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Feminist Mystery Reviews THE BURNING BRIDE Reviewed by Harriet Klausner In 1786, the townsfolk of Rufford, Maine are having their annual military celebration. Not everyone is happy with the event as some British loyalists still smart over the independence of the former colonies. However, this year the event does not go off as planned because the body of Samuel Clinch, the town's so-called surgeon (he was trained as a barber), is found with a bullet to his head and chest, and his feet are burned. In spite of being four-months pregnant, Hannah is a prime suspect because she publicly ripped the deceased over his child birthing techniques. Things turn worse when a member of the General Court is found murdered in the presence of the militia. Their leader, Hannah's lover, Daniel is the person held responsible. Though they finally marry, Hannah has a new cause: to uncover the identity of the culprit if she ever wants to live with the man she loves. The third novel in the Trevor amateur sleuth mysteries, THE BURNING BRIDE, is a great early Americana fiction. Though the post war troubles of the residents of Maine are brilliantly scribed by Margaret Lawrence, this at time overwhelms the who-done-it. Hannah and her support cast remain wonderful characters, whose emotions and motivations periodically explode to the surface, adding dimension to the plot. Though the mystery is weaker than the previous two novels (HEARTS AND BONES, and BLOOD RED ROSES), the book remains a top rate period piece that is worth reading by fans of historical mysteries.
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