Traveling weaver, Will Rees is home for the first time since the death of his wife. He is helping his son, David, get the farm back together after his brother-in-law nearly destroyed it. Staying in one place is hard enough but having to kick his only sister and her family off the form was an unpleasant task. Couple that with dealing with an antagonistic young man and his feelings for his housekeeper and life has been close to unbearable.

Rees isn't sure what to do about Lydia and the feelings he feels around her. Lydia is a young Shaker woman who followed him to his farm after he solved a mystery in her community. It's been eight years since his wife died but he can't move past the guilt he feels. Rees loves the itinerate life but it has placed a strain on his relationships. Now, he is told that his childhood best friend, Nate Bowditch, has been killed. Even with David urging him not to get involved and Lydia wanting to help, Will has no choice but to solve the riddle of the Nate's death. In doing so, Will runs the risk of exposing some secrets which can tear the village apart.

As the investigation continues, Will has to protect one of his prime suspects from the gang of slave takers who are bound and determined to return south with someone. When the cook from the inn disappears, will is positive they slave takers kidnapped her. Life in this country is hard, even though it's been almost twenty years since the Continental Army defeated the British.

Fascinating as the story is, DEATH OF A DYER is a dark, complicated story. Too many secrets in the village will be exposed as Will learns the truth of what happened to Nate. Relationships will be torn apart and re-formed. The town will never be the same.

Ms. Kuhns has clearly researched her history and her writing brings the period to life. After the British were defeated, life in North America was hard. Will is a flawed human being who has trouble dealing with people in a meaningful way. His lifestyle has allowed him to escape the deep interaction that most families deal with. His time on the farm has given him another look at what family life can be and time to mend the relationships his traveling has sundered.

The story was fascinating and the history was inspiring. DEATH OF A DYER is darker than I normally enjoy and I wanted to hit Will over the head a time or two. His refusal to deal with his guilt about David and his growing feeling for Lydia were distractions I didn't want to read about.

Book Summary

Will Rees feels at home. It's been a long time since he last felt this way-not since before his wife died years ago and he took to the road as a traveling weaver. Now, in 1796, Rees is back on his Maine farm, living with his teenaged son, David, and his housekeeper, Lydia-whose presence contributes more towards his happiness than he's ready to admit. But his domestic bliss is shattered the morning a visitor brings news of an old friend's murder. Nate Bowditch and Rees hadn't spoken in many long years, but as children they were closer than brothers, and Rees feels his loss acutely. Asked to look into the circumstances surrounding Nate's death, Rees simply can't refuse.

At the Bowditch farmstead, Rees quickly discovers that everyone-from Nate's frosty wife to his missing son to the shy serving girl-is hiding something. But are any of them actually capable of murder? Or does the answer lie elsewhere, behind stones no one even knew needed unturning? Death of a Dyer once again proves Eleanor Kuhns's remarkable ability to spin a captivating story of a fascinating era and capture the light and darker sides of human nature on the page.