Passion, Poison, and Pretense

Book excerpt: I was gripped by this account of the 1857 Gardner murder - a detailed, absorbing, and compelling page-turner. John Gallagher has given historical fiction fans another richly satisfying, complicated, and well-researched story. Bravo! Annie Hartnett, author of Rabbit CakePassion, Poison, and Pretense: The Murder of Hingham's Postmaster is the type of local history story I have been craving for some time -a concise, engaging, true story of one of the earliest and most well documented murder cases in Massachusetts, right here in our backyard. Filled with wonderful detail, John's book touches not only on this fascinating piece of Hingham history but also how it fits into the broader history of the development of the judicial system in the fledgling United States. I couldn't put it down! Michael Achille, Collections Manager, Hingham Historical Society