Shadow on Cant-Dog Hill
Non-series
John
H. Vibber
Dog Ear Publishing (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-60844-108-3 (1608441083)
ISBN-13: 978-1-60844-108-2 (9781608441082)
Publication Date: September 2009
List Price: $15.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): The story is set in the corner of Vermont’s
Northeast Kingdom where Canaan village is forty five miles from the
nearest stoplight and sometimes equally removed from the law. It is
mid-January, 1982. Single parents Adele Clayton and Reilly Bostwick are
in love. Nothing prevents them from forming a new family except a
murder and a kidnapping.
Two days ago Reilly found a woman shot faceless on a snowy hillside.
Yesterday the state medical examiner identified the victim as his
ex-wife and police discovered matching blood in his cellar. Today
Reilly sits in jail believing that nothing worse could happen to him
and his eight-year-old daughter Amy. He’s wrong. The true killers
are looking for her. Fortunately their intricate plan didn’t
anticipate the talents of young widow Adele Clayton.
These are the dynamics of an intricate and exciting novel with an
uplifting outcome: a mystery that stands in contrast to most police
procedurals and PI stories. This detective’s motivation
isn’t justice or money; it’s love.
Review: Shadow on Cant-Dog Hill, John H.
Vibber's debut novel, is much more than a mystery (though all the
requisite elements are present): it is a tale of love and the power of
incredibly close friendships.
Set in a remote village in northeast Vermont (the so-called "Northeast
Kingdom"), tragedy strikes a group of friends who call themselves "The
Gang". Reilly Bostwich, a high school teacher and divorced single
parent of 8-year-old Amy, is arrested for the murder of his ex-wife
Klarissa. Just the day before the discovery of her frozen body, found
tied to a cant-dog on Reilly's property, someone had tried, but
ultimately failed, to abduct Amy. The evidence against Reilly is more
than circumstantial: blood stains and the rifle used to kill Klarissa
are found in Reilly's basement. There's motive as well: after their
divorce, Reilly was given custody of Amy after Klarissa tried, contrary
to court orders, to move her to England. The police believe Klarissa
returned to Vermont to take her daughter, Reilly found out, and killed
her.
But Reilly has the "gang" on his side, in particular, Adele Clayton.
Adele, also the single parent of an 8-year-old girl, and Reilly were
planning a live together as a family. Her love for Reilly, and belief
in his innocence, is what drives her, together with the gang, to prove
that despite the overwhelming evidence someone else killed Klarissa.
Shadow on Cant-Dog Hill
is truly a remarkable novel. The murder mystery plot is well developed
and the setting appropriately descriptive, but what sets the story
apart is the relationships between the characters. This is a group of
people who are serious about the task they face, realistic in their
expectations of achieving it, but committed to seeing it through, all
the while acting with devotion and good humor. Shadow on Cant-Dog Hill is highly
recommended.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Shadow on Cant-Dog Hill and to John H. Vibber for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Shadow on Cant-Dog Hill? How would you rate it?
Non-series novels by this author …
Shadow on Cant-Dog Hill
Dog Ear Publishing (Trade Paperback), September 2009
ISBN-10: 1-60844-108-3 (1608441083)
ISBN-13: 978-1-60844-108-2 (9781608441082)
Omnimystery keywords for Shadow on Cant-Dog Hill ...
Location(s) referenced: Vermont.
