O' Artful Death

Sweeney St. George #1

by Sarah Stewart Taylor

Newcomer Sarah Stewart Taylor delivers a compelling and atmospheric cozy mystery that introduces Sweeney St. George, an art historian in Boston with a special interest in the art of death. Sweeney becomes interested in Byzantium, Vermont, an art colony that flourished in the late nineteenth century, when she comes upon a photograph of the striking gravestone of a girl who drowned, and may have been murdered, in 1890. The stone is in a tiny cemetery surrounded by other beautiful, if unremarkable, headstones, some dating back hundreds of years. But the unsigned sculpture that marks this young woman’s grave is of extremely high quality and the artist is unrecognizable.

Sweeney is soon hooked, not only on the mystery of who created the beautiful sculpture but also on the details of the events surrounding the girl’s death. When the friend who showed her the gravestone invites Sweeney to visit his relatives in Byzantium for Christmas, she jumps at the chance, knowing full well that the girl’s murder has achieved the status of mythology in the town and hoping she’ll be able to uncover new information. But by the time they arrive, her interest in the girl and the sculpture has gotten around town and, in fact, seems to have disturbed a killer. For not long after Sweeney arrives, one of the girl's descendants is murdered, shot and left lying in the cemetery.

Taylor has written a remarkably accomplished debut mystery in the traditional cozy vein, and she's sure to win over legions of fans with O’ Artful Death.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary, Crime

278 pages, Paperback

First published June 2, 2003

About the author

Sarah Stewart Taylor lives with her husband and three children on a farm in Vermont where they raise sheep and grow blueberries.

Sarah is the author of the Sweeney St. George series and the Maggie D'arcy series. The first Maggie D'arcy mystery, THE MOUNTAINS WILD, was nominated for the Dashiell Hammett Prize and was on numerous Best of 2020 lists. The new Maggie D'arcy novel, A STOLEN CHILD, is out now. AGONY HILL, the first installment in her new series set in Vermont in 1965, will be out in 2024.

Reviews

[C. (Don't blank click my reviews, comment please! · Rating 2 out of 5]

We can’t predict book quality. I reassure my sweet gift-giving friend of this one, that the thrill of receiving it is imprinted on me. I needed this to read a sequel I have had for years.

“O’ Artful Death” pertains to funerary art. Amanda Stevens elaborates on its meanings better, using it in her series. The most superb resource across Canada is Nancy Millar’s “Once Upon A Tomb”. A term leaps to mind that I have never used, in reaction to this début novel: a hot mess. I love the culture of a Byzantium, Vermont art colony inspiring her. That is the sum of praise.

Sweeney St. George’s friend, Toby shows her a headstone denoting contradicting art periods. It is a device that goes no further than giving an unrelated clue. The decedent’s mystery, this novel’s draw, is downgraded to being revealed in a letter that a character withheld. The focus is thefts and murders, including of a puppy; adopted one chapter earlier! A 2018 reviewer rightfully calls out this “provocative cheap tactic”. This protagonist going so far as calling “vegetarians” annoying, is telling! That doesn’t spell bohemian or university culture.

It matters to prioritize contents. This novel dwelled immaturely, on tears over her platonic pal and announces that Sweeney dropped her Mom, for having alcoholism disease. Nothing is woven. Details pile on. The worst aspects are Sweeney’s personality and a murder motive too stupid to believe. It would be easier to own up to it. Move, if need be. Don’t draw attention to yourself or kill!

