Civil War In Exeter

About the Book

Civil War in Exeter: A Deacon Odlin Mystery takes place in Exeter, New Hampshire in 1849 on the eve of the Civil War. The central character is a fictional representation of a real person whose diary for that year includes details of his life and character. Other real people have been recreated including Amos Tuck, member of Congress and friend of Abraham Lincoln, Dr. William Perry, beloved town physician, and members of the local black families of Tash and Paul. The author has chosen language, settings and events suitable for the times in order to show how all classes of society were affected by the slavery question. Included also for those interested in history is an appendix outlining the facts behind the fiction found in the story.

A respected minister is murdered in his parsonage and a runaway slave is accused of the crime. What will the abolitionists do to save him? Deacon Odlin sets out to find the real killer and on the way discovers that good and evil aren’t exactly what he anticipated.

About the Author

As a former director of the Exeter NH Historical Society, Marilyn Easton views the town as an insider. She sees history on every corner and in this book has transferred her visions into a fictional story so real that those who read it will ever after walk through all small New England towns with an enhanced understanding of pre-Civil War conditions in the North. Dr. Easton has a Ph.D. in Social Psychology and teaches English and Humanities at New Hampshire Community Technical College. She is also the author of Passionate Spinster: The Diary of Patty Rogers: 1785.