Kathryn Stinson is the sleuth in the “Berkshire Hilltown” mysteries. One of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions. So, let’s get to know Kathryn.

What is your full name?
My full name is Kathryn Stinson.

How old are you?
I’m 32 years old.

What is your profession?
I work as a curator of prints and photographs at a small private library in Boston.

Do you have a significant other? What is their name and profession?
My significant other is Earl Barker, an excavator in the village of New Nottingham in the Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts, where his family has lived since the 1700s.

Do you have any children?
I don’t have any children.

Do you have any siblings?
I’m an only child.

Are your parents nearby?
My father is no longer living, and my mother lives 3,000 miles away in California.

Who is your best friend?
I’m a loner by nature, so I’ve never had many close friends, but lately that’s begun to change. At the moment I’d say my best friend is Suzy Barker, who is Earl’s sister-in-law. Why? Because Suzy has gone out of her way to befriend me and make me feel welcome in New Nottingham.

Do you have any pets?
I don’t have pets, unless you count the cat (Love) belonging to a friend that I took care of while the friend was traveling.

What town do you live in?
I live in Boston during the week, but spend weekends and sometimes longer periods in the Berkshires.

Would you say you live in a small town or a big city?
I live in a big city during the week, but on weekends I go to a small town in a rural area.

Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
I rent an apartment in Boston, and a house with a pond in the Berkshires.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
My favorite place in the Berkshires house is the screened in porch, because it gives me views of the gardens, the pond and the woods beyond, which I love looking at.

Favorite meal and dessert?
My favorite meal is Earl’s grilled chicken, together with a salad with lettuce and other veggies I’ve grown in my Berkshires garden. My favorite dessert is strawberry shortcake served with a big dollop of vanilla ice cream.

Do you have any hobbies?
I enjoy going for long walks in the country, tending the vegetable garden I have in the Berkshires, spending time with the new friends I’ve made here, and sitting on the porch or patio gazing at the pond.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
My favorite vacation spot was Hawaii, where I spent the only happy times of my childhood visiting my great aunt Kit, but now it’s the Berkshires, where I can be with the man I love.

What music do you listen to?
I’ve always enjoyed listening to classical music, but lately, thanks to Earl, I now enjoy country western and folk. Think Patsy Cline, Pete Seeger, and Tom Paxton.

Do you have a favorite book?
Right now, my favorite book is Richard Powers’s The Overstory, because trees, which I now truly appreciate, are the real heroes.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
My idea of a really fun time is to go for a late afternoon swim with Earl at a nearby lake, followed by a cookout, and love making back at the house.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
If I were to write a memoir, it would be called something like: Confessions of a Changed Woman, or How I Learned to Give Up Gloom and Doom and Affirm Life and Love.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
I’m an amateur sleuth, and I don’t really have a sidekick. I work with whomever can help me answer the many questions I often have about events in both the distant and more recent past.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
A typical June day, while I’m supposedly vacationing in the Berkshires, finds me battling a New York real estate developer who bought the property I’ve been renting with plans to turn it into an upstate development. I search the attic for a will I hope will invalidate the purchase, meet with the head of local land trust, who’s become an ally in the fight, and otherwise try to deal with the mounting violence that occurs. In the midst of all this, I manage to squeeze in some relaxing times with Earl and my new friends.

Shuntoll Road is the second book in the “Berkshire Hilltown” traditional mystery series, released August 7, 2020.

It’s June in the Berkshires, a beautiful month when everything is lush and green. Bostonian Kathryn Stinson returns to see if she and New Nottingham local, Earl Barker, can rebuild their romantic relationship. She’s barely arrived when New York real estate developer, Niall Corrigan, takes over the property she’s been renting with plans to turn it into an upscale development.

Kathryn’s opposition to the development pits her against Earl, offered the job of clearing the land. Amid escalating violence, a fire breaks out in the woods and the burned body of another opponent is discovered. Did he die trying to escape a fire he set, or did someone else start the fire to cover up his murder?

Other questions swirl around Corrigan’s connection to Kathryn’s new friend, Gwen Waite. The happily married wife of a local, Gwen is a role model for Kathryn. But is Gwen’s marriage truly happy? And what was the mysterious “accident” that caused Gwen to flee New York years ago? Kathryn’s search for answers puts her in grave danger.

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About the author
An award-winning author of non-fiction, Leslie Wheeler writes two mystery series. Her Miranda Lewis Living History series launched with Murder at Plimoth Plantation, re-released as a trade paperback in February 2020, and continued with two other titles. Her Berkshire Hilltown series debuted with Rattlesnake Hill, and continues with Shuntoll Road. Wheeler divides her time between Cambridge, MA, and the Berkshires, where she writes in a house overlooking a pond.

To learn more about Leslie, visit her website at lesliewheeler.com.

All comments are welcomed.