I have never seen “blush” appear ad nauseam, among thirty year-olds! Sarah Stewart Taylor declares later that Sweeney lost a fiancé. This professor has seen pupil romances galore. How does anyone blush about entering a roomful of people? My grade is two stars.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roaming through old graveyards and burial grounds, I usually did alone, but not only are more real people finding these spots fascinating, now I have a fictional companion, Sweeney St. George, an assistant professor from an institution of higher learning in Boston. Sarah Stewart Taylor’s O’ Artful
Death (Sweeney St. George Mystery #1) introduces the reader to Professor St. George (Sweeney to her friends) and her obsession with ‘graveyard’ art. (Oh, it would have been such great fun to have taken a class such as this when I was in college!) Sweeney’s ‘best’ friend, Toby, has just returned from spending Thanksgiving at an artist colony in Vermont. Would Sweeney wish to accompany him to this artist colony for Christmas? Sweeney has some reservations (her recent past plus), but located at this artist colony is a grave ‘marker’ that does not fall into the known categories of all the other grave designs of Colonial or Victorian that are found in this area. Sweeney’s curiosity answers Toby’s invite with a yes, and the reader & Sweeney are in for a great ride. Cleverly written, a definitely believable setting with dynamic characters, and a few extra surprises, I recommend this book most enthusiastically! 4.25 stars.

[Uglyoldwitch · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know, it seems all I do is complain. There are RULES to writing a novel - good, smart rules. There are really good reasons to adhere to these rules, mainly because they make for a better book and an interesting read. In the first four chapters, most of these major rules were broken, and not for the good of literary fiction.

The prologue, the dull detail-enhanced opening, the over-wrought names, the descriptive glances in the mirror. There were family trees and pointless backstory offered. And not that all the bits and pieces weren't researched and convincing - there was just too much of it and none of it really FIT. Our protagonist has all the typical features - red hair, nice figure, clever fashion sense, a brilliant job where she's adored by students only five years younger. She remembers a lot - childhood memories triggered conveniently by passing objects. There's a murdered corpse in the room and she notices missing artwork and has a flashback. She also knows art, music, history, and furniture - and references odd/obscure facts at random. She prefers Mozart to Handel, can discern British accents by region, drives a quirky car. She has a bizarre name and no explanation is ever offered for this.

My biggest complaint is how the pieces offered just never fit. For instance, we're told her father died by suicide when she was 13. She's now in her late 20's. I assumed we were told this detail because it would somehow matter to the story, that we readers would be asked to recall this at some point. When a character dies and it is assumed to be suicide, our protagonist is convinced that it is murder. Why are we given that particular detail if the character fails to react to it?

I found there were incidents that made me distrust the author. For instance, a couple arrives at a family member's home. They are expected. The three enormous dogs greet them and bark, finally running off after a squirrel. Yet, once they enter the home (the door was unlocked) the owner/Aunt pulls a gun on them. Why? She didn't hear them coming. You INVITED THEM and the dogs were barking - it's broad daylight, but yet your first impulse is to pull a rifle out?

I was also annoyed by the details offered about art and literature. I love Tennyson's The Lady of Shalott, it's one of my favorite poems. There were lots of ways the poem could have been woven into the story exclusively, driven the work, instead the author muddied the waters (bad pun) with other poetry/epitaphs, confusing (rather than educating) us. We get it, you're smart and know lots of little details.

The drinking and sex seemed to be tacked on, to be an afterthought to make our protagonist sound grown up. She has this great love that she's mourning, this guy she might be interested in, yet she boinks some other guy.

As usual, I did finish this book, but I did a fast skim, reading every-other-page or so. For a book that has so many good reviews (and not just on goodreads), I'm embarrassed that I can't find anything positive to add. I loved the cover design and the grammar/editing was good. Beyond that, it could have used another round of revision...

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A totally intriquing mystery. A teacher of cemetery engravings/art in Cambridge, comes across a cemetery drawing on a visit w/friends in Vermont. The history and the research involved to write this mystery is fascinating. I went online to look up some of the "death art" that Sarah had mentioned. I cant believe how much I found. I've read every book in the series and each one u learn a lot about death and history -- one mystery is on the Day of the Dead -- I'm waiting for the next one to be written. You pick up the first book in the series and you wont want them to stop!

