Book Review and Giveaway - A Necessary Death by Terri Karsten

My Review

In 1763, Penelope Corbitt travels with her two children and her brother-in-law on the way to his house.  She has lost her husband and her home and is reluctantly resettling.  They get stranded at an inn run by the town constable and Penelope finds a body in the outhouse.  The inn's owner, Miles, is also a recent widower and needs help at the inn's tavern.  Penelope starts cooking and helping ... while she juggles taking care of her children and working to solve the murder mystery.

I wanted to read A Necessary Death because the 1760's setting was intriguing.  I am interested in early American history but had never read a mystery set during this time period.

The first few chapters really set the scene of how different life was during this time period.  The conditions were very basic and challenging and danger was unexpected.  (An animal lover, I had to skip the chapter involving a beloved dog's death.) As Penelope settled in more at the inn, sleuthing - and a slow, reluctant friendship with Miles - became more central to the story.

The historical details in this book are very interesting.  The author did a wonderful job with this sense of history.  I enjoyed the details of historic food and cooking, which included several recipes (i.e. Dead Cakes, Mince Pies, Dauphiny Soup).

The mystery aspect of the story was well plotted, with several people confessing to the murder, a very surprising twist, and real danger lurking.

A Necessary Death is a unique read of interest to historical fiction readers, and especially to readers interested in early American history.

Book Synopsis

With Penelope Corbitt in the kitchen, the tavern will never be the same.

Penelope Corbitt can turn a lump of meat and a bit of flour into a mouth-watering pie or make a tasty meal of cabbage and vinegar. But all her skill can’t save her family in the spring of 1763, when she loses everything to pay off her missing husband’s debts. Walking a tightrope between the freedom of poverty and the confines of propriety, she must accept her stingy brother-in-law’s reluctant charity to keep her family fed and her children close. The miserable journey north from Philadelphia is interrupted when the coach crashes in the mud. Penelope and her children are stranded at a run-down tavern. Penelope doesn’t think things can get worse.

Then she finds a dead man.

Author Bio

Living in the shadow of the Mississippi River bluffs, Terri Karsten has been a writer and educator for many years. She grew up in sunny San Jose, California, playing amid the cherry orchards that soon gave way to houses. In her search for education and adventure, she lived in Iowa and Wisconsin, Mexico and France, before settling into a hundred-year-old house in Winona, Minnesota. She spends most days in her tiny office, surrounded by  books, papers, and good memories.

With more ideas than time, Terri writes a bit of everything, ranging from historical fiction novels to picture book folktales to dozens of short stories and articles in magazines, encyclopedias, and newspapers.

When she is not writing, Terri loves poring over old cookbooks and recreating dishes from long ago, especially medieval, Renaissance, and colonial  foods. Always ready for the next adventure, she enjoys camping, hiking, and traveling. Her latest goal is to visit National Parks in every state. Only 13 states to go!

Author Links

• Webpage: https://terrikarsten.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terrikarsten
• Substack: https://historicalcookery.substack.com/
• GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7343260.Terri_Evert_Karsten
• Purchase Links – Amazon  B&N

Giveaway