While I admire the amount of research that went into telling this story, the vast amount of information and large cast of characters made it a tough read and I did not finish the book. However, if I had a connection to the town or the case, I suspect the story could be very compelling.

A compelling read of a little known murder. Well researched and good detail. Perfect for history and true crime fans.

4.5 Stars
A very well-written historical account of an unsolved murder that took place during WWI in the Northeastern US, this book reads more like a Whodunit novel. It is organized well and the reader can tell that the author spent an immense amount of time researching the subject matter. An extremely intriguing read, even if you don't know for sure who committed the atrocious crime described in the book. I had never heard of this case before I picked up this book, which is one of the reasons it hooked me. Worth a shot, especially for those readers who may prefer history and true crime.

LibraryThing Early Reviewers ( )

I wanted to read this selection because my sister currently lives in Jaffrey, N.H. This book provides a TON of detail about an unsolved murder in that town in the early 1900's. It was interesting to read what Jaffrey, and rural New England, were like during the period of WWI. I was interested to learn about the strong anti-German sentiment at the time and the theories of "flashing lights' and signals that many residents saw and believed to be communication by German spies.
The book was a bit dry and it bogged down in the middle with details of from the various trials and hearings...I enjoy reading about history, more expansive writing about that time period might have made the book more compelling. A little editing would also have helped to tighten the narrative. I appreciated the cast of "characters" at the beginning as well as the photos and images included. (The story about finding an early stenographer's court notes and being able to translate them was also interesting.)
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. ( )