Eleanor Kuhns has Will Reed finding too many bodies Simply Dead. Will Rees finds missing Hortense, the apprentice midwife, hiding in the snow after her abduction by mountain boys. What is she hiding? Who are the Wootons and are they involved in kidnapping and murder? Then a Shaker girl is murdered while Hortense is sheltered in the Shaker community. Will has to solve the various crimes and settle his family's affairs. Well told historical mystery.

Will Rees, his wife, and family live in the house that his wife inherited and that the Shaker community covets. He married into the Shaker community, even though the Shakers don't seem to accept him that much. He had previously investigated a murder in the community and it seems that he will be doing it again as the daughter, Hortense, of a midwife, goes missing.

There are two men who are looking for her. Will finds her in the snow without shoes or a coat. He and his wife Lydia are suspicious of the circumstances. They hide her away in Zion, the local Shaker community. There is an eye witness and it appears that the description of the witnesses matches that of Josiah Wooten, a nasty man who lives with his wife and two sons.

Will investigates the family and is surprised by what he finds. He has gone to the Wooten home in a blizzard, puts his life at risk yet again. He is determined to not only find out why Hortense went missing but also investigate the murder of the Shaker sister and what the correlation is between the two incidences. He is concerned about the welfare of his family and that they could be in danger.

The author writes in such a way that you can almost feel like you are in the snowy woods of 1790's Maine. A community that is set far apart from the rest of the country. There is a cast of characters that are believable. The story is suspenseful and you also get a feel for what it is like to live in a Shaker community. There are also some twists to the story that was not expected. I love a story that does that, I don't want to figure out who did what in a mystery, I like being surprised.

This is only the second Shaker Murders book that I have read but I found that I really did not miss not having

Will Rees married into the Shaker community. He could never have imagined what he would find as he and his wife Lydia built their lives together in 18th century Maine. They've already lived through a lot and Will has developed into an ace detective of the most unusual sort. This time out (don't worry if you didn't read the earlier ones), he's the one who finds Hortense, a midwife, who has gone missing in the woods. She hasn't got any cold weather gear and there are men out there hunting for her for nefarious reasons. They hide her in Zion, a Shaker community, where she should be safe, but it turns out that other women are targets as well. The violence against women seems surprising but should not be, I suppose. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Will's a good character, Lydia's terrific, the mystery twisty, and the setting terrific.

Its the 1790s, in Maine and winter has arrived. Several weeks earlier Hortense a young midwife had gone to help with the birthing of the latest Bennett member. But it is only now that it is noticed that she had left the Bennetts but not arrived home. As a search party is organised to find her Will Rees discovers her in a bad way. But why was she kidnapped. Feeling that she is still in danger she is secreted away in Zion, the local Shaker community. But then a Sister is killed. What was the motive and will this be the end of the killings
An enjoyable, well-plotted and well-written story. With certainly some likeable characters.
Although there is mention of past events in the lives of the Rees family the book can easily be read as a standalone story.

A young midwife goes missing. Not only has she been gone quite a while, it's snowing and will cover all trace of her tracks. Everyone goes out to look for her...

Severn House and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It will be published August 1st.

Rees finds her in the snow with no shoes and no cloak. He takes her home for his wife to warm up and goes to tell the sheriff. He then tries to question the girl. She says she was kidnapped but Rees doesn't think that's true. Then her mother comes to collect her and stops all questions. When his daughter is almost kidnapped, he's sure she hasn't told him the truth.

They put her with the Shakers to keep her safe but then a Shaker sister is strangled. Her mother send her to Toronto to keep her safe and get her married.

When Rees talks to the father of the family he thinks is involved, he ends up with a dangerous enemy. He thinks he's capable of anything. But he wouldn't burn his own house down. Who did that?

The actual killer was a surprise. This was a very interesting read.

SIMPLY DEAD by Eleanore Kuhns is a great mystery novel .I am glad I was picked to read this one because it is amazing. It has bit of everything, suspense, heart and great characters.

When a young midwife has been missing for two weeks in the mountains of 18th century Maine, the constable turns to amateur detective Will Rees to help him locate his niece.

Leaving his wife and children unprotected and stinting on his farm work and weaving time, Rees travels the snowy lanes asking questions of mountain people unaccustomed to trusting valley residents.

A portrait emerges of a family struggling to sustain their farmstead. Cowed by their father and abandoned by their sister, two teenaged boys try to care for their mother and keep the family fed. What do they know about the midwife?

This is book seven in the Rees series but new readers will have no problem entering here. As always, some of the action takes place in a Shaker village, making use of the religious sect's open doors and reputation for craftsmanship.

Simply Dead is a good story that keeps your attention and is well written. I enjoyed the plot and the characters.

This book is set in the early days of America, the story revolving around young women going missing in the depths of winter. The first girl, Hortense, is the daughter of the local midwife who fails to return after going out to attend a birth. The book evokes the life of that time, where distances between homes could be far, travel in winter was particularly difficult, wolves roamed and would attack lone travellers, and medical assistance was rudimentary.

Will Rees joins the party to find her, and discovers her in the woods without shoes or cloak. The local Shaker community are drawn into events, as more young women are either killed or attempts are made to abduct them. The story revolves around the fate of women at this time and some mistaken identities. Will makes an endearing hero, although he and Lydia clearly have some back stories that are only partly explained.

The tale is told well, and the scene in Maine in the eighteenth century is well described. Overall an entertaining and gripping read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House Publishers for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great read. The writing and story line are both well done. The plot was both interesting and easy to follow. I found myself totally immersed in the novel and finished it in 2 days. I highly recommend!

I'd like to thank Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to review this Will Rees mystery in advance of its August 2019 publication date in return for an honest review. I think this is the seventh Will Rees mystery, but it is hard to tell because some sources indicate other numbers. In addition, the blurb that accompanies the book on Goodreads and Amazon incorrectly states that the person who disappears early in the story is Bernadette, a midwife, but it is really Bernadette's daughter Hortense who disappears. A small thing, perhaps, but clarity in book blurbs is usually important to me. In addition, if I had known that this was part of an established series, I might not have requested it, and in so doing would have made a mistake that deprived myself of a great read! It turned out to be a very well plotted and suspenseful story as a stand alone, and I now intend to go back and start with number one! The series is set in 1790's Maine, long before it becomes a state. Simply Dead is an historical novel of some depth, and the characters are well fleshed out and very real. Descriptions of the landscapes and the harsh winter weather create vivid mental images which I appreciated and enjoyed. Will Rees is a family man, farmer and a weaver who also fought in the revolutionary war. A nearby Shaker community figures intricately into the plot and obviously was also part of the previous books in the series. Rees is friendly with the only lawman in the area, but he's somewhat of a clever sleuth himself. As a short disappearance and other worrisome issues progress to a murder and fear for the safety of the people of the area, Will investigates and tries to do his farm chores and protect his family at the same time. I was riveted, and in awe of the detailed research that obviously went into the writing. The ending was very well done, and I never guessed "whodunnit!" All loose ends were tied up -- no cliffhangers here. Obviously this talented author respects her readers too much to do that to her fans. Reading Simply Dead was great fun!