Agony Hill

About the book

Set in rural Vermont in the turbulent 1960s, Agony Hill is the debut novel in a fresh historical series brimming with vibrant New England ambiance and the intricately developed characters that are Sarah Stewart Taylor's signature.

During the scorching summer of 1965, Franklin Warren, a native of Boston, relocates to Bethany, Vermont, to assume a role as a detective with the state police force. The small town where Warren now resides is on the brink of significant transformation; the ongoing construction of highways will usher in new faces, fresh opportunities, and unforeseen challenges for Vermont, while the Cold War and anti-Vietnam war demonstrations have finally made their way to the dusty roads and sprawling fields of Bethany.

Not long after settling in, Warren is summoned to a remote farm situated on Agony Hill. It appears that Hugh Weber, a former New Yorker turned back-to-the-lander, has intentionally set fire to his barn and himself, barricading the door from the inside. However, Warren detects inconsistencies in the case. The inhabitants of Bethany - from Weber's mysterious spouse to Warren's inquisitive neighbor, Alice Bellows, a widowed amateur sleuth - seem to harbor hidden truths, but Warren struggles to discern if the actual circumstances behind Weber's demise are among them. As he acquaints himself with his new surroundings and grapples with the tragic incident that led him there, Warren becomes drawn to the inhabitants and rituals of provincial Vermont, all the while confronting shadows amid the picturesque setting.