A WASP IN THE BEEHIVE

Leaving her brother and her love in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Brigid arrives in Salt Lake City in 1881 seeking something better than a remote sod house on the cattle ranch where she solved an earlier murder. She applies for a position at the Deseret Bookstore, which is owned by wealthy Mr. Cutter, a mainstay of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He not only hires her but provides a small room in his house. Adjusting to living with his five wives takes some time, but Brigid soon fits in. Cutter’s first wife is Eliza, who has an 18-year-old son, Brandon; next is Sarah, whose daughter, Amelia, is from a prior marriage; his third and fourth wives, Martha and Beth, are sisters; and his youngest, Karoline, is 18 and pregnant. Brigid is Catholic and has no interest in becoming a member of the church. When Cutter pressures her, she remains steadfast, though she’s fascinated by the mores of his community. She enjoys her work and the opportunity to read from the bookstore’s large selection. As she develops closer relationships within the household, Brigid notices more tensions, with Eliza adamantly opposing Cutter taking another wife, especially Amelia, whom he’s raised as a daughter and who’s in love with Brandon. At the bookstore, Brigid meets Dr. Kohler, the coroner, who shares her interest in detective stories. When Cutter is found in the sewing room with a fatal head wound, Brigid suspects it’s not an accidental death. Kohler has his doubts too, and they work together to solve the puzzle of his death.