Wishful Seeing by Janet Kellough – The mystery features an
interesting sleuth, 59 year old Thaddeus Lewis, a minister for the Methodist
Episcopal Church. He has accepted an assignment to the town of Cobourg and
surrounding area. (Being set in 1853 the plot takes place before Canada was a
nation. Now the province of Ontario the area was then known as Upper Canada.)
He will ride a circuit conducting services in the small communities near
Cobourg. To aid him is a young minister, James Small, nearing completion of
his studies.
Needing
a housekeeper Lewis invites his 15 year old niece, Martha Renwell, to join him
in Cobourg. Glad to get away from the chores and drudgery of her family hotel
Renwell becomes her grandfather’s housekeeper. She is a bright and spirited
young woman starting to find her way in the world.
The
plot differs from most mysteries I have read, whether set in the present of the
past, in that there are descriptions of religious services led by Lewis. In
particular, having been challenged by an itinerant Baptist preacher, Lewis
meets his challenger to debate the issue of whether the Bible requires full
immersion for baptism.
So
many people gather for the debate that the meeting is moved outside the hall
where the meeting had been scheduled. There is a spirited discussion whether
the King James version of the Bible is an accurate translation from the
original Biblical texts. They go on to argue scripture on what the Bible
ordains with regard to baptism.
Not
long after the Great Baptism Debate a man, Paul Sherman, is found murdered on
an island in Rice Lake.
Suspicion
falls on George Howell and his wife, Ellen. Witnesses have seen a man and a
woman, dressed in a distinctive blue dress, rowing from the island. When the
investigating officer goes to the Howell farm he finds Ellen washing such a
blue dress with a significant stain that he believes to be a bloodstain.
While
she is arrested and held in jail pending the trial her husband has disappeared.
Known as the “Major” he has acquired a reputation for dealing in land needed
for the Cobourg to Peterborough Railway under construction. Disputed titles
were a staple of the Courts of that era.
Mrs.
Howell lacks funds for a lawyer. Lewis, wanting her to have good representation
and attracted to the lady, arranges for a young Toronto barrister, Townsend “Towns”
Ashby, to take up the defence.
The
book shifts to a legal mystery with Ashby as the plot proceeds through the
Grand Jury hearing and later the trial for murder.
Ashby,
while lacking experience, works hard to prepare for a trial bound to gain
significant publicity.
It
was intriguing to read how a trial was conducted 150 years ago.
Wishful Seeing is a good book. The characters and plot are
interesting. I would read another in the series. It was the 3rd book
from the shortlist for the 2017 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel. I am
finding the shortlist slower going this year.
It does sound interesting, Bill. I'm especially drawn to the historical aspects of the novel. I don't know enough about Canada in those years, and it would be good for me to learn more. The mystery itself sounds interesting, too.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for the comment. Kellough does a good job of evoking the era of the 1850's.
ReplyDeleteI think this would be interesting - I know so little about the era, and the way people would have been living in Canada. It felt authentic to you...?
ReplyDeleteMoira: Thanks for the comment. It felt authentic. Religious faith was important. There was no effort to take 21st Century sensibilities back to the 19th Century.
ReplyDelete