God in Concord (1992)

by Jane Langton

Series: Homer Kelly Mystery (9)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
185	5	147,739	(3.57)	7
Homer suspects a rash of deaths near Walden Pond may not be accidental Alice Snow is the first to die. In the morning, she and her friends at the Pond View Trailer Park watch soap operas, worrying about the lives of TV's rich and powerful. A few hours later, a hiking Homer Kelly finds Alice lying outside her trailer, head smashed and heart stopped. Though her fellow Pond View residents do not realize it, their lives are in danger too. The state-owned park sits on Walden Pond, just north of the replica of Thoreau's log cabin. Where the philosopher once retreated to find nature is now a hive of humanity - hemmed in by a highway, a landfill, and the planned site of a new mini-mall. The trailer park stands in the developers' way, and when more Pond View residents die, Homer suspects murder. The developers have no qualms about killing Concord's past - might they murder its present too?… (more)

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Lite read about a series of murders in a trailer park in Concord Mass. amid a war between developers and environmentalists. (

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AstridG | Jul 6, 2014 |

Splendid. I do so love her Homer Kelly mysteries. (

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mulliner | Sep 20, 2009 |

What happens when a group of developers and environmentalists are at odds in Concord, Massachusetts? Residents of a trailer park near Thoreau's Walden Pond begin to die. Having just visited Concord and having re-read several of Thoreau's works including Walden recently, I really connected with this novel. I've not always been a fan of Langton's fiction, but this one kept me interested to the very end. (

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thornton37814 | Jun 16, 2008 |

Jane Langton's Homer Kelly is one part absent-minded professor, one part Doctor Who (sans time travel) and one part...well, Homer Kelly. Suffering from JFS (Jessica Fletcher Syndrome), mystery and death seem to "sniff out" Homer, rather than the other way around.

The story is not just merely about scenic suburban life and the petty trifles of its inhabitants. That provides the narrative façade for an astute commentary regarding the politics of development/city planning, environmentalism and the dangers/benefits of nostalgia.

Langton's characters are vividly multi-dimensional, torn in their allegiances by both heart and mind. The author asks the reader not to pass immediate judgment, suggesting that the potential for villainy resides within us as well, under the right set of circumstances.

I think this is one of Langton's better books in the series. Highly recommended for Thoreau buffs and those readers familiar with Boston/Concord, Massachusetts. (

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rebcamuse | Jun 5, 2008 |

Murders & development in Concord. Fighting against development are the good heroic Thoreauvians, with a young super-rich unassuming man from India joining them; the pro-development forces are evil murderers.

franoscar | Jan 2, 2008 |

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Homer Kelly Mystery (9)

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Canonical title

God in Concord

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

1992

People/Characters

Homer Kelly

Important places

Concord, Massachusetts, USA

USA

Massachusetts, USA

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

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Disambiguation notice

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▾Book descriptions

Homer suspects a rash of deaths near Walden Pond may not be accidental Alice Snow is the first to die. In the morning, she and her friends at the Pond View Trailer Park watch soap operas, worrying about the lives of TV's rich and powerful. A few hours later, a hiking Homer Kelly finds Alice lying outside her trailer, head smashed and heart stopped. Though her fellow Pond View residents do not realize it, their lives are in danger too. The state-owned park sits on Walden Pond, just north of the replica of Thoreau's log cabin. Where the philosopher once retreated to find nature is now a hive of humanity - hemmed in by a highway, a landfill, and the planned site of a new mini-mall. The trailer park stands in the developers' way, and when more Pond View residents die, Homer suspects murder. The developers have no qualms about killing Concord's past - might they murder its present too?

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Terror and chaos hit Homer Kelly's hometown of Concord, Massachusetts, when retirees at the local trailer park are suddenly murdered. As Homer fights to preserve his precious town and protect it from the onslaught of urbanization , he must solve a mystery that threatens the very lives of his townspeople.

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