Overview

In this cozy historical mystery, an impoverished widow and a surly constable work together to figure out what happened to the dead man in the tavern privy. With Penelope Corbitt in the kitchen, the tavern will never be the same. ""Plucky young widow Penelope Corbitt must solve a murder, help the town's innkeeper/constable bring order to his shambles of a crossroads tavern, and dodge a life of grim servitude under the rule of her arrogant brother-in-law. She navigates racial, social, and cultural barriers in tackling these challenges, and the reader is carried along on her earnest quest. Author Karsten, known for meticulous research, avoids burdening the crisp narrative with irrelevant historical details, but the ones she includes are dead accurate. Readers who delight in well-written historical fiction will feel they have really stepped into colonial America. This book is a great read, from Chapter One to the end."" -Larry F. Sommers, best-selling author of The Price of Passage and Izzy Strikes Gold! Paperback, 272 pages Includes several 18th century tavern food recipes

Full Product Details

9781953444202

Table of Contents

Reviews

Terri Karsten's A Necessary Death plucked me off my couch and propelled me into her colonial mystery at the speed of a four-horse-drawn coach barreling along the King's Highway. Karsten's sleuths-widow Penelope Corbitt and widower Miles Tucker, the tavern owner-drew me into the twists and turns of this historical puzzler by force of their mismatched personalities, their shrewd intellects, and their complex emotional backstories. A tantalizing mystery set in a village impatient for results at the expense of possibly lynching the wrong person, Karsten's prose made me smell the tavern, taste the stew, and worry for the suspects, all the while keeping me guessing who did it and why. Peggy Joque Williams, author of Courting the Sun: A Novel of Versailles and Braving the Dawn: A Novel of New France (forthcoming- Jan. 2026) A Necessary Death by Terri Karsten takes readers on a journey back to pre-revolutionary America as the new country was beginning to discover its identity. Penelope Corbitt and her two children are traveling from Philadelphia to Boston with her brother-in-law, where they will all enter into some form of service. With Penelope's husband seemingly long gone and Penelope required to pay off his gambling debts, she has little choice but to accept her curmudgeonly brother-in-law's offer of assistance. An accident leaves the carriage with a broken axle and an unexpected delay at a small, run-down tavern whilst the carriage is being repaired. The surprise discovery of a dead body in the tavern's outhouse leads Penelope and the local constable, also the tavern owner, on a search for just who might have killed the town's parson. Review #1: Review by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite Review Rating: 5 Stars ""An absolute gem of a historical mystery! Terri Karsten sweeps you straight into 1763 with such vivid, pitch-perfect historical detail you can almost smell the dank air and feel the pitching of the coach. Her cast of characters is so real and compelling that I was sad to give them up at the end until I realized this is just the first in a series. The plot twists as much as it turns-every revelation as surprising as the last-making it one of those ""just one more chapter"" reads that somehow turns into finishing the whole thing in a single sitting. Karsten's portrayal of the challenges women faced in this era is unflinching, yet she gifts us a heroine brimming with wit, courage, and determination. Blending heart-pounding suspense, rich history, and a whisper of romance, this novel earns a well-deserved spot at the very top of my favorites list this year."" - Valerie Biel, award-winning author

Author Information

Terri Karsten was born in California and educated in the Midwest. She landed in Minnesota in 1981, where she fell in love with the river, the bluffs, and the people. After retiring from teaching English, she has focused on writing and editing. She writes historical fiction and fantasy: exploring the lives of ordinary people, living in extraordinary times past, seemingly powerless individuals who find ways to manage their own lives.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available