Blog Tour: WHO BURIED SARAH by Eden Monroe

 

WHO BURIED SARAH

by Eden Monroe

 

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GENRE:  Historical fiction

 

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BLURB:

 

Sarah, the only child of Rev. and Mrs. Cranston Estey, was betrothed to Connor McLagen of the affluent McLagen family. The McLagens were socially revered, although there were rumours of nefarious underpinnings to their substantial wealth, and the God-fearing Esteys were not in favour of the marriage.

 

Three days before the June 1927 wedding, Sarah disappeared. Her note said she’d changed her mind and decided to leave town.

 

A week later she was found, buried in a rose garden, the gruesome and sensational discovery knocking New Brunswick prohibition wars out of the headlines.

 

There were many with secrets to keep…

 

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Excerpt One:

 

“Then stop playing with fire. Look, I like it that you want to … go further … but not now, darling. We have to wait for the right time and I promise to live up to your expectations. There will be nothing holding us back then, but I promise I will be gentle.”

 

Shifting away from him slightly, she gazed out across the river. “I understand that. I’m not exactly inexperienced about such things, Connor.”

 

Had she really just said that aloud? She was aghast that the secret she knew she had to share with him at some point had spontaneously bubbled to the surface. This was probably the worst time for such a revelation, but there was no turning back now.

There was silence as she waited for the fallout from the bomb she’d just dropped, not daring to look at him.

 

“Excuse me?” he asked after a moment, his voice gone hard. “What did you mean by that, Sarah?”

 

Apparently this had unexpectedly become the time for truth telling. She was as surprised as he was it was happening, but she loved him too much not to be completely honest. She’d just thought it would somehow be easier to do. “What I mean is … I’ve … ahhh … been with a man before.”

 

He was deadly calm. “In what way?”

 

 

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Please describe a pivotal scene in the book and why it’s important

 

A pivotal scene in the book is when Maude, trying to stay busy with housework to keep her mind off the discovery of Sarah’s body, decides to clean the back porch. There she’s surprised to find her husband’s muddy boots hidden behind a stack of boxes destined for the church rummage sale. Given his cold indifference and his reluctance to cooperate with police, she has long suspected his involvement in Sarah’s disappearance.

 

Filled with white-hot anger she is ready to confront him with what she feels is proof that he was involved in their daughter’s death. She has been subservient to him during their entire marriage, relentlessly bullied, however now, enraged at what she feels is evidence of his guilt, she snatches up the boots and marches down the hall to his study. Ignoring his standing order that she never to disturb him while he is preparing his weekly sermon, she throws open the door and marches inside, boots held high, and tells him of her suspicion. Naturally he pushes back hard with righteous indignation, but she holds her ground in the face of his outrage and finally speaks her mind – about everything.

 

I think it’s a pivotal scene because a browbeaten woman finds the strength to stand up to her verbally abusive husband. That moment when she has grown enough to withstand a confrontation with him. That she has decided to take what would have been a highly frowned upon step in the 1920’s and leave the marital home, something even a few short weeks before, Maude Estey would have found unconscionable. That she is prepared to withstand the scandal of separating from a man of God and a highly-respected member of the community to find peace of mind; willing to strike out on her own at nearly forty years of age rather than go on living as she had been. It would require an unfathomable amount of courage.

 

Maude became my favourite character because she showed enormous personal growth, even beyond my own expectations.

 

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Eden Monroe writes about real life, real issues and struggles, and triumphing against all odds. A proud east coast Canadian, she enjoys a variety of outdoor activities, and a good book.

 

https://edenmonroeauthor.com/

 

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorEdenMonroe/

 

 

 

 

 

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