Death in the Details

Thirty-one-year-old Maple Bishop is a lonely widow living in Vermont in 1946. Her husband, Bill, a doctor, died in World War II, and left little money for his wife to pay her bills. Although she has a law degree, it does her little good, since no one is willing to hire her. In fact, if she cannot come up with the necessary cash to pay her mortgage, she could end up homeless. However, with the help of a hardware store owner, Ben Crenshaw, Maple decides to make use of her unique artistic talent. She designs and builds beautiful dollhouses that feature furniture, dolls with clothing, and even wallpaper. Ben offers Maple a space near the front window of his store where she will work on her dollhouses. Passersby will have an opportunity to show more admire her craftsmanship and buy her wonderful creations.

Maple's life becomes more complicated when she finds the dead body of a local bully hanging from a noose in his barn. After a cursory investigation, Sheriff Sam Scott closes the case, but Maple, who has a photographic memory and a keen eye for detail, suspects foul play. She makes a miniature physical reconstruction of the crime scene and teams up with Ken, a rookie officer and Sam's nephew, to find the killer.

"Death in the Details," by Katie Tietjen, has well-drawn characters, vivid prose and dialogue, and an engrossing plot. Maple is a hoot. On the one hand, she is brusque, impulsive, and overly candid. On the other hand, she is kind, intelligent, and eager to make sure that guilty people do not get away with their misdeeds. Moreover, Maple is humble enough to admit that she needs to improve her own behavior—to be more tactful and less judgmental. Fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy this atmospheric debut novel. show less

Maple Bishop is dealing with a lot of grief in this post WWII historical mystery. She lost her mother and brother and her husband leaving her alone. She also finds herself in Vermont after growing up in Boston. Things get even worse when she learns that her husband - a popular but not financially bright man - leaves her an estate of slightly less than $13 and with a monthly mortgage of just of $52 to pay.

Maple has been educated as a lawyer but can't find a job in that field. Law jobs are going to men and returning veterans. However, Maple is skilled at making miniatures - complex doll houses on a 1 inch to 1 foot scale - and sees selling them as a way to make some money.

Unfortunately, when she goes to deliver her first sale, she finds show more the buyer hanging in his barn. While the police and the medical examiner are quick to declare the death an accident, Maple who has a photographic memory sees quite a few discrepancies that lead her to think that the man's death was murder. But her painstakingly accurate miniature of the scene isn't enough to convince the paperwork-hating sheriff that a crime was committed.

Teaming up with Kenny who is a new deputy who just happens to be the sheriff's nephew, Maple begins to look into the crime against the sheriff's orders. And when the town's biggest gossip who has had numerous arguments with Maple disappears, Maple finds herself a suspect in the kidnapping. She's convinced the two cases are related but it takes her involvement in a dangerous situation to prove it.

I enjoyed this story. I liked the setting and time period. I especially liked Maple's determination to forge a new independent life for herself after all of her personal losses. show less

With my interest in dollhouses and miniatures and the author finding inspiration in Frances Glessner Lee, the mother of forensic science, Death in the Details was a book I could not resist. For the most part, this is a very promising start to a new historical series.

The mystery is a strong one and used a factor in World War II life on the homefront that I seldom think about. The cast of characters is also strong. Maple is smart, has a very handy photographic memory, and has a knack for gathering friends around her-- something which she doesn't seem to be completely aware of.
Her best friend Charlotte and Charlotte's husband Hank run the diner in town, and although I do like Charlotte, if she kept walking into my house unannounced, she show more wouldn't be my friend for long. Ben, a half-Japanese hardware store owner, Ginger Comstock ("Gossip Central"), and rookie police officer Kenny Quirk round out the major players. Oh, I almost forgot one! Sheriff Sam Scott started life as a cardboard lawman, but I am happy to say that he didn't stay that way.

But... as strong as the mystery and the characters are, one thing really annoyed me: slipshod editing. The book takes place in 1946. When the sheriff tells Maple "Don't get your pantyhose in a twist," it stopped me in my tracks. Did they have pantyhose in 1946? I had to stop and do a little investigating. No, they did not. So... when I find an error like that, it makes me suspicious. Yellowjackets that were hereafter referred to as bees didn't help, and then I found myself doing some digging on the subjects of seatbelts and plywood among other things.

Death in the Details is a strong mystery with a good cast of characters. Unfortunately, it is a bit weak in the details. Will I read the next book in the series? Yes, but I won't be in a rush to do so. show less

Death in the Details by Katie Tietjen

With a mother who loved dollhouses, had more than one of her own, and took me to see a famous one in Chicago AND a father who loved mysteries, suspense, and crime stories – How could I not read this book? Finding out this is based on a real person who made miniatures to solve murders and teach the skill to others is just an additional bonus. I am hoping this will be a series but haven’t found out yet if it will or not.

The setting is a small town in Vermont just after the end of WWII. Mable “Maple” Bishop finds out she has less to fall back on than she thought and will need to earn a living. Little does she know that her hobby of creating miniature dollhouses might lead to a very interesting show more future.

An argument overheard, a murder scene stumbled onto, and realizing she sees what others have not, she recreates the murder scene in a miniature “nutshell”. She then uses her mental skills, legal knowledge, her husband’s medical books and her belief in justice and finding the truth to the best advantage and uncovers more than she or anyone else thought she would.

This story reminded me of stories I had heard about the scrimping and saving, rationing, donating items needed for the war effort, victory gardens, loss, and other issues that were real when my parents were young. I felt a part of the story and loved meeting characters that I hope will show up in a future book. Will Maple and Ben continue to spend time together in his hardware shop? Will Charlotte have more children? Will Kenny grow into his own and perhaps take over the sheriff’s department from his uncle?

This had some darkness to it with the mention of verbal and physical abuse, black market smuggling, murder, fraud and other crimes but it also talked of purpose, joy, and moving forward in a positive manner even when times are not easy.

I am glad I read this book and would recommend it to those who enjoy historical fiction and cozy mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars show less

Inspired by the true story of Francis Glessner Lee, Tietjen crafted this cozy mystery set in a small town in Vermont post WWII. The protagonist is an educated, but unemployed lawyer who was recently widowed. Her hobby and current obsession is creating miniature houses. Eventually she becomes involved in a local murder scene and the mystery begins. This was a good palate cleanser after some heavier reads. The mystery was satisfying and competently laid out. The writing was a bit rocky, occasionally trite and needed some fact checking. I expect that future installments will be more polished. I will likely move on to the next in the series.

My 6P review: Premise, Plot, People, Place, Prose/Pace, Praise

Maple Bishop is ready to put WWII and the death of her husband behind her by creating dollhouses as a source of income. Unfortunately, she discovers her first hanging from a rope in his barn. Unhappy with the local law enforcement response, she sets out to recreate the scene in miniature.

I was given the second book in this series Murder in Miniature by Netgalley and then I read Bruce Goldfarb’s 18 Tiny Deaths: The Untold Story of Frances Glessner Lee, to whom this series is based upon, before deciding to read the first book in the series.

The first book in the series was absolutely great. I loved the introduction of Maple and Kenny. What lovely characters who grew throughout show more the story.

The storyline was excellent and I loved how the plot evolved. After reading Goldfarb’s book, I could see where Tietjen got her inspiration from. I’m sure Frances Glessner Lee would be thrilled with this series.

The cover was also so beautifully created by Amanda Schaeffer complimenting everything so well.

I will absolutely be continuing this series. A fantastic debut novel. show less