‘Agony Hill’ by Sarah Stewart Taylor. Minotaur, 320 pages, $28
To outsiders, the small, seemingly quiet town of Bethany, Vermont, must seem idyllic in 1962 — far away from the hustle of big cities, a place where everyone knows each other and seems supportive. But that picture of perfection isn’t how the residents view their town, as Sarah Stewart Taylor shows in “Agony Hill,” a solid launch of a new series.
The ramping up of the Vietnam War is beginning to affect the town, with young men facing the draft while others use the area as a gateway to escape to Canada. Farms are being bought to accommodate a new interstate highway that the locals don’t want, fearing it will change the landscape. And as more people move to Vermont, crime follows. Taylor uses this background to create an intimate, slow-burning police procedural with strong, believable characters and an involving plot that captures the essence of a small town during the early 1960s.
Franklin Warren hopes to make a fresh start in Bethany as an investigator for the Vermont State Police’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, distancing himself from Boston, which is full of memories of his deceased wife.
Franklin hasn’t even unpacked when he is called to Agony Hill, a remote area outside of town, to investigate the death of farmer Hugh Weber, who died in his burning barn, which was bolted from the inside. Hugh was a volatile “back-to-the-lander” farmer who moved to Vermont from New York City about 15 years ago. Roundly disliked by just about everyone in town, Hugh had a penchant for writing inflammatory letters to the editor — “always mad about something.” His wife, Sylvie, pregnant with their fifth child, and his four sons kept to themselves, often dressed in thread-bare clothes.
At first, police believe suicide, as Hugh’s death echoes that of another farmer distraught over the interstate plan. But the evidence soon points to murder, and Franklin has no lack of suspects, considering Hugh’s personality.
“Agony Hill” shows how issues of the 1960s echo those of the 21st century — a distrust of government, people quick to judge others. Granted, there are no cell phones, some of the residents don’t even have a phone.
Taylor expertly shows life in a small town with residents’ lives interconnected while myriad secrets ramp up the suspense. A farm wife’s endless work, a former spy’s past, a young couple’s relationship and the challenge of rural life each add to the superb tension of “Agony Hill.”
Franklin is a sturdy character whose intelligence and past show fodder for a long-running series.
Taylor puts aside her well-crafted novels about police detective Maggie D’Arcy, which took place in Long Island and Ireland, for this new series that should prove equally intriguing. Readers will look forward to another trip to Vermont with Franklin Warren.
