Smuttynose Island Murders
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  • The Book
    • Mystery on the Isles of Shoals
    • Reviews
    • Media Coverage
    • The Author
    • Author Appearances
    • Smuttynose Archaeology & History
    • Book Club Questions
  • The Story
    • Background
    • Moonlight Murders
    • Capture
    • Wagner's Trial
    • On the Gallows
  • The People
    • The Victims
    • The Hontvets
    • The Killer
    • Celia Thaxter
    • Cops & Lawyers
    • Key witnesses
  • The Places
    • The Isles of Shoals
    • Smuttynose Island
    • The Hontvet House
    • The Oceanic Hotel
    • Appledore Hotel
    • Portsmouth, NH
    • Alfred, Maine
    • Thomaston Prison
  • Fact Vs Fiction
    • Weught of Water (Novel)
    • Weight of Water (Movie)
    • The Case Against Wagner
    • Conspiracy Theories
  • Blog
    • Why John Hontvet Had to Wait for the Bait
    • The Couch the Killer Did Not Sleep On
    • Smuttynose Murder House is No Longer Standing
    • I Rowed to the Isles of Shoals
    • The Karl Thaxter Theory is Hogwash

Author Appearances

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IMPORTANT NOTE: Dates and hours are subject to change, so please contact the venue before heading out to one of these events. Not all events are open to the public. For requests about speaking engagements or media interviews please call 603-427-2020.


Thursday, October 15, 2015, 7pm, public lecture
Murder on the Isles of Shoals
Rye Public Library, Rye, NH

Friday, October 23, 2015, 7pm, call for availability
Murder on the Isles of Shoals
Riverwoods, The Boudlers, Exeter, NH

Thursday, October 29, 2015 (private conference)
History of Wentworth by the Sea
University Professional and Continuing Education Association,
Via Brown University
Wentworth by the Sea, New Castle, NH 


Thursday November 19, 2015 (private club)
Portsmouth and the War of 1812
Portsmouth Propeller Club, Pannaway Club

Weekend, December 2015, (TBA)
Book Signing with Q&A
Candlelight Stroll, Strawbery Banke Museum

Thursday, February 25, 2016, 7pm, public invited
How I Solved the Smuttynose Murder Case
Old Berwick Historical Society

Thursday, June 9, 2016, 7pm, public invited
The Making of Strawbery Banke Museum
Rochester Historical Society, Rochester, NH
sponsored by NH Humanities Council

September 2016, public invited
Collecting John Paul Jones
Kittery Historical & Naval Museum
Kittery, Maine

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ARCHIVE 2015 APPEARANCES 

Friday-Saturday, September 25-26, 2015
New England Publishing Conference
Sheraton Harboorside, Portsmouth, NH 
NOTES: Attended six workshops and did a lot of thinking


Monday September 28, 2015, 7pm, public lecture/RSVP
Solving the Smuttynose Ax Murders
Kittery Adult Ed
NOTES: Small and enthusiastic group who gobbled up copies of the book


Friday, September 18, 2015, 7pm
Treasure from the Isles of Shoals
East Kingston Public Library, East Kingston, NH

Sponsored by NH Humanities Council
NOTE: Packed house, great new library, big screen, highly enthusiastic audience and lots of book sales. The perfect evening. 

Wednesday, September 16, 2015, 6-8 pm, open to the public
Portsmouth Library Author Fair
Buy books signed by the authors
NOTE: Nice idea. 40 local authors in oneroom. Lots of networking, not a lot of customers,
but first year. 

Thursday, August 20, 2015  6:30pm, public invited, donation requested
"South End History Slam" 
Tales of the South End
Wentworth-Gardner/ Tobias lear House 
NOTE: Love that campus and old barn, Great tales of the past from Sherm Pridham and John Wastrom

Wednesday, August 5, 2015, 7 pm (private event)
Case Closed on the Smuttynose Murders
York Reading Room, York Maine
NOTE: Great crowd, great view of the beach, great rack of lamb dinner, and lots of book sales. Who could ask for more? And we got to see the Prohibition Lockers upstairs too. 

Saturday, August 1,2015 (private event)
Taping for film documentary for San Francisco film festival
Topic is legend vs fact on the Isles of Shoals
NOTE: Three hours tapingat Portsmouth Athenaeum with Wes Fisher. 

Tuesday, July 14, 2015, 7 pm, free to the public 
Treasure from the Isles of Shoals
Ashland Public Library sponsored
Ashland Railroad Station Museum, 69 Depot St., Ashland
Courtesy NH humanities Council
NOTES: We managed to fit over 40 people into the restored old railroad station in Ashland. All aboard!

Thursday, July 16, 2015 (private event)
Taping of TV show for Canada/Smithosinian TV
"Portsmouth in the American Revolution"
NOTES:  Great crew from Halifax and we shot at John Paul Jones House andFort Constitution and the lighthouse. Scheduled to run in Canada, they tell me, in March 2016

Friday, July 24, TV Premiere, 9 pm
"Savior of the Sqaulus"
Yours truly narrating an episode with Jeremy D'Entremont

TRAVEL CHANNEL (CLICK for more air dates of this show)
Monumental Mysteries
NOTES: Anybody see this? I don't have cable TV anymore. Was I good or awful? Feedback welcomed. 

