I'm pleased to welcome Terri Karsten to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Terri writes the Tucker's Crossing Mystery series. A NECESSARY DEATH is the first book in the series.
Kathy: In A NECESSARY DEATH we meet Penelope Corbitt in the spring of 1763. What made you choose this time period for your series?
TK: 1763 is the end of the French and Indian War, in the period before the Revolutionary War. It’s the ‘between times’ that can be glossed over in the history books but actually was very significant in the ways attitudes in the colonies shifted. I wanted to write about ordinary people in a changing world. The late colonial period offers a lot of opportunity for conflict. The colonists were not just British any more, but neither were that yet Americans. Also, I’ve always been a big fan of Abigail Adams.
Kathy: Penelope can turn a lump of meat and a bit of flour into a mouth-watering pie or make a tasty meal of cabbage and vinegar. Are you able to do the same?
TK: Yes, though if you give me a few mushrooms and onions, the pie will be even better. Cabbage and vinegar can make sauerkraut or pan slaw, both of which are delicious and filling.
Kathy: Have you tried to recreate period recipes?
TK: Yes, absolutely! Historical cookery is one of my hobbies. I’ve experimented with recipes from ancient Mesopotamia, medieval England, and Colonial Virginia, to name a few. A NECESSARY DEATH includes modernized versions of some of the recipes Penelope makes. In fact, everything Penelope serves is something I’ve made. My blog, https://bricabrac164.blog/category/cookery/ has several examples of period recipes I’ve tried.
Kathy: Historical mysteries require an extra special brand of research. What's your favorite method to research this time period?
TK: While I love reading all sorts of manuscripts, my favorite way to research is what I call ‘experiential,’ or historical reenactment. I know what it feels like to carry water in a linen bucket through dewy grass while wearing long skirts, because I’ve done that. This kind of experience helps me bring the setting to life.
Kathy: What first drew you to historical mysteries?
TK: Since childhood, I’ve loved historical fiction. The first chapter book I remember reading was A BOY OF THE LOST CRUSADE, by Agnes Danforth Hewes. It’s about a French boy who joined the ill-fated Children’s Crusade in the 13th century. I was fascinated by the different cultures and people he met. Adding mystery to historical fiction came later, after reading such great authors as Elizabeth Peters and Lindsey Davis.
Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?
TK: Yes. I have several Steampunk short stories published in various anthologies and on-line magazines. I also have written a couple of non-fiction books, and two children’s picture books focused on legends from different parts of the world.
Kathy: Tell us about your series.
TK: A NECESSARY DEATH is the first in a planned three-book series, Tucker’s Crossing Mysteries. The series is set in a tavern in colonial Pennsylvania, and features tavern owner/constable, Miles Tucker, and the tavern cook, Penelope Corbitt. The second book in the series, A PLAYER’S EXIT, is due out in September, 2026, and I’m hoping the third will be ready to publish by 2027.
Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?
TK: I’m very fond of Penelope Corbitt because she's got the courage to do what she needs to do to keep her family safe. She’s a capable, stubborn woman, full of common sense and gumption. She knows she’s right.
Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?
TK: The initial idea for this story came from an article in Smithsonian about archeological excavations in Pennsylvania. The archaeologists had discovered the skeleton of a colonial era child buried in a tavern yard. I kept thinking about this boy, imagining what might have happened for him to end up there, not in a cemetery. After making up his story, I realized that my main characters had more story to tell and a tavern is a great place for drama, so decided to develop this series.
Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?
TK: I like sharing my stories with readers. The characters I’ve created seem very real to me, and I think they deserve an audience.
Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?
TK: It’s hard to pick only four among the greats, but these four all have great insights into human nature. I think we’d have a lively discussion. Geoffrey Chaucer (THE CANTURBURY TALES), William Shakespeare (A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, and many others), Jane Austin (PRIDE AND PREJUDICE), Michelle Magorian (BACK HOME).
Kathy: What are you currently reading?
TK: I’m just starting VITA BREVIS, Book 7 in Ruth Downie’s historical mystery series set in Roman Britain. The main characters are Ruso, a Roman medical officer, and his wife, Tilla, a native Britain. Besides offering an intriguing mystery in each book, the series gives readers a delightful peek into cross-cultural conflict between two people who love each other but see the world from very different perspectives.
Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?
TK: Besides writing, cooking, and playing with grandkids, I love travelling. I enjoy experiencing different cultures, languages, and foods. I’ll be heading to Norway and Finland in July. I’m excited to learn more about the Sami people and experience long summer nights above the arctic circle.
Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.
TK: Homemade bread (I bake a lot.), Cheese (several kinds), Almonds (great for snacking), Canned tomato sauce (such a useful ingredient)
Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?
