Thoreau at Devil's Perch (A Henry David Thoreau Historical Mystery)
"In this promising debut...Thoreau is ...erudite, eccentric, waxing philosophicalabout his love of nature, and a natural detective." -Publisher's WeeklyThis is a well-constructed murder mystery set in 1840s.  Thoreau is residing at Walden Pond...his character is nicely presented: dignified, thoughtful, humorous, and... ever as observant and deductive as Sherlock Holmes himself...Oak writes very well, the characters are solid and interesting, the victims and suspects are well-matched and not easy to determine...There is a good sense of the times and the life of simple but smart people living in rural Massachusetts... It was really quite a page-turner, and I stayed up pretty late one night to finish it off! The Historical Novels Review 11/13The Oaks create a scenario so believable, many will agree that Henry David Thoreau could have rivaled the greatest detectives...Mystery fans will have their powers of observation tested against that of Thoreau, the American version of Sherlock Holmes. And...if Thoreau is Holmes, then star-crossed lovers and narrators Adam, and his cousin, Julia, are Watson."Thoreau at Devil's Perch" has something for everyone. Most of all, it contains a very enjoyable, well-written story utilizing uncommon characters that will create fans for books to come. D. A. Kentner, Gateway Publications