Synopsis
After the loss of her physician husband in WWII, Maple Bishop does what she can to support herself at a time when no one would hire a woman as an attorney despite her legal education. When she finds the body of a local bully, her skills may be needed to solve the murder. She may even have some very unique talents to lend to the investigation

My Overall Thoughts
It’s a very creative story inspired by a fascinating, real-life heroine that suffers from overdramatization and preachiness.

What I Didn't Love
The theme of sex discrimination is undeniably central to the story, but the frequent repetition dilutes its impact. This is a recurring issue I’ve noticed in contemporary fiction—where overemphasis can overshadow the message. A well-crafted narrative often conveys its point more effectively without veering into repetitive, activist-style preaching.

Potentially Offensive Content
Violence
Adultery

What I Loved
The story is inspired by a real historic figure, Frances Lee Glessner, whose miniature representations of crime scenes aided investigators. The author worked this into her tale masterfully, creating a very plausible origin story for Glessner’s (or in this case, Maple Bishop’s) miniature creations.

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Death in the Details by Katie Tietjen!

I enjoyed this first book in a new series about a war widow who uses her hobby of making miniatures to help her solve a murder in her small Vermont town. I'll likely continue in the series.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for a free copy of #DeathInTheDetails by Katie Tietjen. All opinions are my own.

Maple starts building intricate dollhouses to support herself after her husband's death in WWII left her penniless. After one of her customers is found dead in his barn and ruled as a suicide, Maple is convinced otherwise. She recreates the crime scene in miniature form and it convinces a rookie police officer to enlist Maple's help in uncovering the victim's life.

I liked the twists and turns of this historical mystery. They kept me guessing for most of the book. The story is inspired by Frances Lee Glessner, who is known as the mother of forensic science. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this eARC. Death in the Details is out now.

Death scenes and dollhouses!! Who knew the two could go together so nicely in a murder mystery. In this story, Maple uses her unique ability as a tool to help solve a local murder in her small Vermont town. Using her photographic memory and the miniature that she is able to create of the crime scene she witnessed, Maple is able to assist with the local investigation, provide justice, and wrap things up in a tidy “nutshell.”

I’m so happy to have had the chance to read the Advanced Reader’s Edition e-copy of “Death in the Details" by Katie Tietjen; thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books!

Based on the true story of Frances Glessner Lee, this mystery follows Maple who starts building dollhouses to support herself after her husband's death in WWII. When a man dies, she makes one of the crime scene, convinced he was murdered. The sheriff doesn't believe her, but Maple is not deterred and starts investigating.

This one started out slow, but I am so glad I stuck with it! I loved Maple and Kenny's tag team investigation, and thought the whodunit was surprising (in a good way). If you are finding it a little slow at the beginning, stick with it! It really picks up and once I was past ⅓ in, I had to know what happened next!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Following the death of her husband Maple Bishop facing losing her home as well. So she does what she does best, creating detailed dollhouses. The only problem is, her first customer turns up dead under mysterious circumstances. Well at least Maple considers them mysterious. When it's quite clear that the police don't see things the same way she does, she decides to create the crime scene in exactly detail.... because Death is the Details.

Book Review: Death in the Details by Katie Tietjen

Rating: 3.5 Stars

As I delved into "Death in the Details" by Katie Tietjen, I found myself immersed in post-WWII Vermont alongside the determined Maple Bishop. Inspired by Frances Glessner Lee, the mother of forensic science, Maple takes on the role of a sleuth with a knack for intricate dollhouse crafting. The story kicks off with Maple's world turned upside down after discovering her husband's bad financial choices, leaving her on the brink of losing her home.

The narrative unfolds swiftly as Maple's dollhouse business leads her to a shocking discovery - a customer found dead in his barn. Driven by a keen eye for detail and a desire for justice, Maple delves into the dark secrets lurking beneath the town's surface, with the help of rookie officer Kenny. The plot twists and turns as Maple recreates crime scenes in miniature form, unraveling a web of deceit and danger that hits close to home.

Tietjen's writing skillfully captures the essence of post-war struggles and small-town intrigue, painting a vivid picture of a community hiding more than meets the eye. The pacing of the mystery keeps readers engaged, with well-plotted twists that keep you guessing until the end. The setting is richly detailed, immersing readers in a bygone era with a touch of macabre charm.

While the book excels in many aspects, particularly in its historical detail and plot intricacies, where it falters slightly is in the characterization of Maple Bishop. As the protagonist, Maple falls short of being truly likable, which may hinder some readers' connection to her journey. In a cozy mystery setting, a relatable main character is key to drawing readers in fully.

Overall, "Death in the Details" is a solid debut that blends history, mystery, and a touch of darkness into an engaging read. Despite Maple's shortcomings as a character, the well-crafted plot and atmospheric setting make this a promising start to what could be an intriguing series. I look forward to seeing how Maple's journey unfolds in future installments and recommend this book to fans of historical mysteries looking for a unique twist.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

Left penniless after her physician husband dies in France during WWII, Maple Bishop knows she must find work fast. Though trained as a lawyer, the lawyers in the small Vermont town of Elderberry that she lives in refuses to hire her because they’re unable to see past her gender.

Maple decides that she’ll transform her hobby into a job, and begins selling her highly detailed and beautifully constructed dollhouses.

After a local farmer dies, and his suicide is ruled as an accident, Maple is unconvinced. Using her experience creating miniatures, she meticulously recreates the death scene. This recreation convinces a junior, young police officer to ask for Maple's help in looking more deeply into the life of the dead man.

This was such a fun read. The pacing is great, with plenty of information delivered about Maple's circumstances and the inhabitants of the town well without overwhelming the narrative.

Maple is likeable and is not skilled at creating or maintaining friendly relationships. Not only is she an outsider in Elderberry (because her family has not been resident for generations—I have had the same experience when I lived in a small town for some years), but because she did not kowtow to the local gossip and her cronies, found herself frozen out of even the possibility of many friendships. Also, Maple is abrupt in her manner, and not interested in making her intelligence palatable to anyone who thinks women should smile and be polite, and not voice definite opinions.

I liked how the author's fascination with the real-life Frances Lee Glessner and her nutshells, miniatures of crime scenes, inspired this story's protagonist. The other details the author includes, including the continued rationing even post-war, played such a big part of this entertaining story.

I dearly hope to read more of Maple's exploits in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Death In The Details is the first novel by American author, Katie Tietjen. It’s October 1946 and, eight weeks after losing the husband who volunteered as a doctor in France, Maple Bishop learns that, despite the Government life insurance cheque, she is virtually penniless. And she may be the first woman to graduate from the Boston City Law School, but in Elderberry, Vermont, no-one will employ her in that capacity. If she doesn’t make the soon-due mortgage payment, she’ll be homeless.

Her one solace is making her miniatures: fully fitted, furnished and populated dollhouses. She has quite a lot of them, but can’t resist making more. When she’s at Ben Crenshaw’s hardware store picking up bits and pieces for a new one, he makes a suggestion that might benefit them both: display her houses in his window, and set up a work table in the store so customers can watch them being made. Maple’s rejection of the gossipy sewing group led by Elderberry’s self-appointed social chair, Ginger Comstock, makes her an outsider just as Ben's mixed race does.

When delivering one of her finished works, Maple stumbles on a grisly scene: the much-disliked husband of Angela Wallace is hanging from a noose in his barn, quite dead. She goes into the deserted house to call the Sheriff, but back in the barn, takes in various odd details. Maple is shocked when the Sheriff deems it a suicide not requiring investigation, and her troubled mind won’t rest until she has rendered each detail her photographic memory recorded into a miniature death scene complete with victim.

Not only does the Sheriff dismiss her ideas, he throws her out of the station. But when officer-in-training, Kenny Quirk returns her “death scene in a nutshell” he wants her to join him in a covert investigation. Perhaps not the wisest move, but his intentions are pure, and Maple finds it difficult to resist…

Tietjen offers an original plot with several twists and turns to keep the reader guessing and the pages turning right up to the exciting climax. She renders her setting and era well, deftly illustrating some of the hardships faced by communities in the early post-war years.

Her protagonist is a gutsy, no-nonsense woman describe by one friend as hard to like. She admits to using vinegar when honey would work better in interpersonal relations, finds people exhausting, prefers her stray orange cat’s straightforwardness and emotional transparency.

The story is inspired by the real-life Frances Lee Glessner, who made crafted miniature crime scenes, and the Author’s Note makes interesting background reading. The blurb describes this as a series debut, and more of this cast is most definitely welcome. Excellent historical crime fiction.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books.

I very much enjoyed this book. It’s a fresh take on historical mystery. I like the supporting characters, the actual writing, as well as the mystery.

Drawing inspiration from true crime and offering readers a smartly plotted puzzle of a mystery, Death in the Details is a stunning series debut. Set in the post-WWII era this was a really compelling historical mystery. This was quite the page-turner and kept me engaged until the very end.

