on trial. What else was going to happen? And some things did happen, but it took a while to get there.
This book really plods along at a snail's pace. For some reason, I stayed invested. I really liked Mary and I wanted to see how it all played out. Plus, I enjoy a trial! And Mary keeps seeming to figure some things out, but she doesn't share any of it with us until the end of the book. One chapter ends suspensefully with her saying, "I know what happened." But, in the next chapter, she is back to her newspaper, writing about the same information we already had. It isn't until the very end that we get her entire theory, nicely explained for us. It's honestly baffling that no one in the justice system had this thought before she did. I thought there was a bigger twist coming, since this option seemed like a possibility all along! She just put a few of the smaller pieces into place that I hadn't caught yet. I guess they really were more incompetent back in the day. (Not to say it's that much better today, obviously.) The big shock at the end was too little too late. I admit I was almost done writing this review by that point. It took me a loooong time to read this loooong book and I'm not sure everyone will be as patient as I am when only one or two characters are very bright. But I also can't give it the lowest rating, because I did think it was pretty well written and interesting....but maybe not for everyone.
I'll say 2.5 stars, rounded up.
A quote I liked from Mary, who doesn't care for being identified by her married name:
"It’s not ‘Miss’ but ‘Mrs.’—Mrs. Apitz, to be exact, as you will learn when I take the stand. The English language denies women a simple salutation that is independent of marital status. Much like the government denies us the vote. Men are ‘Mr.’—married or not. Plus they have the vote. Why don’t you write an editorial about this egregious inequality for your newspaper. Then I’ll buy you a drink.”
I understand this is a fictional account based on a true story and that is one of the things that drew me to it. However, since it is a novel, I am just going to review it without considering its historical background so much, except to say that it's a fascinating case.
I feel like I start book reviews with the words "I'm torn" too often, but it is once again the case with this book. It got off to an interesting start and I loved the main character...even all the female characters, I'd say! I love Mary for the badass feminist she is, and I love Kate for being a dramatic hot mess of the highest order. But, that aside, I felt like half the story was over by the time I was 25% in. The presumed murderer was already on trial. What else was going to happen? And some things did happen, but it took a while to get there.
This book really plods along at a snail's pace. For some reason, I stayed invested. I really liked Mary and I wanted to see how it all played out. Plus, I enjoy a trial! And Mary keeps seeming to figure some things out, but she doesn't share any of it with us until the end of the book. One chapter ends suspensefully with her saying, "I know what happened." But, in the next chapter, she is back to her newspaper, writing about the same information we already had. It isn't until the very end that we get her entire theory, nicely explained for us. It's honestly baffling that no one in the justice system had this thought before she did. I thought there was a bigger twist coming, since this option seemed like a possibility all along! She just put a few of the smaller pieces into place that I hadn't caught yet. I guess they really were more incompetent back in the day. (Not to say it's that much better today, obviously.) The big shock at the end was too little too late. I admit I was almost done writing this review by that point. It took me a loooong time to read this loooong book and I'm not sure everyone will be as patient as I am when only one or two characters are very bright. But I also can't give it the lowest rating, because I did think it was pretty well written and interesting....but maybe not for everyone.
I'll say 2.5 stars, rounded up.
A quote I liked from Mary, who doesn't care for being identified by her married name:
"It’s not ‘Miss’ but ‘Mrs.’—Mrs. Apitz, to be exact, as you will learn when I take the stand. The English language denies women a simple salutation that is independent of marital status. Much like the government denies us the vote. Men are ‘Mr.’—married or not. Plus they have the vote. Why don’t you write an editorial about this egregious inequality for your newspaper. Then I’ll buy you a drink.”
June 14, 2022
Reporter Mary Fanning finds the body on the bed, poisoned.
Mary finds the body on the bed in the house next door. Smart, tough and inquisitive, she covers the murder trial as the first woman reporter for the Kansas Daily Tribune. Amid the upheaval of post-Civil War Lawrence, she unravels the diabolical plots and desperate lives that led to three dead bodies and a shocking last act.
Did a doctor's brazen affair with his patient's wife incite him to murder? On the morning of April 28, 1871, the body of Isaac Miles Ruthman is found poisoned in his bed in Lawrence, Kansas. His doctor, John J. Medlicott, a fervent churchgoer, is arrested and charged with first degree murder. He's carrying a picture of Ruthman's wife, Anne Catherine, and two of her love poems in his wallet. He'd visited Ruthman the previous evening to give him a medicinal powder--a poison cocktail of deadly nightshade and morphine, according to the autopsy.
Is it a coincidence that the doctor's wife, Sarah, died suddenly and mysteriously just four months earlier? Did Medlicott first kill her, then Ruthman? Or did Ruthman commit suicide, depressed over his finances and ill health--authorities had to break into his bedroom when they found the door locked from the inside.
Mary Fanning, sharp, strong-willed, and the first woman correspondent for the Kansas Daily Tribune, is assigned to report on the trial and investigate Ruthman's poisoning. Her independence leads her to fight for suffrage for women and Blacks in post-Civil War Kansas. Her ardor leads her into an illicit love affair with a woman. Her incisive mind leads her to uncover lives torn by lust, obsession, and deceit, a trail of dead victims, and the fiendish scheme behind the body on the bed.
