I enjoyed Sarah Stewart Taylor’s Agony Hill, which was the first in this series set around the time of the Vietnamese War. The novels take place in a small town in Vermont.
Characters from Agony Hill are in this second book as well. These include, of course, detective Frank Warren and his young who is nicknamed Pinky. I also enjoyed again meeting up with Warren’s neighbor Alice (she has a good back story), Sylvie (an important person to Warren and a key character in the first novel), and others in the town.
This time, a former diplomat has been killed at a hunt club. Did his death relate to his profession or his messy personal life? There are many characters and suspects for readers to consider as perpetrators. Things intensify when there is a snowstorm and a second murder, leaving many of the characters stranded at the hunt club.
Readers will want to know what was behind the deaths. They may also be interested in a glimpse of a fraught time in the country’s history.
While it is not necessary to have read Agony Hill to enjoy Hunter’s Heart Ridge, I think that readers will enjoy both of these titles. Why not read both?
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 05 August 2025
320 pages
Mystery & Thrillers
The first in the series:
At the time of this writing the e book is just $2.99
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 