Death in the Death is the debut mystery novel by Katie Tietjen. The author was inspired by the real life forensic pioneer Frances Lee Glessner who first used dioramas to solve crimes.

Maple Bishop has inherited a house in a small town in Vermont. She has recently been widowed as her husband died in the last days of WWII. Maple has an urgent need to make money fast. Since she is unable to find work as a lawyer since she is a woman, she turns to her hobby of making dollhouses to help herself. Along the way she meets a new sheriff’s deputy and the owner of the hardware store in town. While delivering one of her first commissions, she discovers the body of a local businessman hanging from the rafters of his barn. Maple feels compelled to find out why this crime happened.

I devoured this book in a few days. I loved the details about making doll houses and then crime scene boxes. In addition, any book set in Vermont captures my attention. I gave this book 5 stars and I look forward to reading more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the free advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

Historical Mystery inspired by a real person? Count me in. I enjoyed reading this post-WWII story about a war widow struggling to work and live in Vermont. It was interesting to see how the main character, who didn't have success being hired by her profession turns on her hobby of doll house making. After one unfortunate event when she finds herself on a death scene, she recreates the barn scene in a miniature model, which helps her start working with a young deputy to find the truth.
What a fascinating story that kept me turning pages until the end. I'm looking forward to reading future books by this author.

Maple Bishop is trying very hard to deal with the loss of her husband Bill. It is post WWII and she now finds herself penniless, going to lose her home and lifestyle. She turns to her craft, the one she is good at - miniature dollhouses, till she discovers a dead body when she goes to deliver her first order.

Being the first on the scene she notices discrepancies in the way the body was hanging and though the doctor and sheriff both want to wrap it up as a suicide, Maple has her doubts right from the start and is frustrated when her efforts to start an investigation are stalled. The sheriff does not want his upcoming retirement disturbed and the doctor, who is an old hand is in Maples opinion a very straight and honest man.

When she gets the support of the youngest recruit in the sheriffs office on her side, Maple starts a quiet investigation of her own, disrupting the life of several of its citizens and creating a furor wherever she goes. Undeterred Maple continues, bringing down corrupt government officials, baring a sugar racketeering scam and setting right many things including getting justice.

A rather vintage crime classic. Very pleasant reading.

Can we take a moment to admire the gorgeous cover of this book? Death In the Details by Katie Tietjen was inspired by a woman considered a pioneer in forensic science, Frances Glessner Lee. According the Wikipedia, she created the “Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death, 20 true crime scene dioramas recreated in minute detail at dollhouse scale, used for training homicide investigators.”

With that in mind, check out the plot of this novel:

Maple Bishop is ready to put WWII and the grief of losing her husband, Bill, behind her. But when she discovers that Bill left her penniless, Maple realizes she could lose her Vermont home next and sets out to make money the only way she knows how: by selling her intricately crafted dollhouses. Business is off to a good start—until Maple discovers her first customer dead, his body hanging precariously in his own barn.

Something about the supposed suicide rubs Maple the wrong way, but local authorities brush off her concerns. Determined to help them see “what’s big in what’s small,” Maple turns to what she knows best, painstakingly recreating the gruesome scene in miniature: death in a nutshell.

With the help of a rookie officer named Kenny, Maple uses her macabre miniature to dig into the dark undercurrents of her sleepy town, where everyone seems to have a secret—and a grudge. But when her nosy neighbor goes missing and she herself becomes a suspect, it’ll be up to Maple to find the devil in the details—and put him behind bars.

I love the premise of this book. I’m always looking for books with plots I haven’t seen before and this one gave me something new. I enjoyed it!

Out now.

WOW! It was a great historical mystery that made me met the mother of forensic science, read about how she worked. There's also a well plotted and solid mystery I thoroughly enjoyed
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books for an advanced copy of Death in the Details.

This was such an interesting mystery. I loved the setting in Vermont just after WWII too. Knowing this has inspiration from a true crime this was a great debut!

Set immediately post WWII, this is a great start to a (probable) cozy mystery series! Inspired by Frances Glessner Lee's dollhouse crime scene dioramas, our main character, Maple, is a whip-smart, highly trained woman in a world that was trying to shove women back into the homemaker role. This tension echoes through the book and gives it a little bit of an edge that most cozies don't have. The mystery is pleasantly twisty and the characters are fun. I look forward to seeing more of Maple in the future.