The Colonial/Revolutionary Period seems to be enjoying a resurgence – in fiction, if not in romance. That’s where I’m getting my fix these days. The Ninth Daughter is the first in a mystery series featuring Abigail Adams as a sleuth. It kind of seems like a bad idea, and it is. Granted, I am probably a bigger Abigail Adams fan than most people; my second daughter is named after her (That was before everyone else got a similar idea and started naming their daughters Abigail because it sounded cute. If I sound bitter, it’s because I am). So I got through this book by pretending that the main character was someone else who just happened to be named Abigail Adams, but was not in fact the actual historical figure. That worked up to a point.

Abigail Adams calls on her friend Rebecca Malvern one morning, only to find Rebecca missing – and a horribly mutilated corpse on the floor. The murdered woman is clearly a lady of quality, but it isn’t anyone Abigail can identify. She also finds a note that connects the dead woman with the Sons of Liberty. Abigail quickly goes to Paul Revere’s shop, and he and Sam Adams are there. They go with her to Rebecca’s home, where they disturb the crime scene (mostly by cleaning it up). Abigail knows this is a bad idea, mostly because John (who is an eighteenth century version of CSI’s Gil Grissom) has told her so.

When Abigail arrives home, she discovers that her home has been invaded by British soldiers, who seem to suspect her husband of the crime. They are led by Lt. Coldstone. And yes, every time I read his name I wondered when his team mates, Private Dairy Queen and Corporal Baskin Robbins, would show up. After a tense conversation and a street demonstration of sorts, John agrees to post bail and promises not to leave the city of Boston.

There are a lot of ins and outs to this book, but the main plot centers around Abigail trying to find Rebecca and unmask the killer. In the background, rebellion is stirring; the Boston Tea Party actually takes place during the course of the book (which also leads to a fairly ridiculous climactic scene where Abigail is rescued by John, who is dressed like an Indian and keeps saying “Ugh.” Don’t ask.) There is also a heavy sub-plot involving a group of weird religious fanatics, which seems outdated and not right for the times. The author actually makes a reference to The Great Awakening is if it is currently happening, when it actually occurred about thirty years before the time portrayed in the book.

I liked “Abigail” just fine, but she never seemed like the real Abigail Adams to me. The same went for John and Sam. I saw no reason that Abigail Adams would really be out Nancy Drew-ing it up, and nothing she did convinced me otherwise.

Which leads me to the next subject, which is how I would fix this book. It’s very simple, really: a) Pick a new, fictional sleuth, who is not actually Abigail Adams.

b) Actually, just leave all the actual historical figures out of it. Except maybe John Edwards (why do I feel like the author doesn’t even know who that is?), who would probably fit in. c) Set the book 1740-ish, and run with the religious sub-plot rather than the shoddy, pre-Revolutionary one. With those changes, The Ninth Daughter would actually make a fairly decent historical mystery. As it stands, I really wouldn’t recommend it – and I have no interest in any later installments of the series.