Mary finds the body on the bed in the house next door. Smart, tough and inquisitive, she covers the murder trial as the first woman reporter for the Kansas Daily Tribune. Amid the upheaval of post-Civil War Lawrence, she unravels the diabolical plots and desperate lives that led to three dead bodies and a shocking last act.
Did a doctor's brazen affair with his patient's wife incite him to murder? On the morning of April 28, 1871, the body of Isaac Miles Ruthman is found poisoned in his bed in Lawrence, Kansas. His doctor, John J. Medlicott, a fervent churchgoer, is arrested and charged with first degree murder. He's carrying a picture of Ruthman's wife, Anne Catherine, and two of her love poems in his wallet. He'd visited Ruthman the previous evening to give him a medicinal powder--a poison cocktail of deadly nightshade and morphine, according to the autopsy.
Is it a coincidence that the doctor's wife, Sarah, died suddenly and mysteriously just four months earlier? Did Medlicott first kill her, then Ruthman? Or did Ruthman commit suicide, depressed over his finances and ill health--authorities had to break into his bedroom when they found the door locked from the inside.
Mary Fanning, sharp, strong-willed, and the first woman correspondent for the Kansas Daily Tribune, is assigned to report on the trial and investigate Ruthman's poisoning. Her independence leads her to fight for suffrage for women and Blacks in post-Civil War Kansas. Her ardor leads her into an illicit love affair with a woman. Her incisive mind leads her to uncover lives torn by lust, obsession, and deceit, a trail of dead victims, and the fiendish scheme behind the body on the bed.
May 7, 2022
Excellently Rendered
Based on a true story of a man found dead in his bed in Lawrence, Kansas in 1871, this is the story of the man charged with murder and his life and trial as seen through the eyes of a newspaper reporter. About a quarter of the book is clearly fiction and about a quarter is fact from the historical record; the author excels at
writing and pacing so well that we can't quite determine where the facts end and the fiction begins. It's also interesting from the standpoint of being just a few years after the Civil War in Kansas, and the author presents the context and the times in entertaining and effective ways. But who cares about all that? First and foremost a great story, well told.
Based on a true story of a man found dead in his bed in Lawrence, Kansas in 1871, this is the story of the man charged with murder and his life and trial as seen through the eyes of a newspaper reporter. About a quarter of the book is clearly fiction and about a quarter is fact from the historical record; the author excels at
writing and pacing so well that we can't quite determine where the facts end and the fiction begins. It's also interesting from the standpoint of being just a few years after the Civil War in Kansas, and the author presents the context and the times in entertaining and effective ways. But who cares about all that? First and foremost a great story, well told.
August 5, 2021
1871 Lawrence & Garnett, Kansas. Early in the morning Belmont with Dr John Medicott discover the dead body of his step-father Isaac Ruthman. Soon Dr. Medicott is arrested and charged wth the murder. Mary Fanning covers the murder trial for the Kansas Daily Tribune as their first woman reporter.
An interesting historical mystery, but unfortunately for me too much time was spent on the trial proceedings. That genre of novel is not that much of an interest to me.
But overall an enjoyable and well-written story.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
An interesting historical mystery, but unfortunately for me too much time was spent on the trial proceedings. That genre of novel is not that much of an interest to me.
But overall an enjoyable and well-written story.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 21, 2023
Excellent historical crime fiction book. Ranks up there with Snow Falling On Cedars!
January 22, 2026
Real Lawrence History
I loved that the places were recognizable. A very entertaining way to learn local history from the 19th century. Long but engrossing. Full of great detail
I loved that the places were recognizable. A very entertaining way to learn local history from the 19th century. Long but engrossing. Full of great detail
October 7, 2022
(I received this book free from the publisher in a goodreads giveaway. Thank you)
While the author obviously did a huge amount of research for this book and the historical story was interesting, this book fell flat. I’m an avid book lover and it took me four months to claw through it. That says a lot right there.
I read quite a bit of historical nonfiction and many of those books read more smoothly and draw in the reader more than this fictionalized account did.
Sadly the imaginative aspects the author added to flesh out the story did not enhance it at all. They only made it longer and slower. My favorite parts of this book were the courtroom scenes. They were the best written parts and most entertaining. He could have cut out 90% of what went on outside the courtroom and made a better book.
I also could have done without the fake diary entries. They interrupted the flow and contributed little. The newspaper articles were cool once I realized they were directly quoted from actual newspaper accounts (at least that’s what the forward suggests) but that should have been more clearly spelled out. Mixing them in with made up journal entries made them feel less believable.
While the author obviously did a huge amount of research for this book and the historical story was interesting, this book fell flat. I’m an avid book lover and it took me four months to claw through it. That says a lot right there.
I read quite a bit of historical nonfiction and many of those books read more smoothly and draw in the reader more than this fictionalized account did.
Sadly the imaginative aspects the author added to flesh out the story did not enhance it at all. They only made it longer and slower. My favorite parts of this book were the courtroom scenes. They were the best written parts and most entertaining. He could have cut out 90% of what went on outside the courtroom and made a better book.
I also could have done without the fake diary entries. They interrupted the flow and contributed little. The newspaper articles were cool once I realized they were directly quoted from actual newspaper accounts (at least that’s what the forward suggests) but that should have been more clearly spelled out. Mixing them in with made up journal entries made them feel less believable.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews