Agony Hill was the first in this new series from Sarah Stewart Taylor. Agony Hill was really good, and I wanted to find out what happened to Warren, Sylvie, and Alice.

Turns out there was another death in Bethany, Vermont. This time at a private hunting and fishing lodge just out of town. It was assumed that the death was an accident. After all, so many hunters in the woods, a stray shot might have gotten him. But there were other things that made it a bit suspicious. The victim was a recently retired ambassador. Not retired of his own accord, but forced out.

Warren and Pinky are on the case. They get the body to the coroner and begin questioning the group that is on property. It seems that many of the members might have good cause to have shot the man. Alibis abound and suspicions arise. Which one of these men could have wanted him dead? Or was it simply a stray bullet that got him?

Everyone is present in this follow up. Sylvie is still pregnant with her late husband’s baby. Alice is hosting a dinner party for friends, Warren included. Pinky has matured a bit since the last investigation, and definitely appears to be Warren’s right hand man now.

It’s a great group of characters that will be fun to follow through the series. So much intrigue where Alice is concerned. Will Warren & Sylvie become more than acquaintances? I can’t wait to see what comes next.

I like this little slice of Vermont. While I wouldn’t call these ‘cozy’ mysteries, the town of Bethany is fairly cozy. I hope that we’ll get to see more of Jenny and the others in the next installment.

Enjoyable read.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced reader copy of this novel, all opinions are my own.

This was a fantastic sequel to AGONY HILL. The characters in this series are so realistic with flaws, personal tragedy and are so relatable. I love Frank Warren and Pinky, the two "staties" on the case in this locked-door style mystery. The police are called to a hunting lodge for what appears to be a suicide or hunting accident, only to discover it was murder. As they investigate, they become trapped with the suspects by a terrible snowstorm. As in the first book, there is a secondary storyline and we learn much more about Alice Bellows and her private history. Really love this series. Ms. Stewart Taylor is one of my favorite new authors I discovered this year.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Aug. 5, 2025
Sarah Stewart Taylor’s “Hunter’s Heart Ridge” is the follow up to Taylor’s “Agony Hill” series of novels. In this sequel, Detective Frank Warren is called to investigate after a diplomat is shot during a hunting retreat, while his neighbour, former CIA wife Alice Bellows, continues to uncover more unsettling information about her close friend Arthur Crannock.
The novel takes place in 1965 Vermont, during a transitional time where veterans are clashing with young people over the necessity of war and both sexual and racial tensions are still high. At a hunting lodge in Vermont, a diplomat and his (white, male and rich) friends come to reconnect over drinks and guns but by the end of the trip both the diplomat and another man are dead. Stewart Taylor connects readers with the time and place through her well-developed characters, especially Frank Warren, who is a relatable detective and a veritable outsider among the Vermont elite that make up the suspect pool.
“Ridge” features both Warren and Alice as the main characters, with chapters rotating between their points of view. There are a few other characters that we hear from, such as the young hotel maid, Jenny, and widowed mother Sylvie Weber, who made an appearance in the last novel as well. Although both “Agony Hill” and “Hunter’s Heart Ridge” are in the same series, there is enough to differentiate them that it is possible to read either as a stand-alone but, as always, I don’t recommend it. The intricate relationship and background details that make this series so great may be missed if the books aren’t read in succession.
The suspense in “Ridge” is top notch, as the suspect pool is confined to the lodge during a snowstorm, turning the characters against each other in pure locked-room-mystery fashion. As Warren investigates, another body drops, and he is up against the clock, which tightens the noose and creates next-level tension. The ending itself was unexpected, as I didn’t guess the suspect until Taylor revealed it and it worked so, so well! I had complete sympathy for the suspects, which only grew as their story was told, and the ending was satisfying while also being bittersweet.
The connection between Alice and Warren is still flimsy, as they are neighbours who share a base level friendship at best, and this novel didn’t really do much to bring them any closer. Warren and Alice are both great characters, but their storylines continue to exist separately, making it seem like each should have a dedicated novel, instead of a combined story with thinly connected storylines. I love both characters, though, and I have a feeling Taylor will continue to draw them closer and closer together as the series goes on (and I look forward to it).

