Nighthawk's Wing
A Gideon Stoltz Mystery
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- $22.99
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- $22.99
Publisher Description
** "Set in 1836, Fergus’s superior sequel . . . brings the period to life as he expertly melds setting and plot." Starred Publishers Weekly **
For Fans of Madeline Miller and Geraldine Brooks, and Historical Mysteries Involving Witchcraft, Second Sight, and Amish, Mennonite, and Pennsylvania Dutch Communities.
In this thrilling second in the Gideon Stoltz Mystery series that Booklist called “An appealing debut that deserves a boost from enthusiastic hand-sellers,” it’s now 1836 in the fast-growing town of Adamant. The young Pennsylvania Dutch sheriff Gideon has a new case when a beautiful woman—suspected of witchcraft and residing in a nearby German settlement—is murdered. Suffering from a head injury after a fall off his horse, Gideon can’t recall anything that happened at the time of the woman’s death. As flashes of memory return, he realizes that not only did he know the victim, he was with her the night she died. As Gideon delves into the investigation, he must include himself in the list of suspects.
When Gideon uncovers another dead body, he’s launched on a path to discover the truth, no matter the outcome. Gideon’s estranged wife, True, has her own reluctant methods of investigation. Gifted with unwelcome powers of second sight, True realizes that her husband’s life is in danger—and puts her own life on the line to save him.
Nighthawk’s Wing unflinchingly examines the oppressed status of women in the 1830 and like the first in the series, it has “an atmospheric setting and a strong sense of place” (Library Journal). Nighthawk’s Wing beckons all readers who crave authenticity in early American historical novels, including those intrigued by witchcraft, spells, and visions. This compelling mystery glides along the edge between the gritty reality of the early 1800s and —a parallel world of spirits and haunted souls.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in 1836, Fergus's superior sequel to 2019's A Stranger Here Below finds Gideon Stoltz, the sheriff of Colerian County, Pa., suffering from severe memory loss, unsure of his age or the circumstances leading to his falling off his horse and injuring his head. As Stoltz struggles to remember what his duties as sheriff entail, he must investigate the suspicious death of Rebecca Kreidler, whose body was found in a sinkhole. Some in the community suspect Rebecca was a witch. The victim of domestic violence, Rebecca fatally pushed her husband down some stairs after he hit her in her abdomen when she was pregnant. She served time for manslaughter, but now it turns out someone has killed her, possibly by driving a horseshoe nail into her skull. Stoltz's inquiries are complicated by his concern, based on fragments of memories, that he may have been responsible for Rebecca's death. Fergus brings the period to life as he expertly melds setting and plot. Eleanor Kuhns fans will be pleased.
