Little does Tillie Tilden, a Depression-era college student, realize what she is stepping into when she accepts an emergency teaching position in a southern Minnesota country school at the end of her junior year. For some strange reason, the people of this tiny rural village do not want to discuss what happened to the previous school teacher. Eventually Tillie discovers that she committed suicide because of an unwanted pregnancy. The doubts remain, however. Was it suicide or was it murder? The following spring, Tillie discovers the former teacher's diary hidden in the wood storage room of her one-room school building. This discovery leads her to suspect murder, possibly by her own school district superintendent, the teacher's uncle. As the school year ends, Tillie discovers who the killer is and in the process is nearly murdered herself.
Professional Reviews
Jim Elledge Author of To Go Forth in the Midst of Wolves,
In "The Spiral Bridge" Dr. Franzmeier has captured the essence of small town life in the '30's.
Even though this novel has the Minnesota farm area as its center of gravity, the story represents the quintessential heartland of America in its poignant depiction of the mores and moods of the Depression era it represents.
The story, a thriller with intriguing subplots, takes the reader on a journey with Tillie Tilden, a young college student, who steps into an enigma beyond her understanding when she accepts a teaching position in a country school. There is a mystery behind the departure of the previous teacher and no one wants to talk about it.
At first Tillie is unaware of the reasons behind the silence. There is a dark secret concerning the fate of the person she is replacing and the inhabitants of the village want to keep it that way.
As the plot unfolds the morbid details come out. It appears that the young woman Tilllie was to fill in for committed suicide. But was it suicide?
Ultimately Tillie discovers the former teacher's diary giving details that lead to the suspicion of murder.
With a good eye for description, and with a well-rounded plot, Franzmeier gives us a murder mystery in the rural setting of bygone days.
Always interesting and with many twists and turns this novel is a good read that you will not want to put down.
A Rollercoaster Ride
This story, set during the depression, takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride. After a fast action start, it settles into a quieter pace, giving the reader a great slice of '30's living while still advancing the plot. Then it makes unexpected twists and turns again at the end. All in all, a great read. —Deborah K Frontiera
Great Combo of Mystery and Romance!
Alvin H. Franzmeier's debut mystery novel, The Spiral Bridge, has its beginnings in Minnesota during the 1930's, in the midst of the Great Depression. The main character, Tillie Tilden, is between her junior and senior years in college. She is contemplating if she should take a job in the Minnesota farm country teaching in a one-room schoolhouse, in exchange for her senior year of college. Most of the book is set in the rural setting of the farm country, although some is set in St. Paul. The Spiral Bridge tells of Tillie's adventures during her first year of teaching.
The Spiral Bridge is not only a mystery, it's a romance, too. Writer Franzmeier skillfully combines the best elements of each genre. In the pages of the book, we become well acquainted with Tillie, and before long, she meets her boyfriend, Al, who quickly becomes a main character. Tillie is troubled by her mother's feelings toward Al. Her father, a veterinarian employed as a meat inspector, is a farmer at heart, as Al is in actuality; he's much in favor of their relationship. Tillie's mother, however, has no use for farmers. What a conflict!
But that's not the main plot. Helen, the teacher who taught in the small school a year before Tillie came, killed herself. Why? Many questions are raised concerning this. The author develops a wonderful plot line between Methodist, Lutheran and Catholic beliefs not only about suicide, but about other theological lessons as well. Your thinking will be challenged!
The book has 214 pages that are divided into 25 chapters. After you begin reading The Spiral Bridge, you won't want to put it down. I read it in two evenings and part of one afternoon.
Alvin Franzmeier has done a wonderful job of developing the main characters, as well as the supporting ones. While suspenseful in many sections, this isn't the type of book that made me afraid to go to sleep at night - I sure don't like those! The chapters led easily from one to the next; there was never any question about how each character was related (in the story, not necessarily by blood) to another. Some of the characters carried an accent from either their or their parents' native (European) countries; the author did a wonderful job of writing in the dialect when appropriate. In reading some books that lapse into dialects, I find myself hardly being able to figure out what's being said. Not the case in The Spiral Bridge!
The Spiral Bridge is a fabulous mystery; like any good mystery, the plot takes a complete turn close to the very end. I'm looking for more good reading from Mr. Franzmeier!
Book three in series. Excitement and tension begin on the first day of filming a Restoration drama on location at the historic Jacobean mansion, Ham House in Surrey.
Taylor Reigler moves to Indiana in order to reopen a campground she inherited. She finds decades of grime, waist high grass, and a few resident ghosts.
