01/25/2021
When a 12-year-old boy, who’s been hired to supervise a moonshiner’s still, witnesses a man shoot and injure a Bureau of Prohibition agent at the start of Montgomery’s provocative, if flawed, third novel set in 1920s Kinship, Ohio (after 2020’s The Hollows), Sheriff Lily Ross investigates. Meanwhile, Fiona Vogel returns to her aunt and uncle’s farm in Kinship with her powerful bootlegger husband, George, and several of his yes-men, including Lily’s estranged brother-in-law, Luther Ross. To Lily’s surprise, Luther visits her office and presents himself as a Prohibition agent. While Lily questions Luther’s true motives, Luther warns her of George’s potential plans to bring his bootlegging business to the farm. Though Lily can’t raid the farm due to a lack of evidence, Fiona sends her a tip that George’s alcohol could have been swapped with toxic wood alcohol. When Luther’s badly beaten body is found with a snakebite wound and the coroner insists the snakebite killed Luther, Lily senses that something doesn’t add up. Richly fleshed-out characters compensate only in part for a surfeit of repetitive backstory. Fans of historical mysteries featuring strong female leads may be satisfied. Agent: Elisabeth Weed, Book Group. (Mar.)
"A beautifully written, finely crafted, character-based mystery that uses historical detail to enhance a powerful story." - Kirkus Reviews (Starred)
"Like Sharyn McCrumb’s and Julia Keller’s thrillers, this third Lily Ross tale (following The Hollows, 2020) is a fine example of Appalachian storytelling, thoughtfully portraying characters at the intersections of kinship, poverty, power, and survival." - Booklist
"Provocative... richly fleshed-out characters..." - Publishers Weekly
"The Stills richly delves into class differences, religious obsession, greed and Prohibition's failures. Montgomery's strong storytelling shines." - Shelf Awareness
"A beautifully written tour de force . . . Part mystery, part character study, The Stills is a treasure trove of historical detail, a cast of much-loved characters, and a provocative storyline will keep you up well into the night." - Linda Castillo
"[Montgomery's] a dazzling portraitist, illuminating the lives of her characters and bringing their joys and sorrows to life. This is another stunning read from a supremely gifted writer." - Aunt Agatha's
"The research and detail that go into these books is part of why I love them. I love the progression of this series and seeing Lily Ross continue to grow and succeed in her position as sheriff. If you’re a fan of historical fiction with strong female protagonists, then you need to pick up the Kinship series." - Jessicamap Reviews
"The stories of the characters in The Stills have so much depth. Fans of historical fiction and mysteries should not skip this series!" - PhDiva
"The Stills deals with moonshining and the Prohibition. If you’re a fan of historical fiction, you really need to read this series." - The Book Club Mom
"I love the intersection of two favorite genreshistorical fiction and mysteries and, Sheriff Lily Ross, is a strong, female main character to root for, as are the other strong women in the book. The writing is vivid and descriptive and puts me right into the setting. This third book did not disappoint in any way, and I can't wait for the next one!" - Kahakai Kitchen
"Marvelous . . . a splendid portrait of a time, a place, and the strong women who forged lives for themselves in it. If you haven't read these books, I urge you to do so." - Kittling: Books
10/01/2020
Bronwyn County, OH, may be studded with illegal stills (it's 1927), but when 13-year-old Jebediah Ranklin nearly dies from drinking tainted moonshine, the usually tolerant Sheriff Lily Ross seeks the culprit—with the help of moonshiner Marvena Whitcomb. Third in a series; with a 50,000-copy first printing.
Susan Bennett narrates this intricate story of deception, murder, and misdirection. It’s told from the perspectives of Sheriff Lily Ross and Fiona Vogel during an intense Thanksgiving week in Kinship, Ohio. At the height of Prohibition, Fiona’s gruff-voiced duplicitous husband plots to poison the local moonshine in southeast Ohio, a crime the sheriff must foil. Bennett adopts a soft Southern accent reminiscent of the Appalachian foothills for native-born Fiona in sharp contrast to the bright-voiced, no-nonsense sheriff who searches for a missing revenuer and Vogel’s tainted hooch. Sheriff Ross is determined to uphold the law and protect the coal miners, bootleggers, and other townspeople of the sleet-coated rocky hills and valleys of Kinship. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
★ 2020-12-26
Montgomery continues her saga of strong Ohio women facing daunting obstacles.
Kinship Sheriff Lily Ross first inherited her job from her murdered husband, then won a term on her own. Her bereavement led her to friendships with other strong women. Now that Prohibition is splitting the country, Lily’s dismayed that her friend Marvena Whitcomb Sacovech has gone back to making moonshine in order to pay for medical help for her daughter, who’s severely afflicted with asthma. Young Zebediah Harkin’s glimpse of a revenuer being shot near Marvena’s still is the first in a chain of events that will lead Lily back to the men who betrayed her husband. George Vogel, meanwhile, has a respectable business selling tonic, but he aims to make a fortune in illegal alcohol, and the road to success runs through the secluded farm of his wife Fiona’s aunt. Fiona has come to hate her cruel husband, who has plenty of enemies and is constantly guarded by two old friends who despise her. Her pregnancy softens George just enough for her to plot a way to get her aunt’s farm put in her name. Lily is forced to work with a revenue agent she doesn’t trust, but she gets support from Benjamin Russo, an outside mining consultant who threatens to melt her heart. At length Fiona finds a way to work with Lily in hope of getting George arrested, and Lily works her way through past hurts and present problems to solve a thorny series of crimes.
A beautifully written, finely crafted, character-based mystery that uses historical detail to enhance a powerful story.