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Tuesday, March 16, 2021

The Stills by Jess Montgomery

First Line: Week before last, cold shooed warmth into a wish and a memory, then rattled tree limbs to leaflessness with one gnarly hand, while gripping the earth with the other.
 
In the rural Ohio of 1927, moonshining is a way of life, and Sheriff Lily Ross has been known to turn a blind eye... until thirteen-year-old Jebediah Ranklin almost dies from drinking tainted moonshine. Someone has gone too far, and Lily is determined to find out just who it is.
 
When Lil's nemesis, George Vogel arrives in town with his wife Fiona and Lily's former brother-in-law Luther Ross (now an agent for the Bureau of Prohibition), the sheriff of Kinship knows that it is too much of a coincidence.

As fall turns to winter, Lily works to pull back layer after layer of secrets and deceptions... and she begins to realize that newly married Fiona Vogel may have an agenda of her own.

~

Author Jess Montgomery continues her marvelous Kinship series with a look at Prohibition in The Stills. There are two main voices in the book: that of uncompromising Sheriff Lily Ross, a woman who refuses to have a photo of her family hanging in her office because she "doesn't need to remind some folks that they think [she] should be at home," and Fiona Vogel, a woman who's gone along with the accepted ole of women in society but who has decided that "she wants to be in control of her life. To thrive." 

The Stills is a nuanced portrait of an era with strong characters who show readers how people dealt, not only with Prohibition, but also with diseases like diabetes and asthma. The role of women in society looms large with the differing approaches of Lily and Fiona. Lily is a straight shooter. She pulls no punches, and her friends know that she will uphold the law regardless the identity of the law breaker. Buffeted by smaller stones and other debris, Lily is a boulder in the river that the water is forced to go around. Fiona is a bird feathering her nest with every little advantage and trick she can gather in the hopes that she can construct a safe place to live. While Fiona hasn't had much luck with men and wants a life where she can ignore them completely if she should choose to do so, Benjamin is a man in Lily's life who seems to like her just as she is. This is a relationship that should prove interesting in future books.
 
I always learn something when reading one of Montgomery's Kinship mysteries. In the case of The Stills, it was Prohibition and disease as well as a fascinating historical personage of whom I'd never heard: U.S. Assistant Attorney General Mabel Walker Willebrandt, who was known as "the First Lady of Law." People who believe that they can't learn anything from reading mere fiction are sadly misinformed.
 
The Stills-- as well as the other two Kinship mysteries The Widows and The Hollows-- is a splendid portrait of a time, a place, and the strong women who forged lives for themselves in it. If you haven't read these books, I urge you to do so. Begin at the beginning with The Widows. You can thank me later.
 
  
The Stills by Jess Montgomery
eISBN: 9781250623416
Minotaur Books © 2021
eBook, 320 pages
 
Historical Mystery, #3 Kinship mystery
Rating: A
Source: Net Galley

22 comments:

  1. You had me at the time and place setting, Cathy. I'm already drawn into the story on that basis. And it sounds as though there's a strong sense of both here. I do like a strong female protagonist, too, who's also not a superhero. Glad you thought this was a good 'un, and on a side note, hope you're feeling better.

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  2. Yay! You are back. Hope you feel better everyday. I read the first two books and The Hollows was a best read for 2020 for me. Her writing is also beautiful and lyrical. Sometimes I read a paragraph several times when she is describing the location. As you said, one also learns something new when one reads her books. Thank you for making me aware of them.

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    1. I should have mentioned The Stills is in transit to me at the library. I will be reading it soon. Jess Montgomery's books have become an auto read for me. I don't just put them in a stack TBR but read them right away.

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    2. You're welcome, Lynn. It's a pleasure for me to be able to introduce people to books I love, and these Kinship mysteries certainly qualify. Enjoy reading The Stills when you get your hands on it!

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  3. I fully intend to read this one and the one that preceded it, Cath. After you led me to the first book in the series, I got hooked on the characters and the setting. I'm not from that part of the country, but that KY-OH migration and close linkage is something that fascinates me because of the cultural impact it had on both states.

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    1. I'm glad I was able to introduce you to these books, Sam.

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  4. This series does sound wonderful. I completely agree with you about learning from fiction. That is what I love most about reading, learning things in the context of a good story is the best way to learn. The way you describe the writing and atmosphere make me think of books written by Sarah Loudin Thomas. She doesn't usually write mysteries, but When Silence Sings was a mystery. Her writing is beautiful and the stories usually take place in the Appalachian area in the 1930's to the 1950's. Glad to see you back!

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    1. Thanks for the tip about Sarah Loudin Thomas, Gretchen!

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  5. OK--I skipped your review because now that I've caught up with The Widows (I read The Hollows first), I am so ready for this third book! Hope you are feeling better, Cathy!

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  6. So glad to see this review, as I love Jess Montgomery's series set in 1920s Ohio. And glad you're up posting reviews.

    I have mentioned my Uncle George Newcomb, a rascal. He was a bootlegger during Prohibition, driving to Canada in a hearse, under the ruse of going to a funeral. His faithful spouse, Fanny, was in the car, and so was my father, his nephew, but acting as his son. A real scoundrel, but he had twinkly blue eyes.

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    1. Those twinkly blue eyes probably got him far.

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  7. This book is in transit for me to the library. Yippee.

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  8. Well, I finished a book that was meh and needed a good book to follow up. So I looked at my library stash and had to choose between The Postscript Murders and The Stills. I thought definitely the Jess Montgomery book.
    But then I began reading Griffiths' book, and after I laughed out loud four times by page 24 I picked Postscript Murders. It's so much fun. What a sense of humor Griffiths has.

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    1. Yes, she does. I'm glad she's bringing you out of your meh book slump.

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  9. Yes. I'm glad, too. And still I laugh. Was disappointed that I had to do work today (at home) and could not read more of this book.

    Elly Griffiths said on the PP interview that she "has a few more Ruth Galloway books in her." So, meanwhile she is developing the Harbinder Kaur books and the Brighton books.

    I told a few friends about this interview and they saw it and like her even more. They read the Ruth Galloway books.

    There are just some hilarious jibes in this book. I wonder am I the only one who laughs at some of these. Peggy calling her son, Nigel, a "kulak." I almost fell over laughing because my grandparents fled that region and I know about kulaks.

    And many other things. It seems like Elly Griffiths is just so modern in her thinking and wording.

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    1. I enjoyed watching that event this morning. Afterwards, I went globe-hopping to India for a hard-hitting Netflix series "Delhi Crime." This first season was based on a crime I remember reading about. Not always comfortable viewing, but a fascinating look into another culture. I'm glad it's been renewed for another season.

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  10. Delta Crime? How interesting. Was just reading the Crime Reads article about Bangalore crime.
    I'm still reading The Stills. It picked up for me, and then I didn't want to put it down. Jess Montgomery submitted her fourth book draft to her editor and has more ideas. She is interesting to listen to at the PP site. She's quite lively and full of information and really does her research.
    May Lily Ross and Marvena Whitcomb live on for several more books. And let's hear more about Benjamin's character.

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    1. Yes, I watched Montgomery a day or so ago. Denis is getting used to coming down to the family room to find me and there I am, either blogging or knitting and watching Barbara and her guests.

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Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!