The uncommon setting, clearly-defined characters, and quick pace of Chris Keefer’s debut novel No Comfort for the Undertaker turn what might have been a middle-of-the-road historical cozy into something far more engaging and substantial. While the crime is satisfactorily solved by the end, the characters, setting, and tone are more likely to linger in my memory than the details of the plot. I’ll be looking forward to learning more about this intelligent, courageous protagonist and her personal and professional adjustment to life in a rural town at the very beginning of the 20th century.

As the story begins, we find our recently widowed protagonist moving in with her deceased husband’s uncle in a conservative village where new technology (like automobiles and telephones) are slowly catching on, but old ideas about women’s roles haven’t advanced nearly as much. Carrie Lisbon had worked alongside her undertaker husband for years, preparing bodies for funerals, creating floral arrangements, and taking photos of the deceased. Her arrival in the small upstate New York town of Hope Bridge coincides with the death of a local woman and Carrie is engaged to assist the local undertaker with preparing the body. In the course of her detailed, deliberate work, Carrie discovers physical evidence suggesting the woman was murdered. As a newcomer and a woman, however, Carrie struggles to convince the local authorities--including the sheriff whose ill-tempered brother was married to the dead woman--that the death should be investigated further.

The author orchestrates action, description, and dialogue quite well, keeping the pace brisk, but taking time to introduce sharply-drawn secondary characters, odd quirks about the small town’s social milieu, and a fascinating and well-researched look into turn-of-the-century funerary practices. Keefer’s portrait of this backwater town doesn’t tidy up the grit and coarseness of pre-modern rural life, nor does it gloss over the sexism, racism, vulgarity, and violence Carrie Lisbon would likely encounter there. The story of Carrie’s efforts to solve the murder makes for a fun read, but I suspect readers’ final opinions will ultimately depend on how they feel about the personal story beneath that mystery plot. I recommend this book for readers interested in this compelling tale of a grieving woman struggling to establish herself as a respected professional in a not-very-welcoming environment.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this novel for review.

Good book - crime and period drama. Well written with the interesting plot. it was pleasure to read it and gain more knowledge of work of an undertaker at that times.

I so enjoyed this book. With a strong female and the fascinating world of preparing the dead plus a little mystery thrown in, and you're hooked.

The characters are so extremely well written that I felt like I could see them. They felt so real.

I literally inhaled this book and was thrilled to find out it's a series. This is in my favorite three books of the year.

Wonderful story! I really enjoyed this book! Could not put it down! Very much worth the read! I highly recommend!

In 1900, the recently widowed Carrie decides to leave the city with all its memories and start again in the small town of Hope Bridge. She moves in with her Uncle Sav and hopes to start life afresh.
In the city, Carrie along with her father and husband had been an undertaker and it’s not long before her skills are called upon. With his wife unwell, the Hope Bridge undertaker asks for Carrie’s help with the body of a young woman apparently thrown from a carriage at high speed. Without a local coroner, the undertaker has been authorised to pronounce the cause of death and he registers it as “accidental.” However while she is preparing the body for burial, Carrie notices some inconsistencies with the story the husband told when he brought the body in. Why was she dressed the way she is and what are those marks around her neck? Carrie has seen similar marks before and she knows that they, along with other marks on the body, show that the young woman has been abused.
The trouble is that no-one will listen to her. Surely she can’t be accusing the husband of abusing his wife. Yes she is and what’s more she will tell the authorities of her concerns. However, the local Sheriff doesn’t accept her story either. It’s his brother that she’s calling a wife abuser.
Shortly afterwards he is also dead. Was Carrie wrong? Did someone kill them both?
Coming up against the prejudice and social structure of small town America at the turn of the twentieth century Carrie follows leads that not only eventually find out who was responsible for the deaths but also dark secrets buried just below the surface of civilised life.
Many thanks to the author publisher and Netgalley for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review..

This is an absolute gem of a book! I was intrigued at the idea of an historical fiction/ mystery where the undertaker plays such an important role in identifying crime markers - we are way before DNA and scientific measures here.

When Carrie Lisbon's husband dies she moves away from everything she has known to live with her Uncle, Sav Machin. Before the truck is even unpacked she is called upon by a family who have lost their daughter and require the services of an undertaker. Carrie makes sure the child is buried with dignity - despite peoples reluctance to allow this to happen smoothly due to the families lack of finances. When a young woman from the village is later found dead, the town's official undertaker calls upon Carrie to help prepare the body - this is where Carrie discovers the injuries suffered are not wholly compatible with the cause of death that has been presumed.

I loved Carrie Lisbon, she had real grit and determination to bring justice, and to ensure the right person is convicted of the crimes they have committed. The book is well written, the characters are well formed and it flowed perfectly. I also totally loved Carrie for being progressive and way ahead of her time.

I really hope there will be more Carrie Lisbon mysteries to follow!

We're in America in the 1900s and widow Carrie Lisbon has moved to the quiet town of Hope Bridge to lodge with her only surviving relative, the uncle of her late husband. An experienced undertaker, who has trained as an embalmer and understands the language of flowers when making tributes, Carrie is asked to help lay out the body of a young woman when the official town undertaker's wife is indisposed.

In the days before pathologists and DNA, undertakers were one of the few professions who could identify how a person had died, and Carrie is alarmed that the young woman appears to have been murdered.

She finds herself fighting for justice in the face of opposition from the sheriff, who is related to the dead woman's husband, and the general view of women at that time, which wasn't favourable when it came to them having a profession.

Carrie is a very feisty and determined woman and gradually starts to win people over, including the sheriff.

I liked the unusual angle of the book - a pioneer female undertaker - and it looks as if this is the first in a series of Carrie Lisbon mysteries.