On the Rocks: A Willa Cather and Edith Lewis Mystery

The year is 1929 and Pulitzer-Prize winning novelist Willa Cather and her partner Edith Lewis are summering on Grand Manan, an island in the Bay of Fundy. In their cottage’s sparsely furnished attic room, Cather is at work writing Shadows on the Rock, her tenth novel. Edith is painting watercolors from the cliffs two hundred feet above the rising tides of Whale Cove. Out of the corner of her eye, Edith sees a body plunge from the edge of the cliff to the rocks below…. Solving the mystery, first time novelist Sue Hallgarth’s intimate view of village politics and the goings-on of two women’s communities long lost to history is also a suspenseful and surprising crime novel. Hallgarth draws the reader into a unique retreat and an inside glimpse of the lives of a great American novelist and her talented life partner. ...One of the top ten Titles to Pick Up Now recommended in O, The Oprah Magazine, February 2013“…Cather fans will enjoy the atmosphere, and Hallgarth captures the local color well, providing a look at the eccentric island residents, the small-town politics, and the life of the women’s communities.” –ALA Booklist“...a sparkling new literary mystery series” –Nancy Rutland, founder Bookworks, AlbuquerqueFrom BooklistHallgarth’s debut mystery takes readers to Grand Manan, an island in the Bay of Fundy, which is on the Atlantic coast between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. In 1929, the island is home to a number of feminist artist colonies. Among the residents are Willa Cather and her partner, Edith Lewis. While Cather is ensconced in her attic studio writing her tenth novel, Shadows on the Rock, Edith is up on the cliffs of Whale Cove painting watercolors. As she works, she glimpses a body plunging from the edge of the cliff onto the rocks 200 feet below. The dead man is a stranger. Was the fall a suicide or a murder? Willa and Edith are drawn into the investigation. Cather fans will enjoy the atmosphere, and Hallgarth captures the local color well, providing a look at the eccentric island residents, the small-town politics, and the life of the women’s communities. A good read-alike for fans of Ed Ifkovic’s series starring writer Edna Ferber. --Barbara Bibel Review''…Cather fans will enjoy the atmosphere, and Hallgarth captures the local color well, providing a look at the eccentric island residents, the small-town politics, and the life of the women's communities.'' --- Booklist, February 1, 2013