Reviewed by Brenda Casto for Readers' Favorite

In 1819,just outside of Charleston SC, the Six Mile Inn was run by Lavinia Fisher and her husband, John. As the inn keeper, she always welcomed her guests into her inn, providing them with a meal, and then a special cup of tea at bedtime. The problem was that the tea was poisoned, and was used to kill many of her overnight guests. Along with the murders going on at the Inn, the Fishers were also traveling with a band of marauders that would rob unsuspecting travelers on the road.There plan was basically flawless, or so they thought.

One night, a weary trapper, John Peeples, stops at the inn, after eating a good meal, he is offered the tainted tea, which he refuses, saying it would keep him awake, he soon overhears a discussion outside his bedroom window about how John Fisher plans to kill him. He escapes and heads to town where he tells the constable about what has been going on at the inn, and how he barely made it out with his life. When the constable arrives at the Fisher's, he is totally horrified at what he finds.

After standing trial, the Fisher's are found guilty and sentenced to hang, Will the state of South Carolina hang a white woman? Can Lavinia figure a way out of this mess, and, if she doesn't, will that be the end of her?

Lee Martin is a master storyteller, making Lavinia's story such a compelling page turner, I couldn't put it down. Even though I knew early on that Lavinia was a killer, I still felt sorry for her, life hadn't been easy for her, she was orphaned at eight years old, when a band of Creek Indians came to the Inn and killed her family, the only thing that saved her was the fact that her brother hid her in the barn under some hay. He hid there as well but was found and murdered, and Lavinia was a witness to the whole thing.She was also mistreated by her aunt that took over the Inn after her parents` death. Add to that the fact that the women of Charleston looked down on her.

There was also a great cast of secondary characters in this book as well, such as Matthew Cowher, a minister that loved Lavinia, but wouldn't act on his feelings. What he didn't realize was that Lavinia felt the same about him, but she married John Fisher instead, a man that she could mold into a murderer. I also felt the story of the slave, Marcus Washington, added an unexpected twist to it. With a terrible owner, he did what he had to do to protect his wife.

If you enjoy stories woven around actual events, and like a little romance, murder and suspense, with a great cast of characters and an ending that will leave you quite satisfied, then give this book a try, it is definitely worth reading!