BARRE—FREE ADMISSION
BOOK LAUNCH SUNDAY APRIL 7
When: April 7, Presentation begins at 2
Where: The Old Labor Hall Barre, VT
Body On Ice by Alan S. Kessler

1919. A year of violence, social unrest, and in a small Vermont town, murder.

Join me for a Free community event, the book launch of my new novel, BODY ON ICE, based on a true story: the 1919 murder in Barre of a wife and mother of three, her naked body found face down in a backyard, the handkerchief used to strangle her still twisted tightly around her neck.

I decided to write a novel about this grisly murder after reading Patricia Belding's excellent non-fiction book, One Less Woman, in which she presents the facts of the case. My story mixes fact with fiction, interweaves into the plot the events causing social turmoil in the country in 1919 and, in the end, offers the reader a different murderer than the one found guilty of this crime over a hundred years ago. That man, according to Jill Lepore, history professor at Harvard and writer for The New Yorker, was convicted not because of the evidence but for violating the moral standards of the day. (2020 podcast)

I will offer an overview of the year 1919, comment on the Lucina Broadwell murder, and read an excerpt from Body On Ice. Publication of the novel is July of this year but I will have advanced copies available for signing. Refreshments served, all made according to early 20th century recipes.

Book Launch Sunday April 7 2 PM at the Old Labor Hall in Barre.

I hope to see you there!

Alan

Event Info

Jan 4, 2025, 8 to 11 AM

Jan 5, 2025, 11 AM to 3 PM

Jan 5, 2025, 1 PM