Murder at Monticello
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
When Thomas Jefferson's Virginia home becomes a crime scene, scholar/sleuth Homer Kelly must stop a serial killer in this "surefire winner" (Booklist, starred review).
Thomas Jefferson is in trouble. Two centuries after he became America's third President, the nation's historians have ganged up on him, intent on shattering the reputation of a man they once idolized. It's Fern Fisher's job to set the record straight. A hotshot young historian, she has been hired by the people at Monticello to repair Jefferson's tattered reputation. If she isn't careful, she could get her throat slit for her troubles.
In the run-up to the celebration of Jefferson's bicentennial, a killer prowls the area around the President's historic home, brutally murdering any young women he can find. Harvard professor and casual sleuth Homer Kelly is in Monticello for the festivities, and is eager to reconnect with Fern, a former student. While Fern fights Jefferson's character assassination, Homer tries to keep her safe from murder of a more literal kind.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Despite an annoying hero who should have grown up by the 15th book in a popular and long-running series (The Dante Game; etc.), Langton delivers another solid effort. As Charlottesville, Va., prepares for a presidential visit celebrating the anniversary of Thomas Jefferson's election as U.S. president, a serial killer in the area is stalking female victims. At Monticello newly hired researcher Fern Fisher is trying to burnish Jefferson's tarnished reputation, while in the surrounding woods discontented med student Tom Dean has illegally set up camp. Tom joins Fern in her researches, arguing that sponsoring Lewis and Clark's Voyage of Discovery was Jefferson's only real achievement. As the two pursue their shared interest, the killer sets his sights on Fern. When the body of another woman turns up, Tom faces a murder charge. Enter sleuthing professor Homer, who undertakes to clear Tom's name and expose the real killer. The plot is as twisting and complex as the upper reaches of the Missouri River, and the book teams with likable characters, with two exceptions--the murderer and Homer, with his bag of quirks and foibles. Fortunately, the strong historical background, which includes descriptions of Jefferson's innovations at his home and chapter headings from the explorers' journals, more than compensates. The author's own pen-and-ink drawings add to the charm.