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweeney St. George studies gravestones, so an unique one in Vermont is too much for her to resist. It is rumored that a murder is connected to the gravestone, but when a modern murder happens, Sweeney is left wondering what the connection might be. This series has an interesting hook and great characters. The plot was fascinating as well. Good start to an interesting series.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Jane (Avid reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweeney St George is a heroine after my own heart - she loves walking in graveyard and unraveling mysteries. Whilst this is a little slow in places, the mystery is multi layered and there are plenty of twists and turns. Everything is wrapped up in a satisfying way. I enjoyed it.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

O' Artful Death is the debut novel in a mystery series by Sarah Stewart Taylor. The series stars Sweeney St. George, an art historian from Boston who teaches on the art of death. She has had a life full of difficult, emotional relationships and prefers to put all her energy into teaching and her interest in cemetery art. Her best friend shows her a picture of a beautifully carved gravestone that looks more like a statue than a headstone and Sweeney is immediately intrigued by the oddities of the piece. The headstone incorporates imagery that is out of place for the time (Victorian era) and she is even more interested when she finds that there are rumors that the young woman whose grave it marks may have been murdered.

Her friend reveals that the stone is located in a cemetery near his home and he invites Sweeney to spend Christmas with his family and friends. Reluctant to be mixed up in a family atmosphere, she first calls the descendent of the dead woman to find out more of the story. Their conversation is interrupted and when Sweeney calls back the next day, she finds that the woman has died--apparently of a self-inflicted gun shot. The art historian decides that there are too many mysteries for her inquisitive scholarly mind to pass up and she heads wither her friend to a mansion in the historic Byzantium Art Colony. She plans to investigate the local archives and question any long-standing residents to see if she can hunt down the artist who created the piece. She doesn't expect to stir up ancient crimes with a link to those of a more modern nature....and she certainly doesn't expect to find her self in danger of joining the dead in the mysterious graveyard.

This is a very decent first novel. Sweeney is a flawed central character with lots of backstory and lots of emotional issues to work on in future novels. She's a smart woman and walks the fine line between the classic damsel in distress (walking into all sorts of danger without letting anyone know what she's doing) and the ultra-confident, "expert" amateur who can take on whatever villain may come and never have a problem. There are several red herrings--one commenter seems to think there's only one and it's TOO obvious--but for anyone paying attention, there are more. I managed to latch on to the main clue/s and knew who the culprit was before the grand finale, but I didn't figure out quite all of the story. Kudos to Ms. Taylor for maintaining some of the mystification until the end. I look forward to reading more of the series. Three stars.

This review was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting any portion. Thanks.

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't a bad book, but it was a little uneven at times. It almost felt like there were a few false starts with certain plot points. I did not really like any of the characters and that made it difficult to like the book. I had some problems with the main character who seemed to have some issues that weren't really explored. Perhaps delving into Sweeney's psyche would have helped.
At 31% in the Kindle edition I'm kind of disgusted at the ageist inner commentary of Sweeney when talking to Mr. Dammers. "He got up and continued staring at his bookcase for a minute. Sweeney sat uncomfortably. It was like watching a person in a wheelchair try to get up over a curb." Not sure about the author, but that kind of statement is extremely offensive to both disabled and elderly. It is also rather confusing because at 43% of the book, Sweeney supposedly loves listening to and hanging out with "old ladies." "She had always felt she had more in common with the elderly women than with her bewildering peers." So mentally Sweeney is confused about many things and that may be why she is a less sympathetic character.
I really wish authors would stop adding horrific provocative elements that do not move the plot along. Case in point, the puppy that was killed was just a cheap tactic. Not a worthy plot point, not mentioned again in the book, just a gratuitous horrific image; I'm not even completely sure which character killed the poor little puppy and again, not mentioned thereafter, therefore not worth writing.
I certainly hope the other books in the series are better and Sweeney is a more sympathetic character. With so many possible books to read I'm not sure if I'll give any a try.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange story. Bought the book. Came home, looked on GR and saw I had read it and given it 4 stars. I shrugged and put the book in the bookcase. A week later I thumbed through the book and thought it didn't sound familiar. Again in the bookcase. Finally, a while later I relented a started reading. I don't know how K rated this novel but I never read it. So happy I decided to ignore my crazy GR input. I really enjoyed the setting, story and characters.

Great feeling of seclusion with the story set in a so-called island during the winter. The art colony with its exclusive nature added to the isolation despite the many quirky characters.

