From Publishers Weekly
On an April Sunday in 2003, 16 people became ill, and one died, after congregants at Gustaf Adolph Lutheran Church in New Sweden, Maine (population 621), sipped coffee laced with arsenic. Five days after the poisoning, Daniel Bondeson, a longtime church member, shot himself to death, leaving a note admitting to the crime and stating that he had acted alone. In this workmanlike true-crime account, Young, a TV reporter who earned the trust of some residents of this insular town, focuses on why this confession only increased speculation, fueled, she charges, by unsubstantiated police statements about a larger conspiracy. Many locals suspected Bondeson's sister, Norma, of being the ringleader. Young finds that Norma, who grew up near New Sweden, was viewed as an outsider for having lived away for years; further, her "feisty and opinionated" manner had alienated many congregants. Young illuminates the congregation's strong Swedish roots, as well as its ugly infighting. She concludes (though she was unable to interview Norma herself) that Daniel's sister was unjustly accused. But her use of unnecessary fictionalized dialogue among detectives who are composites is a questionable narrative tactic in a true-crime tale. (Apr. 5) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Book Description
Who set out to kill the members of the church?
On April 27, 2003, in the hamlet of New Sweden, Maine, Walter Morrill was sipping coffee in the fellowship hall of the Gustaf Adolph Lutheran Church. Within 12 hours, the kindly old man was dead. Fifteen other members of the congregation fell gravely ill. Ruled a homicide, the largest criminal arsenic poisoning in U.S. history spread whispers of fear through this peaceful town.
Which one of their close friends was the murderer?
Panic and suspicion gave way to bizarre accusations of conspiracy, revenge, and blood feuds.
Who was next?
What would unfold in New Sweden was a real-life murder mystery worthy of Agatha Christie-but far stranger than any fiction.
About the Author
Christine Ellen Young is an award-winning investigative journalist who has worked in both newspaper and television. She has received the coveted Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Silver Baton, the National Headliner Award, the National Clarion Award, and the Edward R. Murrow Award, as well as numerous honors from the Associated Press. She is a cum laude graduate of the University of Southern Maine and lives with her husband, photojournalist John Pertel, and their children.
A Bitter Brew: Faith, Power, and Poison in a Small New England Town FROM THE PUBLISHER
Who set out to kill the members of the church?
On April 27, 2003, in the hamlet of New Sweden, Maine, Walter Morrill was
sipping coffee in the fellowship hall of the Gustaf Adolph Lutheran Church.
Within 12 hours, the kindly old man was dead. Fifteen other members of the
congregation fell gravely ill. Ruled a homicide, the largest criminal
arsenic poisoning in U.S. history spread whispers of fear through this
peaceful town.
Which one of their close friends was the murderer?
Panic and suspicion gave way to bizarre accusations of conspiracy, revenge,
and blood feuds.
Who was next?
What would unfold in New Sweden was a real-life murder mystery worthy of
Agatha Christie-but far stranger than any fiction.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
On an April Sunday in 2003, 16 people became ill, and one died, after congregants at Gustaf Adolph Lutheran Church in New Sweden, Maine (population 621), sipped coffee laced with arsenic. Five days after the poisoning, Daniel Bondeson, a longtime church member, shot himself to death, leaving a note admitting to the crime and stating that he had acted alone. In this workmanlike true-crime account, Young, a TV reporter who earned the trust of some residents of this insular town, focuses on why this confession only increased speculation, fueled, she charges, by unsubstantiated police statements about a larger conspiracy. Many locals suspected Bondeson's sister, Norma, of being the ringleader. Young finds that Norma, who grew up near New Sweden, was viewed as an outsider for having lived away for years; further, her "feisty and opinionated" manner had alienated many congregants. Young illuminates the congregation's strong Swedish roots, as well as its ugly infighting. She concludes (though she was unable to interview Norma herself) that Daniel's sister was unjustly accused. But her use of unnecessary fictionalized dialogue among detectives who are composites is a questionable narrative tactic in a true-crime tale. (Apr. 5) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
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