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Following on from the successful first novel in this series, DEADLY WILL, author Marion Moore Hill has crafted a charming second volume in the Deadly Past Series, DEADLY DESIGN, which centers on Jeffersonian history and architecture. Amateur sleuth Millie Kirchner, a single mom and history buff, together with her nine-year-old son Danny, is spending the summer volunteering at a Jefferson dig (Poplar Forest) in Lynchburg, Virginia. She's out to discover not only the answers to some historical questions, but also who is responsible for two deaths of young women working on the archaeological sites in the story. There are plenty of likeable volunteers, workers, and freelance archaeologists, but it seems everyone has their own mystery to hide. Intertwined with the present-day action is the storyline of a member of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, a Thomas Jefferson project. The author does an outstanding job of mixing historical fact and fiction together, along with a heaping dose of murder (and stalking). Through use of place (including trips in the story to Monticello, Williamsburg, and the University of Virginia, among others), the setting (Poplar Forest), and Millie's own reading and research on Thomas Jefferson (particularly, the Lewis & Clark Expedition), readers are given a fair taste of history without ever being distracted from the essential plot. Anyone who has an interest in Jefferson or has traveled to these areas will find that the book is full of fascinating tidbits of historical fact. (Readers will also appreciate the Author's Notes at the book's end, which sorts out the historical accuracy from the historical fiction used to complete elements of the mystery.) The only complaint worth lodging about this enjoyable read is that the heroine, Millie, seems a bit old in her tone and expressions for the age she is assigned in the novel. Expressions such as "wool gathering" seem unlikely to be used by anyone under 40 these days, and her impressions of her male co-workers appear to be ones more likely to come from an older woman than a single young mother. Despite this minor quibble, the book is well worth reading. It's engaging, entertaining, and the mysterious behavior of nearly everyone in the story will keep readers guessing just who is behind which action. Finally, the effortless inclusion of so much interesting historical information (without ever being too heavy-handed) is likely to send readers off on a hunt for other mystery novels by Marion Moore Hill.
Reviewed by Christine Zibas, November 2009
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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