What drove a woman to murder in 1920s New England? βFew readers will be prepared for the surprise that awaits at novelβs endβ in this Edgar Awardβwinning novel (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
It was referred to as the Chatham School affairβa tragic event that destroyed five lives, shook a coastal Massachusetts community to its core, and traumatized a boy named Henry Griswald. Now Henry is an aged, unmarried lawyer, and as he writes his will, he recalls that long-ago day in 1926 when something drove his teacher to murderβand contemplates the role he played in it all . . .
βCook is a master, precise and merciless, at showing the slow-motion shattering of families and relationships . . . The Chatham School Affair ranks with his best.β βChicago Tribune
βSuch a seductive book.β βThe New York Times Book Review
βLike the best of his crime-writing colleagues, Cook uses the genre to open a window onto the human condition . . . [a] literate, compelling novel.β βPublishers Weekly (starred review)