Synopsis: Will and Lydia's friend, Mouse, send them a message that she is in legal trouble and needs their help. As they attempt to help their friend they get pulled into a much more complex situation including the murder of a widow with four young children.

Rating: 4/5

I really like this mystery series. I have read the first two books in the series and so far this book is my favorite.
This series is heavily character driven and because so much character stuff happens I feel like this series has to be read in order to be best enjoyed.
I loved Will and Lydia in this book as they help care for the children who were left orphaned. I was totally invested in the character stuff happening in the book though quite a bit less so in the actual mystery itself.
I also love all the discussions about history and especially things that are relevant today such as how we treat single mothers, how we treat men and women differently regarding illegitimate children, and how welfare systems that are in place sometimes don't meet the needs of the people in poverty.
I also love learning about the Shaker community which plays and important role in this book and other books in this series.
I would recommend this book to people who enjoy character focused historical mystery series. I think people who like the Gaslight Mystery Series by Victoria Thompson are also going to enjoy this series. ( )

This book needed a better editor. So many issues with continuity that I ended up really disliking the book although the premise of the story itself wasn't all that bad. And really? You're going to talk in a tiny shack with 4 children in the same room about who their fathers could possibly be and who killed their mother? And supposedly these kids didn't hear anything? Could not believe it. Haven't read anything else by the author and, based on this one, don't plan to. ( )