The Clock That Would Not Strike

A historian's deadly secret. A clock that tells a different story. And a murder rooted in the island's darkest past. For 137 years, the Union Church clock has struck faithfully over Hagstone Island. But one cold October morning, its familiar chimes become the key to a murder. Local historian Ansel Hartshorn is found dead beneath the church tower, just days before he plans to publish an explosive account of a tragedy dating back to 1931—complete with names the island would rather forget. Everyone believes he fell from the clock-room ladder. But seventy-four-year-old lighthouse keeper Janie Pettengill has her doubts. When Delia Prout admits confronting Ansel shortly before his death, suspicion immediately falls on her. Her grandfather's name was among those Ansel intended to expose, and her husband is already in prison. Delia insists she left Ansel alive. She even remembers hearing the church clock strike midnight as she reached home. There's just one problem. Janie knows something about that clock that makes Delia's story impossible. With help from her loyal Wednesday Watch, Janie begins unraveling a mystery involving an old island tragedy, generations of carefully guarded secrets, and a murder someone is desperate to conceal. But time is running out in more ways than one. Janie's troublesome heart is forcing her to slow down, her family is growing increasingly protective, and ninety-something Thankful Coombs—the island's oldest resident—is preparing to reveal a secret she has carried since childhood. A secret about what she witnessed on Bell Point one winter night in 1931. Someone has killed to keep the past buried. And Janie may be the only person who can finally uncover the truth. The Clock That Would Not Strike is the eighth book in The Hagstone Light Mysteries, an atmospheric Maine coastal cozy mystery featuring a wonderfully determined older sleuth, a close-knit island community, long-buried family secrets, and a cleverly plotted murder. A clean, standalone cozy mystery with no graphic violence or profanity, a satisfying, fairly clued solution, and plenty of autumn atmosphere, lighthouse charm, and New England coastal intrigue. Janie's family relationships, enduring friendships, and the unanswered mystery of her daughter's disappearance continue to unfold throughout the series. The clock has kept the island's time for 137 years. Now its silence may expose a killer.