Death at the Forest's Edge

by Miriam Winthrop

An American couple have been raising their daughters in a community committed to living as people did a hundred years ago. Their plans to separate spark a custody battle that pits tradition against progress and family members from five nations against one another. When one daughter disappears and a member of the historic community is brutally murdered, suspects abound: a Qatari billionaire, a Palm Beach socialite, a German businessman, and the unconventional residents of the community, all with secrets to hide. With a child’s life in the balance and paparazzi gathering, the President of the Azores calls for help.

Anton, Catarina, and Lori—the Trinity Detectives—are back with endearing old friends and new visitors to the Azores. Death at the Forest’s Edge, Book Three of the Azores Heritage Mysteries Series, is set on the picturesque island of Terceira.

230 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2016

About the author

I write fiction about how the human yearning to belong—to a family, a heritage, a place—shapes the people we become. In my more reflective novels, that ache runs quietly through reckonings with disconnection. In my mysteries, it’s found in island communities alive with warmth and gentle humor.

Saudade follows Ann Parker, who has moved through life in deliberate solitude. On Pico, the landscape, the rhythms of the island, and the people offer her an unfamiliar kind of comfort, allowing her to revisit a difficult past with new understanding.

My Azores Heritage Mystery Series follows Anton, Catarina, and Lori through stories rooted in community, family life, and the pleasures and complications of island life. With kindness, insight, and a bit of humor, they uncover the truth behind long-buried secrets and unexpected crimes, their unique blend of talents tested by every new investigation.

Nine Weeks Darkened moves between the intimacy of family life and a society tipping into violence. Maryam Thorne, taken from Syria as an infant, has built her life around independence and self-containment—until she is welcomed into her birth family and discovers belonging. Over the nine weeks of her visit, civil unrest gives way to brutal warfare, and the life Maryam has begun to love becomes increasingly difficult to protect.

At their heart, my books are about the connections that give a life meaning—what disrupts them, what restores them, and what we are willing to do to preserve them.

Reviews

[AlexNJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book (as well as the entire series) is wonderfully deceptive. The layers aren't apparent at first glance, or even until long after the last page has been turned. On the surface, you find a less familiar locale (the Azores islands), some of the most realistic characters I've been happy to meet, and a light but clever mystery. Beneath those, you find valuable life lessons and affirmations of the good in mankind.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's sometimes hard for me to accept that books can be light and still worthwhile. This series has showed me it's possible. Characters you wish were personal friends in a setting you'd like to escape to. The mysteries are uncomplicated, and certainly secondary to warm, fuzzy people and philosophies.

[Penny G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read the entire series (four books so far) but will review all here. I started the series because I was smitten with Winthrop's debut novel: Saudade. These are very different, lighter reads, reminiscent of McCall-Smith's series in that the mysteries are secondary to a collection of lovely characters who keep me returning for more.

I'd say the first book is the least ambitious, very much an introduction to the Azores Islands and a great cast of characters. It's in the third and fourth books that Winthrop really hits her stride, giving readers a comfortable mix of mystery, familiar characters, island backdrop, and personal philosophy.

I'm truly looking forward to the next books in the series.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best of a good series. It was wonderful to visit Winthrop's true-to-life, lovable characters and the beautiful Azores islands again.

[Lily M · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite of the series. So many interesting and vivid characters. Gorgeous descriptions of the island. An uncanny knack for getting into the head of a 4-year-old.

[Alanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best of the series. (But should be read only after reading the preceding books—and know and love the recurring characters.) Twists and turns. Insightful. Well written. Every time I finish an Azores Heritage book, I find myself wishing the detectives were my friends.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Casa do Mar family. The re's always a gentle uplifting message in Winthrop's books so I finish with a smile on my face.