Here’s the Church, Here’s the Steeple introduces Andy Gammon,a former
history teacher and transplanted Detroiter, now living in a New England
coastal town with her dyed-in-the-wool Yankee husband, two children,
and crusty mother-in-law.
When a storm damages the steeple of the First Parish Church of Newburyport, revealing a skeleton holding a silver
tankard that has been missing from the church plate since 1811, Andy (who has been updating the history of the
First Parish) becomes involved in an ancient mystery. She finds herself stepping on toes as
she seeks answers to questions surrounding a 200 year-old death,
Newburyport’s Great Fire of 1811, and certain town officials who might
have a few closet skeletons of their own.
The mystery spills over into
the present when another body—a recent one—is found in the church and
a fire is set on Andy’s property, leading Andy to worry that the
tragedies in the past are being recreated.
Despite growing resistance
of those around her (including husband Gus) who think she is sullying
the town’s forefathers, Andy remains steadfast in her commitment to
historical truth, solving both murders, and ultimately finding her
niche in this New England town.
Here’s the Church, Here’s the Steeple
ISBN: 1594143749 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 0373265980 (Paperback)
Available at Amazon.com and
BarnesandNoble.com.
|
|
 Tempa Pagel serves up a clever, twisty story that brings a 200-year-old
mystery careening into the present time in an authentic old New England
seaport town. It's all pitch-perfect — the town's culture, the
characters' voices, the heroine's reluctant courage, the historical
details.
HERE'S THE CHURCH, HERE'S THE STEEPLE is a terrific novel.
— William G. Tapply, author of NERVOUS WATER: A BRADY COYNE MYSTERY
Pagel hits the bull's-eye in her first attempt with vivid flashbacks to the first murder,
intriguing dollops of history and crusty characters in both time frames.
SinC Mystery Panel at John Curtis Free Library,
Hanover, MA (Photo by Maggie Pagel) |
|
This is the first mystery by the author, but it reads as if she had been doing this for years. She has faithfully captured the small town atmosphere, and the New England attitude to "outsiders," i.e. anyone whose parents weren't born there (which I know from two years in a small town in New Hampshire ). The story is gripping, the characters interesting and the historical information was well presented. A really splendid debut for Ms Pagel! RECOMMENDED.
— Eden Embler
|
This interesting amateur sleuth introduces the reader to the residents of Newburyport so that the audience understands the motives of Andy to learn the truth and many leading citizens to shut her down especially with the 1811 investigation. About one third into the fine plot, the mystery begins and never slows down as the audience through intrepid Andy obtains a look at a Massachusetts port city just before the War of 1812. Tempa Pagel provides a fine whodunit, past and present, that readers will enjoy.
— Harriet Klausner, Senior Reviewer
Book signing at Borders in Methuen, MA. |
Book signing with Susan Oleksiw at Barnes & Noble, Peabody, MA.
(Photo by Maggie Pagel) |
|