Detective Frank Warren returns in this second book of the Bethany, Vermont series, set in 1965. His neighbors and others from the first book, Agony Hill, are also present. While you don't need to have read the first book to enjoy and appreciate this one, I definitely recommend both books!

This story opens with a death at the exclusive hunting club just outside of town-- a former ambassador has been shot. Or has he? It looks like murder, so Frank and his assistant Pinky Goodrich begin the investigation. A huge snowstorm arrives to complicate the investigation, burying evidence and trapping both police and suspects at the lodge.

Alice Bellows, who we learned in the first book has certain knowledge and a background that is CIA-adjacent, may know more about the victim, who definitely had secrets and problems. She's also suspicious about the reappearance of an old friend, a man still involved in the spy game. And she's concerned about her neighbor who is pregnant and ready to deliver.

The snowstorm, a second murder, and uncovering even more dangerous secrets keeps the plot moving quickly, and the multiple points of view help the reader to see into all the corners of the plot.

Taylor does an excellent job of intertwining the different storylines, and uses the blizzard to great effect in heightening the suspense. Setting, characters and a well-solved mystery make this another excellent start to this new series.

It is November 1965 and early in the deer hunting season when Franklin Warren is called to the Ridge Club for what looks like an accidental shooting. The Ridge Club is populated by movers and shakers including some in the government. When Franklin arrives, he discovers the body of former ambassador William Moulton. Franklin and his assistant Pinky begin to investigate, and it soon becomes clear to Franklin that the death was a murder.

As Franklin is interviewing the various characters who were at the club when the shooting occurs, Alice Bellows is planning a dinner party and worrying about very pregnant neighbor Sylvie Warner. She is also dealing with the reappearance of her old friend Arthur Crannock who is still in the CIA agent. Alice has trouble believing that he is in the area only to supervise the remodeling of a nearby home he and his wife bought.

Then an early season snowstorm begins trapping Franklin in the club with all the suspects and Alice at Sylvie's isolated farm with a woman in labor with the baby in a difficult position.

I enjoyed the setting of rural Vermont and the 1960s time period. It reminded me of the conflicts at home about our role in Vietnam as demonstrated by the two generations of men at the hunting club and of the Cold War sensibilities of worry about Russian influences and spies.

Fans of historical fiction will enjoy this story. Being the second book in a series, we learn more about both Franklin and especially Alice in this episode.

It’s November 1965, and Vermont Detective Franklin Warren receives a call to head out to The Ridge Club, a longstanding rustic retreat for Washington movers and shakers. One of them, former diplomat Bill Moulton, has been found dead in the woods in what looks like a hunting accident. Warren quickly finds that it was, instead, murder, and the likely culprit will be one of the handful of men at the camp and those tending to them. This will require Warren to try to pry information from the notoriously close-mouthed group.

At the end of a day of investigating, Warren attends a dinner at his neighbor Alice Bellows’s house. She has a background in the intelligence world, including some knowledge of the men at The Ridge Club, and provides insightful information. Warren’s deputy, Walter “Pinky” Goodrich, is also an invaluable source of local history. The next day, back at the club, Warren discovers more about the victim and the others at the club; information that goes back 20 years. When a sudden blizzard snows them all in as night falls, and the phone and power also go out, Warren is faced with the threat of more deaths, as it seems the perpetrator will go to any lengths to hide the motivation for the murder.

While Warren and Pinky are in their own snowbound danger, Alice has her own fraught situation. Her friend, Sylvia, a widow with four boys, has gone into labor, with complications, and Alice must do whatever she can to save Sylvie and her new baby while waiting for dawn to break and roads to be cleared.

