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    Seneca Falls Inheritance
    Seneca Falls Inheritance
    Seneca Falls Inheritance
    Ebook358 pages5 hours

    Seneca Falls Inheritance

    By Miriam Grace Monfredo

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    During the Women's Rights Convention of 1848, a body turns up in the canal -- and town librarian Glynis Tryon stands up to a killer.

    From Publishers Weekly
    In her historically authentic and cleverly entertaining first novel, Monfredo skillfully meshes life in Seneca Falls, N.Y., immediately before the First Women's Rights Convention in 1848 with a page-turning suspense story. Charming spinster librarian Glynis Tryon, like her fellow townspeople, is shocked by the sudden deaths of wealthy Friedrich Steicher and his wife, but she is more surprised by the appearance of a woman who says she is the daughter Steicher never knew. Before the woman can prove her allegation, however, she is murdered. Although suspicion falls heavily on Friedrich's only son, Karl, he denies the woman was his sister, even when her husband comes to town to lay a claim on the estate. Unofficially deputized, Glynis questions those who might have spoken to the woman, and continues the investigation of a second, related murder when the sheriff becomes ill. Historical figures, foremost Elizabeth Cady Stanton, are woven seamlessly into this well-modulated, satisfying tale.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMiriam Grace Monfredo
    Release dateOct 7, 2015
    ISBN9781311371362
    Seneca Falls Inheritance
    Author

    Miriam Grace Monfredo

    Miriam Grace Monfredo lives in western New York State, the scene of her critically acclaimed Seneca Falls Historical Mystery Series. She is a historian and a former librarian. Monfredo's first novel, Seneca Falls Inheritance, Agatha nominated for Best First Mystery Novel 1992, is set against the backdrop of the first Women's Rights Convention held in 1848. Since then she has written eight more novels that focus on the history of America and the evolution of women and minority rights. Her latest book, Children of Cain, is the third volume of a Civil War trilogy set in Washington D.C. and Virginia, during the Union's 1862 Peninsula Campaign.

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    Reviews for Seneca Falls Inheritance

    3.5/5

    54 ratings6 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This is a very cleverly written and historically accurate mystery story. This is the first book in the Glynis Tryon mystery series, and it was a real surprise to me. I hadn't heard a lot about Ms. Monfredo, but started the series because I love historical mysteries so much, and am always on the lookout for new authors. I got much more than I bargained for with this book. The book is very well-written, and the mystery is extremely clever. As well, the historical accuracy is quite remarkable. The book is set in Seneca Falls New York in 1848, just at the time of the famous Women's Rights Convention. Glynis is the town librarian, and very happily single when she finds a dead woman in the water near her library. This woman is a stranger to Seneca Falls, and Glynis, with the help of her friend Cullen Stuart (who happens to be the town policeman)and the quite wonderful Jacques Sundown (who is Cullen's deputy)set out to find out who has committed this crime and most importantly why it was done. I like the way that real historical people are woven into the story, and I like Glynis. Her independence and her intelligence carry the plot along. I look forward to reading more in this series.
    • 3/5
      When Seneca Falls librarian Glynis Tryon discovers a body in the canal behind the library, it's assumed the woman's death was a tragic accident. After the woman's injuries have been examined, it becomes apparent that she was murdered. The woman, a stranger in town, claimed to be an heir of a recently-deceased local man, one of the wealthiest farmers in the area. Is the woman's death related to her potential inheritance? While the sheriff, Glynis's good friend Cullen Stuart, is away on business, Glynis conducts an unofficial investigation with his blessing. Meanwhile, Glynis's friend, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, has roped her into canvassing the town's women to see if they would be willing to attend a public meeting on women's rights. Glynis worries that her involvement with Stanton's project may cause her to lose her job as the town's librarian.I wanted to like this book more than I did. I was troubled by some logical inconsistencies and historical anachronisms. The book was set in 1848, the year of the Seneca Falls Convention. This was almost a decade before the first female librarian on record. Melvil Dewey wasn't even born yet, and female librarians didn't become common until he founded his school for the education and training of librarians.SPOILERSElizabeth Cady Stanton had urged the mother of the dead woman to reveal her father's identity to her daughter after his death. She was said to be a friend of the mother's, yet she was contemporary in age to the daughter. It never made sense to me that the mother would have revealed this secret to Stanton and not to her daughter. Also, everyone assumed that the only way to prove the daughter's claim was to find the missing family Bible to see if her birth was recorded there. Her parents had been married and the marriage was later annulled. Both of these events would have generated records, but no one suggested looking for them. These records and her mother's testimony would have supported the daughter's claim. When the dead woman's husband made a claim as her heir, he was asked for and produced their marriage certificate. It didn't seem logical to me that they would look for a marriage record in one instance but not in the other.
    • 4/5
      Most of the characters here are fictional, but Elizabeth Stanton does have a role, Oliver Winchester (whom I assume created the Winchester rifle has just been mentioned. There's also quite a bit about the Married Women's Property Act and the lead up to the first Woman's Rights Convention. If anyone wonders why an emphasis was needed on women's rights, Monfredo mentions many instances of women's earnings being under the control of their husbands or fathers and their inability to inherit. An interesting aspect of the Married Women's Property Act was that women could inherit for themselves but only money. The deed to property could be controlled again by whatever man had legal control over them. Add to these facts the story of a about a crime fighting feminist librarian and of course a hunky sheriff and a half blood Indian deputy. She has a whole Glynis Tryon Mystery series. I'm looking forward to reading some more of them.I recommend this book as perfect historical fiction with an interesting picture of 19th century New York and America, a view of what the early woman's movement was about, and characters who make learning easy,
    • 3/5
      Historical mysteries featuring well-known persons usually fall a bit flat with me. I enjoyed this one a bit more than some of those. In it Elizabeth Cady Stanton, acquaintance of the murder victim and her mother, testifies in the case. While local officers are investigating the murder, librarian Glynis Tryon plays an important role in the solution. Set during a time women are struggling to earn the right to own property and vote, the mystery's biggest flaw lies in gaps in evidence collection. The genealogist in me screamed "obtain a copy of the marriage license" in one instance. Another situation in the book's narrative produced one. A license plus other evidence readily available would quickly establish the proof needed for the earlier situation.
    • 3/5
      beginning of a series. Historical murder/mystery fiction.
    • 4/5
      First in a series of light murder mysteries, set during the 1848 Woman’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, NY. The main character is a small-town librarian, Glynis Tryon. The social problems, sexism and racism of 19th century America all all reflect the times in which the story is set. The main characters are fictional but real places are used and real people mentioned enough to lend verisimilitude. I enjoyed this book and intend to search out the rest in the series and look for other books by this author.

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    Seneca Falls Inheritance - Miriam Grace Monfredo

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