B. B. OakCritiques

Yes, that's Henry David Thoreau who is at the center of this mystery. This is a bit different from your average cozy mystery. It's written in nineteenth-century style. It deals with some heavier than usual issues; at the center of the story are runaway slaves and slave-catchers. Members of the Underground Railroad have been murdered, one in the maybe-haunted Phantom Bog. Thoreau is running around Plumford, Massachusetts (a.k.a. Concord) with the help of his friends, Dr. Adam Walker and the doctor's secret love, Julia Pelletier. Julia is trying to rid herself of her terrible ex-husband. In the midst of this, the three friends are trying to determine who the murderer is and where the secret slave-catcher might be.

Narration in this book alternates between Adam and Julia. I figured out who the murderer was. The more I read of the book, the more I got used to the narrative style. I also enjoyed the book more the further I got into it. The start was a bit slow, but I'm glad I gave it a chance.½

Henry returns to Plumford,Mass. to investigate the disappearance of a conductor on the Underground Railroad and the female slave he was transporting. As his friend Dr. Adam Walker helps as other deaths occur. This was a finely written book with many good characters.

***I received this book in return for an honest review***

Very unique and endearing, this is a crime mystery novel set in the 1850s starring Henry David Thoreau, American essayist, poet and practical philosopher. The main characters are a pair of cousins, Julia and Adam, who are in love with each other but are deathly afraid of the consequences a match such as theirs might have on possible offspring. Chapters are written from both Julia's and Adam's perspectives, alternating throughout, as their personal journal entries. The setting is a sleepy New England town called Plumford, not far from Boston. Adam happens upon the body of a mysterious young black man, who appears to have been murdered and then thrown from a cliff called Devil's Perch. Henry Thoreau also happens along, and the two begin to work together to disprove the town officials' opinion that this was an accidental death and to unravel the mystery of who dunnit. Of course, this murder is only the beginning of the crimes to be sleuthed as this novel unfurls. There are many twists and turns and surprises all along the way in this clever tale of small town folks whose lives are interwoven and whose secrets abound. I would suggest this book for anyone who enjoys a good mystery and especially for fans of Henry David Thoreau and his naturalist views.

I received a copy of this book free through Library Thing Member Giveaways in exchange for an honest review.

I received "Thoreau At Devil's Perch" as a Member Giveaway book from LibraryThing, which delighted me. B.B. Oak (Beth and Ben Oak) make an awesome writing team! I enjoyed every minute of this story. It's a historical fiction story full of mystery with fun, interesting characters. I found myself attached to the open-minded characters in the book-- Henry David Thoreau, Julia, Adam... The writing based in these classic times was very fitting, in my opinion. I also enjoyed being given insight here and there into the type of person Thoreau was. Wonderfully written and highly entertaining. I recommend this book.

I also appreciate the opportunity I was given to win and read it!

THOREAU AT DEVIL'S PERCH has everything I like in a historical mystery - a dense, twisty plot, noble and nasty characters, a time-travel high adventure. There's also an undercurrent of spirituality running through the story, a sense of mystery beyond the murder mystery.

Don't know all that much about Henry David Thoreau but in this book he's a crime-solver who cannot tolerate hypocrisy or injustice and is always looking out for the underdog. He is determined to find the murderer of a black youth and save an Indian from being hanged for another murder.

My favorite character is Julia, however. She's pure-hearted, high-spirited and fearless in the tradition of 19th century heroines. Also, she's hopelessly in love with her cousin, a doctor. She can't marry him because of a rather dark and Gothic element in their family history.

The story takes place around the same time as Matthew Pearl's The Dante Club and also has some pretty macabre details. Yet Devil's Perch seemed warmer and more uplifting to me. I enjoyed it tremendously.

An entertaining historical mystery featuring one of my favorite naturalists, Henry David Thoreau, during his time at Walden Pond.

This mystery is written in two hands and by two hands; the author B.B. Oak is really writing team Beth and Ben Oak. The story flows between the journals of first cousins Julia and Adam . The adventure begins when Henry Thoreau finds the body of a deceased man at the base of Devil's perch and asks Adam, a doctor, for help. Both Thoreau and Adam believe the deceased to be a victim of murder, but since the deceased is also a black man, the jury of townsfolk decide not to look at the evidence Thoreau, Julia and Adam gather and rule his death an accident. All three decide to look further into the incident and uncover a series of unusual plots within their small town of Plumford.

I relished in the mystery of the town of Plumford and delighted in the character Henry David Thoreau was given. There were some side stories of hypnotism and reincarnated lives that I hope continue into the next books; however, the romantic notions between Adam and Julia were a little too much for me. Overall, an enjoyable historical mystery; I will look forward to more in the series!

This book was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I loved it! It reminded me of the old English mysteries I used to read. I can't wait to read more.

It's 1846 and, while strolling along the the cliffs of the fictional town of Plumford, Dr Adam Walker and Henry David Thoreau stumble upon the body of a young African American man. The death is eventually declared an accident but Walker and Thoreau are not convinced. They decide to investigate on their own. When another murder leads to the arrest of Trump, a young Native American, both Walker and Thoreau are convinced of his innocence and fear that, if the real perpetrator is not soon found, he will be lynched.

The book is in journal form and is divided between the writings of Walker and those of his cousin, a strong-willed and independent artist, Julia Bell. Adam and Julia have loved each other since infancy but marriage is out of the question because they are first cousins. And it is this romance that tended to mar my enjoyment of the book. It tended to intrude on the rest of the story and the whole first cousin thing seemed overdone. Granted, historically, stirrings against the intermarriage of first cousins because of the viability of offspring were beginning to arise but, although it was less common in the US than in Europe, it was still a fairly common practice. The solution to their problem was definitely deus ex machina.

Still, in fairness, I'm not a fan of romance so my thoughts on that part of the book should be taken with a grain of salt. I did enjoy the mystery. It was mainly Walker's story, not surprising since he is the narrator, but Thoreau is a very charming and intelligent addition to the legion of historical figures enlisted in fictional stories.