There is a great sense of time and place in this novel. I have experienced many a New England November, and author Taylor’s descriptions take me right there. This is not just a regional murder mystery, though. The time is also important. It’s 1965, and there is great debate about what role the US should take in Vietnam. It’s a subject that divides the men at the club. Does it also factor into the killing of Moulton, or does the motive for his murder lie closer to home?

Taylor devises a suspenseful plot that kept me guessing until the very end, along with strong characters and atmosphere—and even a little bit of romance. I’m hoping she plans another installment in this series.

Frank Warren, who was introduced in Agony Hill and Alice Bellows are the two main characters in the second in this series. Both had worked in the state department, and Frank has moved to Bethany, Vermont after a personal tragedy. He is now a detective, and he is faced with the murder of a former ambassador, allegedly the victim of a shooting accident. However, the story is more complicated than that. It incorporates a locked room mystery, referring to the Posh Ridge Club, and then the setting of a heavy winter blizzard that seems to blanket the plot and makes the mystery more complicated.

The time is the fall of 1965, and Vietnam is heavy on people's minds. Eventually there is a second murder, and Warren and his assistant, Pinky, are stymied at who is behind the murders. It is also a deep mystery for the reader, the murderer being quite a surprise.

At the same time, Sylvie Weber, a local heavily pregnant woman who has recently lost her husband, goes into labor, and Alice helps with the birth as the storm is still keeping local people from traveling even short distances.

The character developments in the book are the most interesting part of the book, and the juxtaposition of the men hiding from the storm inside the club and the storm raging outdoors provide a curious plot.

Thanks to Saint Martins Press and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book.

I enjoyed Sarah Stewart Taylor's Agony Hill, which was the first in this series set around the time of the Vietnamese War. The novels take place in a small town in Vermont.

Characters from Agony Hill are in this second book as well. These include, of course, detective Frank Warren and his young who is nicknamed Pinky. I also enjoyed again meeting up with Warren's neighbor Alice (she has a good back story), Sylvie (an important person to Warren and a key character in the first novel), and others in the town.

This time, a former diplomat has been killed at a hunt club. Did his death relate to his profession or his messy personal life? There are many characters and suspects for readers to consider as perpetrators. Things intensify when there is a snowstorm and a second murder, leaving many of the characters stranded at the hunt club.

Readers will want to know what was behind the deaths. They may also be interested in a glimpse of a fraught time in the country's history.

While it is not necessary to have read Agony Hill to enjoy Hunter's Heart Ridge, I think that readers will enjoy both of these titles. Why not read both?

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

I admired and enjoyed the first book in this series, Agony Hill, but I full on love this novel which is more focused, better paced, and just as beautifully written as the first. These books are set in 1960’s Vermont as the Vietnam war is raging (an event, I now realize, that’s part of history, though I still remember seeing scenes of that war on TV every night). While the war doesn’t have too long of a reach into tiny Bethany, Vermont, it’s still a part of general consciousness and worry as boyfriends, sons and husbands are drafted.

The main series character is Franklin Warren, a Detective from Boston who is re-starting his life in rural Vermont after a personal tragedy. The other central character, Alice, an avid gardener who was married to an intelligence agent, now does a bit of intelligence work on the side. There’s a Russian in town she’s keeping an eye on.

As the book opens, Warren is called to a reported death at a fancy hunting lodge outside of town. The victim was a man who was a recently recalled ambassador, who was apparently not familiar with hunting. He’d been found shot in the woods, but as the body has been moved and brought back to the lodge, there’s no crime scene to examine. It’s not clear whether it was some kind of hunting accident or something more sinister, but ultimately the autopsy proves it was murder.