Thursday June 11 2015, 7pm, reservations required,
 free to Athenaeum members
"How I Solved the Smuttynose Ax Murders"
A look behind the scenes at the research and book writing process. 
Portsmouth Athenaeum 
NOTES: Nice to be back in my old stomping grounds. This one was straight talk, no slides
about the perils and perks (mostly perils) of nonfiction writing

 Tuesday, May 12, 2015, 6:30 pm/ free to the public / NH Humanities
The Making of Strawbery Banke Museum
Kimball Public Library, 5 Academy Avenue, Atkinson, NH
Courtesy NH Humanities Council
NOTES: Wonderful facility and small group on a rainy night. Thanks to my neighbor Lynne for driving me all the way and back.

Monday May 11, 2015, 6 pm / private group
Music Hall Book Club
Portsmouth, NH
NOTES:  I had never been in the Aria room at Portwalk before, and it didn't exist two years ago. Nice intimate gathering of about 20 people who had actually read the book and some well-thought-out questions. I sort of dominated the discussion, but no one complained. Biked home at dusk. 

Wednesday, April 29, 2015, 7 pm / free to the public 
Murder on the Isles of Shoals 
Star Theatre, Kittery Maine Community Center
NOTES: Wow! A huge new venue with a 30 foot screen and stadium seating. Quick count was 150 in the audience in a room the size of a basketball court. Lots of book sales too. 

April 24-25, Saturday, 1pm talk, open to the public for free
Mystery on the Isles of Shoals: Case Closed
Old South Church Social Hall
Newburyport Literary Festival, Newburyport, MA
web site 
NOTES: Wow, packed house with SRO at Old South Church. Met some great people and schmoozed with other authors including Andre Dubus III at an author party at his home. Thanks to Jabberwocky for book sales and a chance to meet Sue Little who has been building one of New England's finest bookstores for 42 years.

 Tuesday, April 21, 2015, 7 pm / free to the public 
Treasure at the Isles of Shoals (archaeology)
Dover Public Library, 73 Locust St., Dover, NH
Courtesy NH Humanities Council
NOTE:  Great room in the 1890 era library which was a beehive of community activity. 


Sunday April 19, 3 pm. Private group
Discussion Group
New Castle Book Club, New Castle, NH 
NOTE: Wow, what a brilliant assembly of women in the Murray's gorgeous living room. The most sophisticated and detailed questions to date and I rode my bike some 10 miles almost in 35 minutes. 

Wednesday April 15, 2015, 1 pm / free to the public / NH Humanities
The Making of Strawbery Banke Museum
NH Weavers Guild
Kimball-Jenkins Estate, 266 N. Main St., Concord, NH
Courtesy NH Humanities Council
NOTE: Long business meeting, but unique almost entirely female audience and highly responsive. Loved touring the Estate in Concord now used for art education. 

Wednesday, March 25, 2015, 6:30 pm / free to the public 
Treasure from the Isles of Shoals: How New Archaeology is Changing Old History 
Kensington Public Library, Kensington, NH
Courtesy NH Humanities Council
NOTE:  Wonderful old library with historical society upstairs and packed house. 

Wednesday, March 11, 2015, 7 pm / free to the public, signed books for sale 
Murder at the Isles of Shoals 
Paul Memorial Library, Newfields, NH
76 Main Street, Newfields, NH  3856
NOTE: Tiny room, big screen, great audience, brilliant questions, many buyers, wonderful library

Wednesday, March 4, 2015, 6 pm / admission fee required
Murder at the Isles of Shoals
Museums of Old York, York, Maine (sold out) 
NOTE: What a great crowd all sitting in Windsor chairs in the restored barn behind the historic Jeffords Tavern.  AFter a lively discussion we moved into the tavern where young ladies in colonial costumes served fish chowder from a large cauldron over an open hearth.  I would love to write the history of this museum someday. 

- Reviverun Books, Portsmouth, NH
- Barnes & Noble, Newington, NH
- Waterstreet Books, Exeter, NH


Monday, January 12, 2015, 7 pm / free to the public  / NH Humanities
Treasure from the Isles of Shoals: How New Archaeology is Changing Old History 
Stratham Historical Society, Stratham, NH 
NOTE: 60 people, great crowd on an icy night with many high school students attending

Sunday, January 25, 2015, 10:30 am
Case Closed on the 1873 Smuttynose Murders
Temple Israel, Portsmouth, NH
NOTE: We had a great discussion about Portsmouth Jewish history and I noted that Wagner's attorney Max Fischacher was a Jewish Harvard-educated attorney from Boston.

Sunday, February 8, 2015, meeting starts 4 pm
Murderer in the South End
Friends of the South End meeting
Tyco Center, Strawbery Banke Museum, Portsmouth, NH
NOTE: Appearance postponed due to snowstorm. 

February 21, 2015, 1-4 pm
Book signing and Q&A with other local history writers / free to the public
Barnes & Noble, Newington, NH
NOTE: Enthusiastic crowd with Prof. Tad Baker and Prof. Dane Morrison in  our little panel on history book writing.







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