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THE DEVIL'S COLD DISH, fourth in author Eleanor Kuhns' series of early American mysteries featuring weaver/farmer Will Rees, finds the hot-headed protagonist still quick to argue and to resort to his fists to make his point. Married again after the death of his first wife Dolly, he is increasingly happy with Lydia, a former Shaker, whose calm and competent temperament is a contrast to his own but also clearly a steadying influence. Living with him on the little farm is his son by Dolly, David, now a teenager, five adopted children Will and Lydia rescued from disaster, and his soon-to-be-born first child with Lydia.
Will's quick temper gets him into frequent arguments and although more rarely now, many memorable physical fracases in which Will resorts to his fists. He is still just as quick to anger as ever but more restrained about hitting other people, though he often wants to do so.
When one of the local men whom Will constantly argued politics with is found murdered, Will is quickly drawn into the investigation out of interest, out of some past demonstrated skill at sleuthing, and out of a sense of self-defense because as the mystery lingers some of his neighbors begin to express vocally that he might be the murderer. Long-standing disagreements and hard feelings between Will and his sister Caroline deteriorate so much that Caroline spreads rumors in their town of Dugard, Maine that Lydia is a witch. Although the witch trials in Salem ended long ago, there are pockets of people who still believe in ghosts and witches and the gossip finds many eager ears.
A second man dies, also murdered, but with his body staged to point strongly at devil worship, and Lydia, the children, Will himself, and their possessions are all vulnerable to random attacks. A few friends remain loyal to the Rees family but most do not, and fear for his family and despair at the betrayals drive Will into hiding, determined to solve the crimes, clear his own name, and protect his loved ones.
The title of this novel, THE DEVIL'S COLD DISH, led me to an interesting side path: the aptness of the old saying, "Revenge is a dish best served cold." It offers a fascinating doorway into the workings of the relationships among many of the characters in this Early American setting. Will Rees is seen far too many times desiring payback for offenses against him or his family and his vengeful thinking, whether acted upon or not, is always immediate, served "hot," and mostly a failure that leads him into deeper trouble. And Will is the good guy, our protagonist, righteously refusing to be victimized. Ah, but the bad guys – they are the ones with the cooler heads, they are the ones with the patience needed to plan carefully, to set their various incriminating stages, and to get away with murder over and over again. So revenge is bad. It is bad in the bad guys, obviously, but it is also bad in the good guy.
The crimes are resolved in the end and Will's determination and refusal to give up play a large part in solving them. But as a mystery, even though the plot works and the setting is interesting, and the bad guys are pretty darned bad, this novel has a weakness and that is in the author's conceptualization of her protagonist. He is just not very bright, although he thinks he is. He acts impulsively again and again, never taking the time to think things through – it is ludicrous that when he is being hunted as the likely perpetrator he keeps accosting persons he thinks might be guilty – persons who immediately tell the law where to find him. Will never gets it. This makes it hard for this reader to root for him. On the other hand, this is the fourth in the series and I suspect that it has a growing and enthusiastic audience that does not share my objection to Will.
§ Diana Borse is retired from teaching English at Texas A&M University-Kingsville and savoring the chance to read as much as she always wanted to.
Reviewed by Diana Borse, July 2016
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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