The guests at the lodge are none too helpful, many of them high ups in business or government, and they are close mouthed about the man’s death, so headway, as far as Detective Warren is concerned, is proving difficult. Stewart Taylor, who has a gift for employing classic tropes that she then reimagines for her own purposes, in this book utilizes one of my all-time favorites: the isolated house stuck in a debilitating snowstorm.
When Warren is stuck at the lodge thanks to the snowstorm, he’s forced to stay over and there’s a second death that ramps up the tension. This book is made atmospheric by the snow, cold, and ultimately the dark: the power goes out. In another part of town, Alice is having her own adventure: she’s stopped by the home of Sylvie, who lost her husband in the last book, to take her to a poetry reading. When the two women return, the heavily pregnant Sylvie is obviously suffering from labor pains and when the snowstorm hits and the phone line goes out, Alice is pressed into service.

There’s an element of memory at play for both Warren and Alice, relating to different traumas from their own pasts that connect to the situations they are trying to resolve. This book, for me, was incredibly moving, especially the plotline concerning Alice and Sylvie. Warren’s plotline is more straight up suspenseful detective work, and despite a small suspect pool, Stewart Taylor manages to create both suspense and a heartbreaking turn at the conclusion of her novel.

I love the way she writes – I love her characters, the way she loves the place she’s writing about, and in this series (this is her third) I enjoy the unexpected context of the Vietnam war and all that went with that war in the 1960’s. Like all the best mysteries, this one was deeply felt, well set up, and ultimately surprising.

I have enjoyed all of Sarah Stewart Taylor's past mysteries, but I think she's doing something different with this series. First of all, it's a fascinating time frame for a historical series, in Vermont as the Vietnam War is beginning to heat up, with characters who are a mixture of long-term residents and imports with complicated government backstories (several people are former or current spies, the main detective has a complicated relationship with homicide investigations, etc). This story takes place mainly at a hunting lodge for wealthy out-of-towners, mostly with government connections, where a former ambassador has been shot. But there's also a looming blizzard, and shadowy danger both outside and indoors; the result is atmospheric and engaging.
This is the sequel to Agony Hill; it could work as a stand-alone, but it has a deeper resonance when you are returning to the complicated characters and seeing how they are developing. A lot happens in each book, both in terms of the deep ties to the past and the longer, larger stories that are being told (some of which began in book one, some of which haven't come to the surface yet). There seems to be so much room for characters to expand and change, and while not all those relationships are safe ones (setting aside the central murder, there is a character where every single time he appears, Alice Bellows thinks this is time he might be here to eliminate her), they all add depth. I found both the current mystery and those larger stories fascinating, and the characters are all complex and interesting. I hope there will be many more in this series.

Thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my free earc in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are all my own.

"In this sequel to Taylor's lyrical series debut, Agony Hill, Detective Frank Warren and his formerly CIA-connected neighbor Alice Bellows return to investigate the death of a diplomat.

It's November of 1965 and the second weekend of Vermont's regular deer season when Vermont State Police detective Franklin Warren is called out to what looks like an accidental shooting at The Ridge Club, an exclusive men's hunting and fishing club for congressmen, diplomats, judges, and titans of industry: a former ambassador has been shot while out hunting. With the war in Vietnam picking up speed on the other side of the world, Warren quickly realizes that many of the club's members are powerful men who may have ulterior motives and connections in high places.

While Warren's suspicions about the club members build, his neighbor Alice Bellows is throwing a dinner party, preparing for Thanksgiving, and worrying about her pregnant friend and fellow widow, Sylvie Weber, whose due date is coming up. When Alice's old handler and friend, Arthur Crannock, unexpectedly shows up in Bethany, Alice begins to wonder whether his presence has anything to do with the death at the hunting club.

As an early season snowstorm bears down on Bethany, knocking out power and phone lines and blocking the roads, Warren and his assistant, Trooper Pinky Goodrich, are trapped at the Ridge Club, likely along with a killer, and Alice, increasingly fearful that her past in the intelligence world is no longer in the past, will have to act fast to save Sylvie and her baby.

Sarah Stewart Taylor's historical series combines the intricacy of a satisfying mystery with keen observation of a time and place during great transformation and upheaval."

And a great snowstorm!

Hunter’s Heart Ridge is the second book in this mystery series set in the 1960s. Detective Franklin Warren is settling into the town and his job but feels he needs to prove himself.
There is a death at a prestigious hunting club so Warren needs to step carefully to find out who killed the former Ambassador. An early snow storm complicates the investigation.
The past is an integral part of the mystery both at the club and with Alice.
I enjoy the author’s writing style - seems laid back. I consider this a historical mystery- aspects of the 60s are woven into the story which I enjoy. Would definitely read more from this series.

After becoming fond of Frank Warren and Alice Bellows in Agony Hill, I was pleased to read about their continuing story. The backdrop of the secrets in each of their pasts is explained enough, but the focus is on a current suspicious death at a nearby hunting camp. Add to that an impending snowstorm, a premature birth, and plenty of red herrings. At times this reminds us of an Agatha Christie novel, with a group of people stuck together in a raging storm that takes out telephones and electricity, a murderer thought to be one of the group, mysterious gunshots, another death, and lots of whispered conversations with sinister undertones. The result is a satisfying page-turner, leaving us hoping for more but wondering how many murders can occur in one small Vermont town.

Hunter’s Heart Ridge is the second in the Warren and Bellows series and it’s an interesting sequel. It takes place approximately three months after the first book in November, 1965. There’s been a death at an exclusive hunting club; an ex-ambassador has been shot. But whether by accident or not is the question. With a snow storm arriving, the book takes a closed room turn.
I wrote in my review of the first book (Agony Hill) that I’d be curious where Taylor took Alice Bellows. She has a much bigger role in this book and we learn more about her life. But it was Jenny who truly captured my interest (and heart). A young woman looking for love and drama in her life, she finds a little more personal drama than she would have wished for.
This isn’t a fast paced book but I never felt like it dragged. It kept me guessing as to who was behind the murders. Taylor does a good job of giving the reader an excellent sense of time and place - the arguments over the Vietnam War, especially between the generations, the lack of many modern conveniences in rural Vermont. I’m also a huge fan of authors who can create a true sense of suspense without relying on OTT action. Taylor does that. “He could hear them all breathing, could feel the fear in the air. This kind of fear was dangerous. Each of them was like a cornered animal. They would do anything they had to do to survive.”
I was totally in the dark and had no clue who was responsible. And what a fabulous, well thought out ending. I can’t wait to see if there will be a third book in the series.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

Bill Moulton has done so many rotten things to so many people that there's no shortage of suspects for his murder.

Set in the middle of the Cold War, just as Vietnam is heating up, the book's culprit could be one of the spies assembled at the hunting lodge. Or it could be one of the multitude of women he seduced.

Sarah Stewart Taylor turns up the suspense with a snowstorm that traps all the suspects in the hunting lodge and forces the detective's neighbor to deliver the baby who played a role in the first book in the series.

Warren is a winner of a leading man: vulnerable and compassionate. Can't wait for book three.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for the ARC of Hunter’s Heart Ridge and the chance to read it early.

I should begin by admitting that I was unaware that this book was the second in a series when I was provided the ARC, and I usually will only read a book once I’ve read the preceding books. However, I realized I wouldn’t have time to acquire the first book and read it before the ARC expired…so I forged ahead anyway.

The book had a number of errors that were a little frustrating, so I hope and assume it will be edited more before publishing. I am aware that ARCs typically may contain a few errors, but this one had the most I’ve encountered in an ARC.

First, I love the setting!! I’m a New Englander through and through, so I was drawn to the synopsis right away when I saw Vermont. I love Vermont! And I am no stranger to a crippling snowstorm. This book tells the story of a murder mystery at a hunting club that takes place before and during an early season snowstorm. There is also a parallel plot with some characters that are not directly involved with the main plot but were clearly prominent in the first book. Some parts of the parallel story seemed a bit superfluous but maybe that’s only because I really only wanted to follow the main story.

