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When Thomas Jefferson's Virginia home becomes a crime scene, scholar/sleuth Homer Kelly must stop a serial killer in this "surefire winner" (Booklist, starred review). Thomas Jefferson is in trouble. Two centuries after he became America's third President, the nation's historians have ganged up on him, intent on shattering the reputation of a man they once idolized. It's Fern Fisher's job to set the record straight. A hotshot young historian, she has been hired by the people at Monticello show more to repair Jefferson's tattered reputation. If she isn't careful, she could get her throat slit for her troubles. In the run-up to the celebration of Jefferson's bicentennial, a killer prowls the area around the President's historic home, brutally murdering any young women he can find. Harvard professor and casual sleuth Homer Kelly is in Monticello for the festivities, and is eager to reconnect with Fern, a former student. While Fern fights Jefferson's character assassination, Homer tries to keep her safe from murder of a more literal kind. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Read during Spring 2002
A serial killer stalks women near Monticello. Homer and Mary are invited to Monticello by a friend to celebrate the anniversary of Jefferson's presidency. A young woman and former student is working on a Jefferson biography and has found a soulmate who is fascinated by Lewis and Clark. All these manage to fit together, along with a smitten professor and possible ghostly appearance by Jefferson to foil a murder. Great fun, as always, from Langton.
A serial killer stalks women near Monticello. Homer and Mary are invited to Monticello by a friend to celebrate the anniversary of Jefferson's presidency. A young woman and former student is working on a Jefferson biography and has found a soulmate who is fascinated by Lewis and Clark. All these manage to fit together, along with a smitten professor and possible ghostly appearance by Jefferson to foil a murder. Great fun, as always, from Langton.
Advance copy.
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Author Information
34+ Works 8,929 Members
Jane Langton was born Jane Gillson in Belmont, Massachusetts on December 30, 1922. She received a bachelor's degree in art history in 1944 and a master's degree in art history in 1945 from the University of Michigan. She received a second master's degree in art history from Radcliffe College in 1948. She studied at the Boston Museum School from show more 1958 to 1959. Her writing career began with children's books. Her first book, The Majesty of Grace, was published in 1961. She illustrated several of her children's books. She wrote a young adult series entitled the Hall Family Chronicles. The fourth book in the series, The Fledgling, was a Newbery Honor book. She also wrote an adult mystery series entitled the Homer Kelly mysteries. The fifth book in the series, Emily Dickinson Is Dead, received a Nero Wolfe Award and an Edgar Award. In 2017, she received the Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master Award for the series. She died from complications of a respiratory condition on December 22, 2018 at the age of 95. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Murder at Monticello
- Original publication date
- 2001
- People/Characters
- Homer Kelly; Fern Fisher; Thomas Dean; Augustus Upchurch; George Dryer
- Important places
- Monticello, Virginia, USA
- Important events
- Bicentennial of Thomas Jefferson's presidency.
- Dedication
- For Meg Ruley
- First words
- The houses of the great men and women of the past are different from those of ordinary dead people, because so much trouble has been taken to stop time in its tracks.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Nearly all of them felt a desire to come closer to Thomas Jefferson himself, to someone they were proud to think of - rightly or wrongly - as a very great man.
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Statistics
- Members
- 143
- Popularity
- 229,833
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.58)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 6
- ASINs
- 2
