A Bitter Brew: Faith, Power, and Poison in a Small New England Town

by Christine Ellen Young

Book Overview

Who set out to kill the members of the church? On April 27, 2003, in the hamlet of New Sweden, Maine, Walter Morrill was sipping coffee in the fellowship hall of the Gustaf Adolph Lutheran Church. Within 12 hours, the kindly old man was dead. Fifteen other members of the congregation fell gravely ill. Ruled a homicide, the largest criminal arsenic poisoning in U.S. history spread whispers of fear through this peaceful town. Which one of their close...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425200426
• ISBN13: 9780425200421
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.13 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Nonstop Guilty Pleasure

This is one of those books that I started reading in the store because I liked the cover, then couldn't put down once I got home. I don't understand all the controversy over this book, seems like the writer wove a great tale and stayed true to what happened in that crazy little Maine town. It's not your usual true crime novel; but then again, I find Ann Rule's books overly long and sometimes tedious. This is a good book for just lying around on the couch after Thanksgiving dinner and relaxing. One thing I did notice, the people who say they don't like it must have finished it because the only recipe in the book is at the very end! Give it a try, it's pretty damn good.

No candy coating here!

Seems like people either love this book or hate it--I loved it. It is sad that a church can become such a snakepit that the members are actually poisoned. This book takes us inside and shows us what happened. Not candy coated or pretty, but it all rings true.

A quick, easy, and enlightening read

Having lived in northern Maine -- a very interesting place sociologically, because of its isolation, long winters, and small population -- I think this book shows how complicated and twisted-around small towns can become, especially after a tragedy like the New Sweden church poisonings. Gathering information for this book must have been tough because by their nature, people from this area aren't forthcoming with those "from away." I can understand how people from New Sweden (especially those who belong to the church) would react negatively and/or defensively to this book. It's not necessarily flattering, but it is enlightening to people who don't live in an isolated small town. It shows how suspicions can fester and create an atmosphere that is akin that in The Scarlet Letter, leading to one person -- never accused by police -- becoming ostracized to the point where some others won't even go into a store if her car is parked out front. The fact that many churchmembers don't blame the person who admitted to the poisonings (and who had even consulted a lawyer a couple days after the incident before taking his own life) but instead harbor suspicions over someone else -- well, it's just mind-boggling. And it seems sad, too. The book is well-written, provides lots of details, and also gives information about a few other big cases in Maine, offering a fascinating peek into the state police detective work that usually is hidden from the public. The only (very minor) thing lacking from the book was a larger perspective -- something to put what happened after the poisonings in context, sociologically, that would help make more sense of some churchmembers' stunning reactions.

A mystery that makes the Davinci Code seem simplistic

Wow, what a mystery. Who knew there could be such evil in a church of all places?? Sure makes me think twice before going to those after-service gatherings....

Unfortunately, I believe it all

I have lived in New Sweden for several years also and I am a member of GA (the church in the book). The media has presented one viewpoint of what happened in April of 2003 but it was not the view shared by all members of the town or the church. I did not have a close family member who got sick but that might have helped me be a little less biased. This book has looked at the situation a little more objectively than any of the media outlets did. Young portrayed a true picture of some of the events that went on within the church community. I wish this were a work of fiction but unfortunately, having lived it, I know that it is not.