TK: Yes. The next book in this series is A PLAYER’S EXIT. When an actor from a travelling theater troupe is found dead in the tavern stable, Miles and Penelope scramble to discover the killer before the tavern is ruined or worse, someone else gets hurt. The third book in the series is titled A WIDOW’S PORTION, it concerns the various fates of widows in the colonial era.
o I have a few other projects rattling around in my brain, including a steampunk anthology and an adventure set in Charlemagne’s time, but I try not to let the ideas distract me from the current work.
Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?
TK: It’s a grown-up way to ‘play pretend.’ I can make the story go any way I want it to.
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Review
The First Tucker's Crossing Mystery
With changeable weather traveling in the spring of 1763 is unpleasant at the best of times and these were definitely not the best of times. After the death of her seafaring husband Penelope Corbitt lost everything, including her lovely house in Philadelphia, to his heretofore unknown gambling debts. Now she and her children, sixteen year old Nebby and nine year old Nathaniel, are forced to move to Boston to live with the sister she hasn't seen in a decade. Not only that, her boorish brother-in-law is escorting them. When the storm worsens the rain soaked road proves too much and their coach overturns. While the coachman works to get the carriage upright Penelope and her family walk to the nearest inn. Penelope's first thought is to use the necessary, but when she opens the privy door she discovers a man inside...a dead man.
I truly enjoyed A NECESSARY DEATH. Penelope Corbitt is smart, pragmatic, and doesn't suffer fools gladly. Miles Tucker is also smart, capable, and completely confounded by Penelope who has completely disrupted his life. The dynamic between these two was wonderful to see. It was fun seeing Penelope completely befuddle the man all while transforming his dingy inn into a place where people would enjoy congregating. I also liked how she was one step ahead of him when it came to theorizing about the murder and had no qualms sharing her rationalizations. Penelope's children are helpful and well behaved and while I typically don't like children, I really liked Nathaniel, while Nebby is really a young adult. The person I couldn't stand is Penelope's brother-in-law. What an obnoxious self-righteous snob! I also wanted to clobber Abner and the more I found out about the parson, I was quite pleased with his demise.
The first Tucker's Crossing Mystery provides a confounding mystery. Just who killed the parson? And how? Poison? Stabbing? An accident? With multiple people confessing it becomes quite a conundrum! Prejudice rears its ugly head and plays a major role along with societal expectations. The attention to period detail made the book even more fascinating. I especially appreciated the modern day versions of colonial recipes mentioned in the book complied at the end.
A compelling, well plotted mystery filled with fascinating characters A NECESSARY DEATH is one of my favorite reads of the year and a fantastic start to a new series.
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A Necessary Death by Terri Karsten
About A Necessary Death
A Necessary Death Historical Cozy Mystery
Setting - A tavern in Colonial Pennsylvania (1764)
Publisher: Wagonbridge Publishing
Publication Date: September 15, 2025
Print Length: 272 pages Paperback
With Penelope Corbitt in the kitchen, the tavern will never be the same.
Penelope Corbitt can turn a lump of meat and a bit of flour into a mouth-watering pie or make a tasty meal of cabbage and vinegar. But all her skill can’t save her family in the spring of 1763, when she loses everything to pay off her missing husband’s debts. Walking a tightrope between the freedom of poverty and the confines of propriety, she must accept her stingy brother-in-law’s reluctant charity to keep her family fed and her children close. The miserable journey north from Philadelphia is interrupted when the coach crashes in the mud. Penelope and her children are stranded at a run-down tavern. Penelope doesn’t think things can get worse.
Then she finds a dead man.
About Terri Karsten
Living in the shadow of the Mississippi River bluffs, Terri Karsten has been a writer and educator for many years. She grew up in sunny San Jose, California, playing amid the cherry orchards that soon gave way to houses. In her search for education and adventure, she lived in Iowa and Wisconsin, Mexico and France, before settling into a hundred-year-old house in Winona, Minnesota. She spends most days in her tiny office, surrounded by books, papers, and good memories.
With more ideas than time, Terri writes a bit of everything, ranging from historical fiction novels to picture book folktales to dozens of short stories and articles in magazines, encyclopedias, and newspapers.
When she is not writing, Terri loves poring over old cookbooks and recreating dishes from long ago, especially medieval, Renaissance, and colonial foods. Always ready for the next adventure, she enjoys camping, hiking, and traveling. Her latest goal is to visit National Parks in every state. Only 13 states to go!
Author Links- Webpage: https://terrikarsten.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terrikarsten
- Substack: https://historicalcookery.substack.com/
- GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7343260.Terri_Evert_Karsten
- Purchase Links - Amazon B&N
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