Scarecrow

A New Jersey doctor turns sleuth when murder checks in, in this mystery series debut by the Agatha Award–winning author of the Doctor Fenimore series.

“Meet Dr. Jo Banks and her world of marshes, medicine, and murder. A terrific beginning for a marvelous new series.” —Charles Todd, author of A Fearsome Doubt

Dr. Jo Banks is a young female doctor practicing in Manhattan. When a little patient dies, Banks blames herself. Unable to face her life, she runs—leaving her lover, driving away from New York and through New Jersey without a destination on the highway or in her life. She stops at a motel, and that evening is called upon to treat a woman taken suddenly ill.

The episode leads the motel owner to present Jo with a deal. Neither he nor the other motel owners can afford to keep a doctor on hand, but it is sometimes difficult to get one to come out from the nearest city. What they need is a cooperative house doctor—someone who can quickly get to any of the nearby motels. How about it? Jo takes the deal—without knowing that it will involve her in a series of gruesome murders of itinerant farm workers.

Full of the wit, charm, and lively settings that have made Hathaway’s Doctor Fenimore series so popular, Scarecrow is sure to please.

“Hathaway convincingly portrays small-town and rural New Jersey life in an appealing, sometimes poignant story with low-key suspense and winning characters.” —Publishers Weekly

“An offbeat heroine, crusty local characters, and a fine sense of menace.” —Kirkus Reviews