Next, I was eventually drawn into the story but it took a bit of time before I decided I was invested. There were some parts that dragged on a little for me. Also, I could tell there was some event that occurred in the first book that I obviously missed that affected our main character- and I do plan on reading the first book to get that back story.

I found it a little difficult to keep all of the characters straight. For the most part I was able to follow, but the writing was a little confusing at times. You definitely need to pay attention to who is who and who is saying/doing things.

I wasn’t overly convinced of Warren’s police work…but then again once he was thrown into the club unexpectedly I guess formal police work tends to become muddied at best…I don’t know.

Overall, I enjoyed the main plot and certainly wanted to find out the who/what/why of the mystery. I look forward to reading the first book, albeit out of order, to further solidify the character of Warren.

Hunter's Heart Ridge by Sarah Stewart Taylor is set in 1965 in Vermont. When Vermont State Police detective Franklin Warren is called to a dead body at an exclusive hunting club, he and his Trooper, Pinky are embroiled in trying to find a murderer. When a snowstorm blows in, they are trapped in the Club with all their suspects. In town, ex spy Alice Bellows is concerned when her old handler shows up. There is lots of action, good characters and the addition of the escalating Vietnam War added in.

This series has really grown on me. The period details feel authentic and the characters are well defined, and the story is well plotted with many threads to disentangle. A great way to spend a few hours!

Thank You St. Martin's Press/Minotaur books, and Netgalley for giving me a Reader's Advanced Copy of this book. I truly do appreciate it so much.

DNF

It's November 1965 and it's the second weekend in Vermont's deer hunting season. Vermont State Police Detective Franklin Warren is hunting in the woods when he gets a call that he needs to return to Bethany. There has been an accident at The Ridge Club. This is a exclusive hunting and fishing club for congressmen, diplomats, judges and titans of former ambassador has been shot while out hunting. The Vietnam war is picking up speed on the other side of the world. Warren quickly realizes how powerful these men are.

Warren's suspensions are on the congressmen. During this season a snowstorm bears down on this town. Knocking out the power lines, the phone lines, and blocking the road. Warren and his assistant Trooper Pinky Goodrich are trapped in the Ridge Club together, along with the killer...

When I got to the 20% mark of this book I honestly did not care who the killer in this book was. There was nothing in this story that was really gripping me and making me want to read it. There needs to be a hook or something to grip into wanting to read the story and for me there just wasn't. Franklin didn't seem like he wanted to do this job or solve the mystery. I also felt like we should have been more focused on the mystery storyline, rather than Alice's storyline, it felt like it had nothing to do with the story and was just there as a extra cushion.

I will say that the cover of this book is stunning and beautiful. I love the colours and the mountains in the background. This book wasn't for me, but it might be for you so give it a try and see if you like it. Release Date is August 5th, 2025.

Happy Reading!!!!

In the second entry in Sarah Stewart Taylor's Bethany, Vermont Mysteries, Hunter's Heart Ridge, police detective Franklin Warren is called in when a death at an upscale hunting lodge looks like murder. The victim is a former ambassador who has recently been relieved of his position, and the cause of death turns out to be just as much a mystery as the "whodunit." Of course, there is no dearth of suspects, including a variety of guests at the lodge and some of its employees. Franklin's neighbor Alice, who still has connections to her CIA past, also wonders whether a colleague who has just return to town has anything to do it. A massive snowstorm complicates everything, especially since it appears that no one can leave the area until the snow stops. At the same time, Alice is trying to help another neighbor, a widow with three boys who is about to have another baby during the storm.

Warren is a character from the first in the series, Agony Hill, along with his assistant, Pinky, and Alice was also featured in the first book. While Stewart is undeniably an expert storyteller, and while I was fascinated by the depiction of 1960s rural Vermont and the fear of a Vietnam War, I didn't find myself any closer to engaging with the main characters. Some of the supporting characters had more depth, and it was a pleasure to see them come to life. But I'm hoping the author will flesh out the protagonists more in future series entries, as she did with her excellent Maggie d'Arcy series.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.