[Willow Brook · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. This started out rather slowly with lots of discussion about an artists' colony that had been established 130 years earlier. By the middle of the book, the present and past mysteries became more interesting and the tension built nicely. I was a little annoyed by the heroine frequently running into potentially dangerous situations all alone and without telling a soul. But overall, a very interesting, increasingly suspenseful mystery that I wasn't close to figuring out and a quirky, unhappy but very well intentioned heroine to root for.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

An implausible main character who continues to do dumb things, poor editing, even including detail errors (4 am becomes midnight then 4 am again). Uggh.

[Lisa Eirene · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read 80% of it and gave up when I realized I just didn't care. The writing was not good. It was very juvenile and while bits and pieces of the story were interesting, it was largely not.

[Randal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author shows great attention to detail, specifically fashion and home décor. Almost every scene with a female character includes how she's dressed ... often in some detail. Similarly, rooms are also carefully described. It's a real strong point.

Less strong are the gaps. This is NOT a police procedural:
* The police chief, a recent transplant from Boston, gossips about an active case to the local weekly, in the kind of language that would likely get the case thrown out and him sued, then fired for incompetence;
* The suspect in a string of minor burglaries is held without bail for days on end, supposedly because he might also be implicated in a suspicious death, maybe, that might be a suicide. What? This is Vermont ffs. You can't get held without bail here if you're standing over a fresh corpse with a smoking gun in your hand and three fake passports in your pocket.

Then there's any number of inconsistencies to the plot. It's also quite muddled. One of the crimes is a locked-room mystery (OK, snowbound island, but you get the point), which narrows down the suspects, only not much because they are of a sameness ... the rich, artist-types living and staying on the island.

That's as opposed to the filthy, cretinous poor people, who mostly just "go upstairs" a lot when not staring at the TV (not necessarily a euphemism for sex, btw). They go up singly sometimes. There's a definite Deliverance vibe to the rural poor here. Give the banjo player a backwoods Vermon' accent and you've got the folks living at the bottom of the hill here. It's entirely unsympathetic and wildly judgmental at the end of the book, the heroine lectures the single mom about having a second chance (twice!) to not mess her daughter's life up, after the mom fails to look out for her daughter with a known murderer on the loose.

I very much did enjoy the behind-the-scenes of the artists' colony, which was detailed and believable. (Although that's one of the plot holes ... Sweeney is an art historian, yet fails to connect the dots for approximately a bazillion pages between a drowned girl, Pre-Raphaelite art, and the painting by John Everett Millais -- you know, the one that they use at the start of pretty much start every college course on the Pre-Raphaelites.

I feel like I'm being too harsh on Taylor here. I enjoyed the book while I was reading it (except for grinding my teeth at the depictions of the yokels), but when it was over I suddenly started going "Hey, wait a minute." Don't overthink it, let the glamor of the swank artsy Vermont lifestyle woo you, and it's perfectly fine.

3.5 stars.

[Anne, Unfinished Woman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this boring. After 100 pages I gave it up. It is like reading an textbook on moderately known painters, art history, the study of death and its symbols and the bad poetry adorning the headstones of burial sites. Sweeney St. George, a young assistant professor at Cambridge has published a modestly successful book entitled: "The Art of the Grave: Death and the Victorian World. Now she is particularly interested in a large sculpture representing the grave of a young woman, Mary Elizabeth Denholm, death 1890, who was believed to have drowned, but may in fact have been killed. She cannot reconcile the style of art to the time of Denholm's death. The story reads like her research into that piece of art. She agrees to accompany her friend Toby DiMarco home for Christmas break. They both had difficult childhoods, Sweeney's father Paul, a painter, having committed suicide. Toby's family lives in the community of Byzantium, Vermont, home of a large colony of artists during the 19th and 20th centuries. No one knows the artist who created the sculpture. Sweeney intends to find out. She talks to a Ruth Kimball, a descendant of the dead girl, who gives her little information, but warns Sweeney that there are those who will not welcome an investigation. When next Sweeney tries to talk to her, she is told Kimball is dead, shot, perhaps a suicide.

