Having just moved to the area, I (a professional historian specializing in modern Europe) have been reading as much local history as possible to get a feel for the history of central Massachusetts. "Murdered By His Wife" is outstanding. Ms. Navas writes with clear, crisp prose, and sticks very close to the original documents, many of which are reproduced in her book. She tells a superb tale of mystery, murder, and intrigue -- and a gripping tragedy about the execution of three revolutionary soldiers and Bethsheba Ruggles Spooner, who was five months pregnant on the day she was hung on Washington Square in Worcester on July 2, 1778.

The best part of this book is that it becomes a challenge and adventure for your whole family to rediscover the route of the story. You can visit murder victim Joshua Spooner's grave in Brookfield Cemetery off Route 9. About 3/4 miles down the road, you can walk, bike, or drive to the site of his and Bethsheba's home, where a plaque still commemorates the notorious murder. Kids of all ages will love the abandoned well still on the property -- the place where Bethsheba Spooner's lover(s) dumped the body (now covered by a stone which leaves enough visible to excite the imagination). You can also find the remnants of the house's old stone foundation, and four large flat stone steps leading from the road to the site of the old house.

The Spooner House is located on Elm Hill, now an historical landmark zone, and large parts of the road are a wildlife sanctuary perfect for spring, summer, or autumn walks. This is one of few places where you can reproduce the feeling of a colonial road and how it stood 200 years ago. The old stone walls along the Old Post Road are still intact, and you get a feeling of being carried back in time.

I highly recommend this book as a basic tour guide for the central Massachusetts leg of your next tour to New England. The site of all the adventure is just 15 minutes off of Exit 9 on Route 90, or the Sturbridge Exit off Highway 84.

Murdered by His Wife by Deborah Navas is at once a gripping "Gothic" page-turner and a solid piece of scholarly research. Navas writes in an elegant, clear and concise manner. A fine balance is sustained between objective, documented reporting and carefully considered interpretation which is never allowed to override the facts. The book is packed with information including fascinating transcripts of eighteenth century testimony. While the narrative stands on its own as a riveting drama that will appeal to the general public, the book should be of special interest to historians,legal historians, feminists sociologists and psychologists. In my opinion this is a landmark book.

Hard to believe this happened and so close to home! Exceptionally detailed account!

This one of the most entretaining stories about the old myth of vampires. The main character, who also is the writer of the story, is a family dog who witnesses how a charming being becomes a fiendish creature at night. One of the achievments of the book is how closely it takes on the characters and the story of Dracula, without the eerie parts no apt for kids. Instead it creates a world so familiar and common to children that they are really into the book as they read it. I and my daughters enjoy this naive tale, and they keep asking me to read it again and again night after night just for the fun of it.