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In the pre-World War II innocence of small-town America, a dapper off-Islander impresses the locals. Drawn to the prettiest girl, he is upset when an elderly woman tries to break off their romance. In a drunken stupor he murders the troublesome woman. Through an amazing confluence of circumstances, he avoids prosecution.
The reclusive, paranoid teacher of the victim attracts the attention of a distracted district attorney who is eager for a sensational trial to promote himself in an impending election. The teacher is arrested and charged with the murder. The looming shadows of war on the international stage capture the people of Marthas Vineyard, and the local murder fades into the murky memoirs of history.
About the author
After a stint as an elementary schoolteacher and a couple of decades as a nursing home administrator, Tom Dresser stepped back and realized he wanted to write. Besides freelance contributions to the local press, he has also self-published five booklets based on favorite New England haunts: Dogtown, A Village Lost in Time (1995), Beyond Bar Harbor (1996), It Happened in Haverhill (1997), Looking at Lawrence (1998), Tommy's Tour of the Vineyard (2005). On a personal note, he attended his thirtieth high school reunion and ran into a woman who sat beside him way back when. She lived on Martha's Vineyard, invited him down for a weekend and the rest, as they say, is history! Tom has two grown daughters, both in education. Amy Dresser Held works in Los Angeles, and Jill Dresser teaches in New Orleans. He also has three stepchildren, Jeremy Jones, Jennifer Smyth and Christopher Jones, and two granddaughters, Shealyn Smyth and Molly Rose Held.
