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Anna Loan-Wilsey
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Anything But Civil (A Hattie Davish Mystery Book 2) Kindle Edition

by Anna Loan-Wilsey (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 69 ratings
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In this historical mystery from the “superb” Hattie Davish series, the traveling secretary discovers some Civil War grudges are still deadly twenty-five years on (Library Journal).
 
Hattie Davish is delighted to be ably assisting her wealthy employer, Sir Arthur Windom-Greene, an English scholar who is fascinated by the American Civil War and who is hard at work putting together a definitive biography of Union general Cornelius Starrett.
 
Their research takes them to the small town of Galena, Illinois, where they quickly learn that the twenty-five years since the war’s end have done little to heal old wounds. Distrust and betrayal seem to linger in everyone’s minds—none more so than General Starrett’s own pompous son, Henry. Hattie is certain he has something to do with a string of bizarre incidents that have recently plagued the town—and her suspicions are bluntly confirmed when the much-disliked Henry turns up dead.
 
Between her work for Sir Arthur, preparing for Christmas, and unscheduled visitors from her past, Hattie hardly has time to investigate a murder—but her curiosity prevails, and she soon finds herself lost in a labyrinth of secrets and deceit that leads to more questions than answers . . .
 
The bestselling author of A Lack of Temperance continues her Victorian-era mystery series that Emily Brightwell calls “a welcome addition to the genre.”
Previous page
  1. Book 2 of 5
    Hattie Davish Mysteries
  2. Print length
    322 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Kensington Books
  6. Publication date
    October 1, 2013
  7. File size
    1589 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

As a librarian and information specialist, Anna Loan-Wilsey tracks down information every day that helps to solve mysteries. She earned her B.A. at Wells College and had several poems published in their literary magazine, The Chronicle. Readers can visit her website at www.annaloanwilsey.com.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00CICDCCG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kensington Books (October 1, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 1, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1589 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 322 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 69 ratings

About the author

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Anna Loan-Wilsey

Anna Loan-Wilsey

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I write the historical cozy Hattie Davish Mysteries series featuring a Victorian traveling secretary who solves crimes in every historic town she visits. "A Lack of Temperance", my first novel and first in the series, was a #1 bestselling historical mystery on Amazon.com. I live in a Victorian farmhouse near Ames, Iowa with my family, where I am happily working on new mystery adventures.

To learn more about me, visit me at www.annaloanwilsey.com or find me on Facebook or Twitter!

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
69 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

DSam
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect cozy
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2022
Verified Purchase
I love how the author really puts details in her stories. Each story takes place in a different city as Hattie Davish is a secretary to Sir Arthur Windom Greene, a renowned historian. I also enjoy the recurring characters and each story has an excellent mystery to solve.
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Shéa
4.0 out of 5 stars Decent Second Installment
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2017
Verified Purchase
I absolutely loved the first book in this series, so I had very high expectations. Unfortunately, the second book didn't quite live up to to the first. There was a lot of repetitiveness and many long lists of items found in grocery stores (as if a laundry list of brands of a bygone era would create historical accuracy). The murder mystery portion didn't kick in until two thirds of the way through the book. However, it was still a great story and I will definitely read the next book in the series.
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Cheryl Haley
5.0 out of 5 stars I love mysteries where you cannot figure out who the murderer ...
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2014
Verified Purchase
I love mysteries where you cannot figure out who the murderer is until it is revealed , and this is a good one.
2 people found this helpful
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Swanluver54
5.0 out of 5 stars Even better than the first one
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2013
Verified Purchase
This was a great read! Perfect for Christmas time if you like mysteries. Can't wait for the next book in the series.
One person found this helpful
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Cole Klawuhn
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2014
Verified Purchase
was a fun read kept me guessing to the end
One person found this helpful
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M. L. Breaux
4.0 out of 5 stars Well done historical mystery!
Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2013
As a huge fan of historical mysteries, I was excited to receive this ARC for review. I thought the description of the story was intriguing. I can honestly tell you that I was not disappointed! From the start I noticed 2 things; the first being well developed characters. There was no apathy toward any of them really, you despised the jerks and you loved the heroine, I never felt like they lacked anything. The second was the author's research into the time period. This novel is set post-Civil War, in Kansas, during the Victorian period. The author did a fantastic job of illustrating the class divide, structure and customs of the time period.

While I found at least 2 of the characters practically reprehensible, there were several more that I completely enjoyed, however, I can't help but have fallen in love with Hattie. She is a remarkably written woman. I particularly like that the author wrote her to be a strong, independent, self-sufficient woman in a time period that authors commonly write women to be weak and needy, and often uneducated in worldly matters. Hattie handles herself with class and dignity, gives the illusion that she knows her place, and as it happens, this illusion puts her in a better position to get the information that she needs to solve the murder, especially after her employer is arrested for murder!

All in all, I will say that Anything But Civil should be high on your TBR shelves. It was a roller coaster of twists and turns, where there are tons of suspects and little in the way of clues. It will keep you guessing until the very end! I will definitely be checking out the author's first novel, A Lack of Temperance, and eagerly anticipate the third in the series.
XOXO
Michele
Book Geeks Unite
2 people found this helpful
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Celtic Owl
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2015
Verified Purchase
great second book to the series
One person found this helpful
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Cathy G. Cole
4.0 out of 5 stars Hattie Davish, traveling secretary in the 1890s is becoming a favorite of mine
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2013
I really enjoyed Loan-Wilsey's first Hattie Davish mystery, A Lack of Temperance, but I have to admit that I had a more difficult time getting into Anything But Civil. This is mostly due to the fact that I intensely disliked two of the characters. Henry Starrett was a pompous, spoiled bully who found little reason to rein in his horrible temper. He was so obnoxious that I simply didn't care who killed him because Henry's absence was such a relief. Another character who drew my ire was Rachel Baines, a vain, ill-tempered sort of woman who feels better about herself by constantly putting others down. Henry and Rachel are two sorts of people whom, if I met them in real life, I would walk away-- and stay away-- from. Since they are prominent characters with many scenes, it was tough going at times.

But I still think the character of Hattie Davish is a winner. She's smart, hard-working, quick-thinking and brave, and I enjoy watching her piece together clues to solve the crime. Getting acquainted with Hattie's oft-mentioned employer, Sir Arthur Windom-Greene, was a treat as well. He's an interesting blend of scholar, forward thinker, and proper upper class British gentleman. Also tops on my enjoyment scale is the setting of Galena, Illinois. The author made a very good decision to set her book in the hometown of Ulysses S. Grant. What better place to show the lingering aftereffects of the Civil War than in the home of the best-known of the Union generals?

Although two obnoxious characters did dim my enjoyment of Hattie Davish's second mystery, I like her so much that I'm looking forward to her next adventure.
3 people found this helpful
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