A Simple Murder

"A superbly researched and beautifully crafted historical mystery" about an estranged father and son and a murder in an early American Shaker community (Toronto Globe & Mail).

Winner, Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition


Five years ago, while William Rees was still recovering from his stint as a Revolutionary War soldier, his beloved wife died. Devastated, Rees left his son, David, in his sister's care, fled his Maine farm, and struck out for a tough but emotionally empty life as a traveling weaver. Now, upon returning unexpectedly to his farm, Rees discovers that David has been treated like a serf for years and finally ran away to join a secluded religious sect—the Shakers.



Overwhelmed by guilt and hoping to reconcile with his son, Rees immediately follows David to the Shaker community. But when a young Shaker woman is brutally murdered shortly after Rees's arrival, Rees finds himself launched into a complicated investigation where the bodies keep multiplying, a tangled web of family connections casts suspicion on everyone, and the beautiful woman on the edge of the Shaker community might be hiding troubling ties to the victims. It quickly becomes clear that in solving Sister Chastity's murder, Rees may well expose some of the Shaker community's darkest secrets, not to mention endanger his own life.



"Kuhns' intimate voice and all-seeing eye make [the Shaker community] seem an exotic world indeed. But she also shows that greed, envy and materialistic values are nothing if not universal." —The New York Times Book Review


"Kuhns's closed-room mystery is refreshingly original, both for its setting and time period . . . Kuhns weaves together disparate threads into a beautiful finished piece." —Library Journal (starred review, Debut of the Month)



"Gripping, an ingenious story line (including a truly surprising conclusion)." —Richmond Times-Dispatch