One afternoon while skating on the river, Charlotte falls through the ice and seeks comfort on Boar Island where two eccentric women reside. The only townsman to visit the women regularly is Alexander Godwin, a young outcast with an attitude. When he is found dead after the town's ice festival, murdered with Charlotte's ax, there are many theories about his death. Some say he was killed over a woman, yet others are certain his death is connected to Boar Island and the supernatural activities that are supposed to occur there. Charlotte, who doesn't believe the rumors about Boar Island, is determined to get to the bottom of the murder before another occurs.

A Mischief in the Snow depicts a harder time in our country's past. It deals with everyday hardships early Americans faced and the joys they found in simple pleasures. Margaret Miles has described the colony in a way that will transport readers back over 200 years. The details are so minute that readers with only a passing interest in the era may lose interest quickly.

The characters in the book are hard to get to know, although as the book progresses, Charlotte emerge as a strong and worthy heroine. The mystery is an involving one that will keep readers interested until one last surprise is revealed. Fans of pre-Revolutionary War America will appreciate this mystery and all its historical detail.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry