A Necessary Death

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Terri Karsten’s A Necessary Death is a richly detailed work of historical fiction that follows Penelope Corbitt, a widowed mother of two young children, who finds herself destitute after her husband is lost at sea. On their journey to Boston to live with Penelope’s sister and brother-in-law, a coach accident leaves them stranded at an inn owned by Constable Miles Tucker, a recent widower himself. When Penelope discovers a dead man in the outhouse, she unexpectedly becomes an uneasy ally to Mr. Tucker as they work together to unravel the murder of the town parson.

The novel vividly captures life in the era, with strong, nuanced character development. Both Penelope and Miles, bound by shared grief, gradually grow into stronger, more hopeful versions of themselves. Penelope’s ultimate decision to take charge of her and her children’s future leaves readers with a sense of optimism and empowerment. As a delightful bonus, the book includes authentic period recipes for the dishes featured in the story. This novel is highly recommended for fans of historical fiction with a blend of mystery and emotional depth.

     ~Rebecca Conner, author of A Memory Not Mine   www.rebeccabyron.com 

  Terri Karsten’s A Necessary Death plucked me off my couch and propelled me into her colonial mystery at the speed of a four-horse-drawn coach barreling along the King’s Highway. Karsten’s sleuths—widow Penelope Corbitt and widower Miles Tucker, the tavern owner—drew me into the twists and turns of this historical puzzler by force of their mismatched personalities, their shrewd intellects, and their complex emotional backstories. A tantalizing mystery set in a village impatient for results at the expense of possibly lynching the wrong person, Karsten’s prose made me smell the tavern, taste the stew, and worry for the suspects, all the while keeping me guessing who did it and why.

      ~ Peggy Joque Williams, author of Courting the Sun: A Novel of Versailles https://peggywilliamsauthor.com/

  Plucky young widow Penelope Corbitt must solve a murder, help the town’s innkeeper/constable bring order to his shambles of a crossroads tavern, and dodge a life of grim servitude under the rule of her arrogant brother-in-law. She navigates racial, social, and cultural barriers in tackling these challenges, and the reader is carried along on her earnest quest.

Author Karsten, known for meticulous research, avoids burdening the crisp narrative with irrelevant historical details, but the ones she includes are dead accurate. Readers who delight in well-written historical fiction will feel they have really stepped into colonial America. This book is a great read, from Chapter One to the end. 

     ~Larry F. Sommers, best-selling author of The Price of Passage https://larryfsommers.com/media/ 

 A Necessary Death is a well-written and carefully plotted historical “whodunit” that will appeal to lovers of mysteries, historical fiction, and crime novels. Author Terri Karsten has created a delightful character in Penelope Corbitt, a woman who has faced her fair share of troubles from her wastrel husband, yet remains determined to create a better life for her children. Not only was she prepared to stand up to the men around her, an uncommon trait for women of her time, but she also had a high degree of intelligence and common sense. The treatment of and attitudes of the European settlers toward their Native American compatriots, as well as their black slaves, were fascinating. Although the story is set in the North, where attitudes toward slavery were less harsh than in the turbulent South, it was still clear that for many inhabitants, the Native Americans and blacks were considered to be a lower class of humanity. I was surprised to discover that the common name for an outhouse in the 1760s was, in fact, a 'necessary,' which gives new meaning to the title. This is a short, fun, cleverly constructed read that I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend. --Grant Leishman for Readers Favorite