Once in Byzantium with Toby's rather weird family in a beautiful Victorian home, filled with remarkable objects and art, much of it related to King Arthur and the legends, she begins her research. She intends for her findings to become a chapter in the book she currently writing.

I left her reading material at a local library, with many of the book excerpts from her reading quoted in the story. The ten line poem found on the sculpture repeated numerous times in the narrative. I found it tedious and was not compelled to continue though it would be interesting to know the outcome, so I skipped to the end. It is unfortunate as I found the six-foot Sweeney fascinating and the crime that Sweeney encountered was clever.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

O’ARTFUL DEATH is written by Sarah Stewart Taylor. The title is Book #1 of Ms. Taylor’s Sweeney St George Mystery series.
Ms. Sweeney St. George is an accomplished art historian presently living and working in Boston. She has a special interest in the ‘art of death’. She becomes intrigued by several photographs of a New England cemetery given to her by friend, Tony DiMarco. The very beautiful, intriguing, sculptured headstone of one ‘Mary Elizabeth Denholm —- January 3, 1872 to August 28, 1890’ is intriguing because, though late Victorian, it had unusual ‘death images’ inconsistent with the period and a very puzzling poem etched into the sculpture.
Toby is spending the Christmas holidays with relatives in Byzantium, Vermont, the very location of the cemetery and a former art colony, and invites Sweeney to come with him. Sweeney’s curiosity is so intense, she is eager to visit the cemetery and research the art colony and the town itself, Byzantium.
The plot is a bit complicated with many references to art history, particularly the Pre-Raphaelites and their artistic movement.
There are also many references to the Arthurian period and the very famous, lyrical poem “The Lady of Shalott” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson that was a cornerstone of Arthurian legend. (Also, my very own personal favorite poem. I loved all the excerpts.)
The story is further complicated by the murder that occurs the very afternoon that Toby and Sweeney arrive.
I thought this was a wonderful mystery; a wonderful first introduction to Sweeney St. George.
The locations were excellent; the art history references were very interesting and I felt that I learned a thing or two about a previously unknown subject. The characters were interesting and very plausible. The ending was a bit ‘hurried’, but it was a surprise (to me) and many puzzles were solved.
I am looking forward to Book #2 in the series. Meanwhile I am reading “The Lady of Shalott”.

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

First book in the Sweeney St. George series. Sweeney, an art historian, is invited to the country home of a friend, Toby. The home is in a former art colony. Because she is pursuing information about a grave stone of a person who had lived in the colony area, Sweeney says yes.

The mystery, to Sweeney, is who made the grave stone. It is not at all like others of the period and seems to have a story of its own. When she finds the young woman to have died mysteriously, she needs to know more.

But before she knows it, there are other mysteries to solve. Who has been burglarizing homes in the neighborhood. What relationship different residents have to each other and to the young woman from long ago. She hunts in libraries and asks questions of those who might know.

But then one of the residents is murdered. Sweeney suspects she knew something that she was about to tell Sweeney.

Sweeney also meets an odd Englishman, Ian Ball, who behaves mysteriously. Does he have any connection to the events happening around here?

Sweeney finds a diary of a woman who knew the gravestone person, and it suggests some interesting possibilities. Also , several pages are torn out. Why?

I was bothered by some silly minor things. In the diary the writer says "...from whence". Now today many people make that mistake ("whence means 'from where') but years ago people would likely have know the correct meaning. There were other grammatical missteps that would unlikely not have been taken, in other quoted books. These things bother me only because the writers are presumed to be well-educated. I'm surprised that Taylor's many readers did not pick up on them.

The solutions to the different mysteries are on the verge of being ridiculous. I won't go into them because that would spoil the story for those still reading it, but I had many questions. Certainly nobody would have figured them out!

These books are readable and keep my interest. I hope the next readers feel the same.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm enjoying Taylor's Maggie D'Arcy series, I love mysteries, and I'm a genealogist with a keen interest in cemeteries, so O' ARTFUL DEATH seemed like it would be right up my alley. And it is in a lot of ways. In others, it didn't quite meet my expectations. Still, I liked it overall and will continue on with the series.

