"Richly textured historical fiction with the urgency of a mystery
novel. Fergus knows certain things, deep in the bone: horses, hunting,
the folkways of rural places, and he weaves this wisdom into a stirring
tale." - Geraldine Brooks, author of March and People of the Book
and Horse
Lay This Body Down, the third Gideon Stoltz Mystery, takes place in
1837 during one of the most horrific periods in pre-Civil War America,
when human beings were considered chattel and both northern and southern
states grew rich from slave labor. A Pennsylvania sheriff like Gideon
could choose to uphold the federal Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 or defy
that racist law at great peril. In this hard-hitting, action-packed
novel, Gideon tries to protect a boy who has fled north from a Virginia
plantation - and pays dearly for his principles. Written with the vivid,
atmospheric prose that imbues the whole series, the life and times of an
early American backwoods town and its hardscrabble citizens will grip
readers as Gideon and his wife True solve a murder, bust a kidnapping
ring, and help one unforgettable boy who courageously chooses freedom
above all else.