Deep Water-Murder, Scandal, and Intrigue in a New England Town

by Kenneth M. Sheldon

In the waning days of World War I, William K. Dean was brutally murdered, his body hog-tied and dumped in a rainwater cistern on his farm in the quiet town of Jaffrey, New Hampshire. Suspicion quickly fell on Dean's wife, an invalid in the early stages of dementia. Her friends, outraged at the accusations, pointed instead to a former tenant of Dean’s, whom many suspected of being a German spy. Others believed that Dean's best friend, a politically powerful banker and judge, was involved.

Deep Water is based on extensive research into the Dean murder, including thousands of pages of FBI documents, grand jury testimonies, newspaper accounts, private correspondence, and the archives of the Jaffrey Historical Society.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, History, Mystery

390 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 15, 2022

About the author

Kenneth M. Sheldon is a novelist, playwright and performer. His most recent book is Deep Water--Murder, Scandal and Intrigue in a New England Town. Formerly the West Coast bureau chief for Byte Magazine, his writing has appeared in publications ranging from Acoustic Guitar to Yankee Magazine. His novels appear under his own name, and also as suspense novelist Michael Manley.

Reviews

[Phil Jones]

My father-in-law, who was born in south-western New Hampshire in 1905 and who well-remembered the First World War, he was a teenager, used to regale me with tales of the Kaiser’s spies flashing lights on Mount Monadnock, the dominant physical landmark in the area. He also said, “they murdered a doctor named William Dean in Jaffrey.” German spies? Flashing coded signal lights? In 1918? In remote and rural New Hampshire? Many many miles from, well, anything, certainly anything of military or industrial significance? “Right, Bill,” I thought. “If you say so.”
To say I was skeptical is a severe understatement, but now comes Ken Sheldon’s thoroughly researched and masterful book about the very times, the place, the lights, and the murder itself: Deep Water, Down East Books, Lanham, MD 2022. Darn, how I wish now that I could apologize to Bill. Sheldon confirms it all, at least to my satisfaction. Bill was right after all, but I can’t apologize for my skepticism: The grand old man died in 1994 at the age of 89.
Everyone who has a connection to the times and the place should read Deep Water. Everyone who enjoys unravelling complex true-crime mysteries should read the book. And everyone who has an interest in the culture and history of rural New England when the roads were still equally busy with horses and automobiles, will find its reading well worthwhile.
Sheldon waded through an enormous amount of data, testimony, newspaper reports, statements, transcripts generated in the aftermath of this awful murder which so riled and compelled the attention of the area that it was still on Bill’s mind over sixty years after the fact. In Deep Water, all of the important facts come to you in a carefully controlled, well-written, sequence of revelations. It is a compelling tale that I almost literally could not put down. Though officially still unsolved, I believe Ken Sheldon gets to the truth in the end, but I would caution readers to take it in the order Sheldon presents it and read it from start to finish. It is a lot more than a simple and shallow who-done-it.
How I wish Bill could read it!

[Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly researched and carefully written, this unsolved mystery in a small New Hampshire town in the early 20th century is a fascinating read. Highly recommended.

[Susanne Doremus · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true New England unsolved murder mystery that happened in my town, tales of WW1 espionage and a potential coverup from the influential local leaders? Yes, please! Ever since a Jaffrey old-timer (I've only been here 20 years) told me this story, I have been intrigued with the details. I was so excited when this book came out that I promptly went down to the local bookstore to get my hands on it. It did not disappoint.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the extremely well researched story of the never solved murder of William Dean of Jaffrey, NH, who was killed at his farm in August of 1918. I don't read much true crime, but found this quite interesting, especially because I live just a few towns away from Jaffrey.

[Tabby Shiflett · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars
A very well-written historical account of an unsolved murder that took place during WWI in the Northeastern US, this book reads more like a Whodunit novel. It is organized well and the reader can tell that the author spent an immense amount of time researching the subject matter. An extremely intriguing read, even if you don't know for sure who committed the atrocious crime described in the book. I had never heard of this case before I picked up this book, which is one of the reasons it hooked me. Worth a shot, especially for those readers who may prefer history and true crime.

LibraryThing Early Reviewers

[Lesley Perkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

In depth and incredibly well researched look at a still unsolved crime. Very well written!

[Ruth York · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book while shopping for book gifts for others. See that it occurred in Jaffrey, New Hampshire, and knowing that my husband's great-grandparents and great-great grandparents were buried there, and possibly living there at the time, I was intrigued. So of course, I had to purchase it. Merry Christmas to me.

I dove in excitedly to this book. But that excitement waned a bit. First off, the author repeats information about various town characters. Frequently. Also, the way the book is set up was bothersome to me. It starts out with the crime, and several chapters regarding it and the immediate aftermath. Then we learn the how/why he wrote the book. Oh, then back to the investigation (if one can call it that) and the numerous interviews and hypothesizes about the who/why/how. It might have flowed better if the author had started with why he wrote the book, then started with the crime and gone from there. Also, a proofreader was needed. So many grammatical errors.