Sweeney isn't the most warm or appealing character. Although she's only 28, she acts like she's double that age, giving off a serious, fusty, academic vibe. There's nothing wrong with that, since she is a scholar, but it doesn't make her the most exciting heroine in the world. The other characters in the novel are kind of the same - rather ho-hum, without enough development to make them really come alive. I can't say I cared deeply about any of them. As for the cast of artists and models from the past, there are A LOT of them to keep track of, which gets confusing at times.

Plotwise, O' ARTFUL DEATH is rather slow. The story gets bogged down a bit with detail, both concerning cemetery art/symbolism and the history of the Byzantium Art Colony and its residents. Still, it has enough twists to keep the tale from becoming predictable or boring. While I did guess the killer's identity before Sweeney did, I didn't have the motive right and I was wrong about another plot element. I read so many mysteries that it always makes me happy when an author surprises me like that.

All considered, then, I enjoyed O' ARTFUL DEATH. It kept me turning pages. I prefer Taylor's Maggie D'Arcy series, but I'll keep reading this one. I'm interested to see how it evolves and to watch Taylor's writing and plotting improve over time.

If I could, I would give this book 3 1/2 stars; since I can't, I'm rounding up.

[Catsalive · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sweeney St. George, an Boston historian specialising in funerary art, sees a photograph of the striking, atypical gravestone of a girl who may have been murdered at an artists' colony in Byzantium, Vermont, in 1890. Her interest seems to stir up the past because, when Sweeney arrives in the area to investigate the monument, another member of the dead girl's family is murdered in the same cemetery.

An OK read if rather plodding at times &, unfortunately the denouement depends a bit heavily on information we only see towards the end. I quite liked the beginning & felt interested in Sweeney St. George & both the historical & contemporary mysteries, but it meandered & bogged, & many of the plot points ended up being superfluous or just petering out. The story had potential but couldn't sustain my interest in the end, nor did Sweeney fulfil her early promise, so it was a bit of a slog to the finish.

This is a debut novel, so I'd be willing to try the next book in the series if it came my way but I won't be looking for it.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very complicated story.

It starts out with longtime friends and soulmates, Sweeney and Toby, heading to Byzantium, Vermont for Christmas break. Toby has lured Sweeney because of a unique headstone. He is interested in seeing more of Rosemary, who he recently met over Thanksgiving celebrations at his aunt and uncle's home.

When they arrive they are met by Toby's aunt Britta - holding a shotgun. There has been a rash of burglaries lately and people are on edge. Actually, it is more than that, as we read further.

This has a delightful train of twists that explain the many confusing events. More than one character is lying about or withholding information about who they are and where they came from.

Part of the tension is between those on the Island vs those in the city. I enjoyed how Sweeney passed among them all, gathering information and putting the puzzle pieces together.

[Marne Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book drove me crazy, but I also liked it a lot. As a mystery, it makes very little sense, and as a story of real people living in the real world, it makes even less. I’m going to put that down to Taylor being a novice when she wrote this. It seems to me that she’s making the fairly common mistake of writing a mystery based on other mysteries, rather than on real life. (I think she’s probably watched a lot of episodes of Morse, as have I.)

However, there’s a reason why, despite its flaws, this book got picked up by a big-name publisher. Hidden in among all the awkward time gaps and logical inconsistencies, there are some lovely turns of phrase. Taylor is especially strong at physical descriptions of people and places, and this book had a wonderful Christmassy vibe, always welcome at this time of year. I’m willing to read another later entry in this series and see how it develops.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 rounded up

I find myself continuing to "audition" books for a new mystery/crime/cosy crime series to get into, and this was my latest in what is beginning to feel like a long list.

There was a simplicity to this book, not all of the pieces presented quite fit and those that did, did so quickly and perhaps too easily in the end. I admit to being drawn in by the underlying subject matter, the references to the Pre-Raphaelites, and to Victorian era memorials and grave stone symbolism, both great interests of mine in my undergraduate studies many years ago, although these too were somewhat simplistic in their handling.

