The Strange Death of Mistress Coffin: A Mystery

Rating:
Summary: Average.
Review: I don't recommend this book. The plot of this book is engaging and it does unfold nicely, which kept me reading, but there were other elements that make it unbearable. The writing was stiff and plodding at times. You know the educated men are educated because they speak Latin. The author goes out of his way to explain some customs and behaviors of the time but ignores others altogether, which sometimes makes it laughable. There were kitchens in the 1600s? There's a journal written as if it the writer watched the events unfold on TV. And the rape/murder scene at the end was so morbidly horrific that I got out of bed and threw the book away. I didn't read the last chapter.

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing, mysterious look into 17th-Century colonial life.
Review: It is a shame that this well-writtne novel is shelved with the mysteries, because it deserves a wider audience. I began it looking for an entertainingg "whodunit", but I was quickly engrossed in the world of colonial New England, which the author describes like one who has lived there! The plot was good, but the setting was better, and best of all were the characters, whose personal and ethical problems grew from and gave me insight into their age.

Rating:
Summary: Come for the Mystery, Stay for the History
Review: Robert J. Begiebing's The Strange Death of Mistress Coffin is ostensibly a murder mystery but that is not the true delight of the story. The basic story is that of the investigation of the murder of a young woman found naked in a river in 1648 New England by Richard Browne. Onto this basic mystery-thriller narrative is attached the tale of Puritan New Englanders living and surviving in an hostile territory with all their beliefs and superstitions tested, preserved and adapted. The characters are vivid and the writing is both moody and evocative. It was a joy to read and it does truly transport the reader to a different time. It is also a pleasure that the author never resorts to black and white portrayals. Everything and everyone is vividly complex. The mystery, whodunit, element per se is not the strongest element in the book but it is an effective hook to initially capture the reader and take her into this fascinating world.

Rating:
Summary: Come for the Mystery, Stay for the History
Review: Robert J. Begiebing's The Strange Death of Mistress Coffin is ostensibly a murder mystery but that is not the true delight of the story. The basic story is that of the investigation of the murder of a young woman found naked in a river in 1648 New England by Richard Browne. Onto this basic mystery-thriller narrative is attached the tale of Puritan New Englanders living and surviving in an hostile territory with all their beliefs and superstitions tested, preserved and adapted. The characters are vivid and the writing is both moody and evocative. It was a joy to read and it does truly transport the reader to a different time. It is also a pleasure that the author never resorts to black and white portrayals. Everything and everyone is vividly complex. The mystery, whodunit, element per se is not the strongest element in the book but it is an effective hook to initially capture the reader and take her into this fascinating world.

Rating:
Summary: Not much of a mystery
Review: The premise of this short novel, a mysterious and brutal death, is intriguing, as is its setting. The writing is intelligent and the main character, Richard Browne, is well explored. His uncertainty and mis-steps are particularly appealing. Most of the detail regarding life in 17th century New England is accurate. Once the plot line is laid out, however, the story never goes anywhere else, sinking into 100 pages of dialogue and inner monologue. The solution to the mystery is provided halfway through, and there is no sense of climax or resolution. A pity that a book with such a promising beginning ends on such a flat note.

Rating:
Summary: Early America - Cursed and Blessed
Review: Unique and haunting. A difficult novel to categorize - even harder to describe accurately without spoiling its effect for the prospective reader. Impressively depicts a time and place and, most importantly, the people who settled New England. Very few stories can compare: The Scarlet Letter, The Crucible, come to mind. Strange and hypnotic, bordering on a metaphysical tale -- this mystery has more to do with tormented hearts and hungers of the soul than with the solving of a tragic murder. And Mr. Begiebing almost makes it work completely...but not quite.Somehow there was something lacking in the last section, some shift of emphasis away from the central story and its characters' dilemma that left me wanting. Perhaps a re-reading will change my opinion. Undoubtedly there is much splendid writing here, the kind you pause to savor a couple more times before proceeding with the story. And the story itself, for the majority of its length, fascinates: the true mystery here belonging to the motives of men and women of faith - or its lacking - in the unfathomable wilderness of 17th century New England. Unfathomable landscapes without and within. Mr. Begiebing draws you into America's antique soul to reveal its present day shadows. A splendid book that deserves many readers!