Another complaint? Why the intrigue over the Masons? While there could well have been some sort of conspiracy, at least in the investigation part, trying to bring in the Mason for the "secret society" theory was a bit much. One must remember, in that time, a LOT of men were members of various societies. Whether it was the Grange, Masons, Eastern Star, Odd Fellows, etc. Trying to get any traction from the fact that some of the men possibly involved were members just felt sensationalist to me.

Now for the spoiler. If you are looking to find out "whodunnit," look elsewhere. You don't. All those pages, and nothing. To paraphrase the author, "This is what I THINK happened and why." The end. The same as my review. An interesting story of an unsolved crime in a small New England town. But I didn't see evidence of "fresh insights and startling details" that the back cover claims.

[Alex Luhtjarv · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needed a little palate cleanser so I decided to pick this one up that’s been on my shelf for a bit. I lived the next town over and frequented so many of the locations that were mentioned in the book which was the biggest draw for me. My wife’s family actually lived next door to a judge that was involved with the case when they went to translate the stenographer’s notes. I was always vaguely familiar that a murder had taken on a e but I never knew much about the specifics of what took place. The writing style was stilted and repetitive in places but I thought the author pretty objectively laid out the possibilities. I am definitely of the opinion Rich was guilty as hell and only remained free because of the corruption in this small town. Too bad justice was never delivered. I would love to see the play adaptation that he wrote for the 100th anniversary.

[Don Best · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝐷𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟, by Kenneth M. Sheldon, is a triumph of journalistic excellence that succeeds on three distinct levels. It’s a scholarly piece of journalism, a cultural portrait of small-town New England circa 1918, and a gripping whodunit all rolled into one. I enjoyed the book in all its dimensions and was really impressed by the historical detail and crisp writing style that carry the mystery forward. So let Sheldon take you back to the waning days of World War I, to Jaffrey, New Hampshire, where William Kendrick Dean, a gentleman farmer, was murdered by― Well, you’ll have to get the book, won’t you? Hats off to Sheldon for a most excellent read! ― Don Best, author of the 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐺𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑔𝑔𝑒𝑟'𝑠 𝐷𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚

[Diane Burnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deep Water by Kenneth M. Sheldon This is a well written mystery chronicling the events of a murder which took place in Jaffrey, New Hampshire in 1918. This brutal murder divided the town as investigators tried to piece together the who and why William Dean was murdered. This book reads like a true mystery novel, facts are revealed using court documents, newspaper reports and conversations that took place during that time. The information is so clear you feel as if you know the people involved. An amazing amount of research went into this cold case.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and well-researched book describing the cold-case murder of Dr. William Dean in Jaffrey, NH in 1918, and ensuing investigations. Ken Sheldon presents the conflicting evidence, stories, and theories. He ends by presenting his own theory (sensible to me, at least) as to what happened and who he thinks was responsible, although he is very clear it's only a theory. We won't ever know what actually happened. I found the book really interesting because I've lived in the town for 46 years and have heard various stories about the murder.

[Margaret Fast]

I found this book very interesting and intriguing - and it happened in the area I grew up. I recognize names that are still around, and places that will never go away, like Mt. Monadnock. This was a real life who-done-it, and had been investigated from many angles back when it happened. The author did a massive amount of work in researching this local murder, and it shows in his writing. I highly recommend this book for anyone that likes true life mysteries!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d like to round up to 3.5 stars for this true crime book that explores a murder that occurred in Jaffrey, NH. Now I’m fascinated by the idea of a German spy network in the Monadnock region using lights to broadcast codes from mountain to mountain about troop deployments from Fort Devens during WWI. It seems far fetched because of the woods that are so prevalent in the area now, but this area was much more sparsely wooded at the time.

[Celeste Fortin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to read all the facts, the characters and places of real crimes unsolved and our my mind to work to solve it. This real crime of 1918 in New Hampshire got me involved from page 1. I live history so the fact it was over 100 years ago made it intriguing. Not solved!! You need to read it and come to your conclusion. Great reading!

[Sue Shute · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and quick read. Ken does a great job of laying out all the details surrounding the real-life Dean murder. Each chapter is short so you’re encouraged to read another and another.. as someone else said, ours a page turner!

[Cyndy · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first wasn’t sure I would like this book. However, I did! Enjoyed it very much. The way it is written, short chapters with applicable titles, step-by-step laying out the happenings, characters, timelines, and very pertinent issues of the incident. Do not hesitate to read this one!

[Whitney Bacon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really holding out, hoping that by the length of the book I would have a solid answer at the end of it. I didn't, and as disappointing as that was, I also think they didn't get their plausible explanation correct either...

[Clarice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting. Full of facts. I found it repetitive in spots but all in all a good read. I enjoyed Mr. Sheldon's very plausible theory. Who knows what really happened?!?

[David Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific coverage of this mystery...and presented with a very plausible solution after more than 100 years!