This was ok and I will try book two in the hope that the writing matures i.e. that there will be less descriptions facilitated by glances in mirrors, that the main character will grow, and the plots develop more depth. Time and further reading will tell.

[N. Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I sped through it because I couldn't stand waiting to find out who the killer/burglar was. It seemed so frustrating to NOT KNOW! I like Sweeney a lot! As the main character she is always piecing together clues and the other characters swam throughout the book and fascinated me. The enchanting setting of the island in Vermont made me want to buy an old farmhouse on the East coast. I really enjoyed the Christmas merriment and the huge old mansions described in this book. I felt like I was in a cold, wintry place as I read -- I loved the descriptions of the river and the haunting, chilling feelings she described.

Sweeney was perplexed by several leads and I, as the reader, was, too. Toby is interesting and I was amazed by the art history knowledge in this book.... now I want to learn more about artists' colonies that existed in the early 1900's!

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've enjoyed her second and am enjoying the third in this series more than this first one. BUT, this one was read during less than ideal circumstances--on a 2 week bus trip from Iowa through New England (Vermont included & why I picked this to take along) with 49 other people. And, yet, it was a finalist for a prestigious award, the Agatha. It was similar to country home murder of the real Agatha's novels--many privileged characters with shared pasts, some murky. Then, add in a beautiful, young outsider with her own agenda.... I couldn't keep the characters straight and could never keep the island layout straight either; evidently my life was too fractured at the time! However, this series has my always favorite hook--learning some history.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweeney St. George is a professor who studies death, teaches and writes books about death. Her fiancé died a year before so she is not sure what to do for Christmas. Her very good friend, Toby invites her to an artist colony in Byzantium, Vermont connected to his family. She decides to go with him when he shows her an unusual gravestone of a girl who died. She is determined to find out who made the gravestone and the history behind it. When she arrives with Toby, she learns the woman she wanted to see committed suicide or was killed. There are also break ins, with unusual things taken in the neighborhood. Interesting story that features death and mystery.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since Sweeney St. George's area of expertise is gravestone art, when her friend Toby shares images of a very unusual stone, she is intrigued, and agrees to accompany him to Vermont for the Christmas holidays. But even before they arrive there is a murder. And the victim is a relative of Mary Denholm, whose stone Sweeney has come to study. Could there be a connection? Sweeney digs deeper into history to try to discover the truth, only to plunge into danger. Excellent characterization and an unusual plot combine to make this book hard to put down; although I did guess the murderer and motive fairly early on.

[Anna Hawes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this one because it was a 'spooky season' recommendation from an author. However, it isn't spooky and it's set at Christmas. It's an amateur detective murder mystery with a protagonist that reminds me of Diana Bishop from the All Souls Trilogy (dark academic vibes). It took place at an art colony that felt a little like the village in Hot Fuzz. I didn't predict the ending and it was reasonable and well-clued. However, there were a lot of characters to keep straight and it was a little slow. Solid, middle-of-the-pack mystery read

[Kivrin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this one as much as I'd hoped to. I liked the characters and the setting for the most part. I liked the historical and literary references. I thought the mystery was too convoluted and parts of it made no sense even after the big reveal. I figured out the who and (at least partially) the why early on. The romance aspect was dumb and again, made little sense. I might try the next book to see if there's any improvement since this one was early in the author's career. Maybe she'll improve.

[Jeanne Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written debut of a series (and for the author). The heroine of this series is interested in funerary art and she comes across a particularly beautiful sculpture in a graveyard. Soon after, she returns to the town where the sculpture is situated and becomes involved in a murder that is committed in the town. Very interesting look at an unusual specialty of art and a very interesting murder mystery.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first time reading this author's work, and it did not disappoint. The story flowed nicely and I found myself not able to put the book down until I finished reading the whole thing! The two interwoven mysteries kept me interested right up to the end. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

[Kathy Wagenknecht · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting setting, rushed ending

The artist’s colony in Vermont is well-developed and believable. The plot line is nearly believable. The problem I had was the 100- yard dash at the end. A little more time devoted to the final reveal would have left me with a much better feeling of satisfied reader.