"All God’s Sparrows and Other Stories" By Leslie Budewitz: Review/Giveaway

Review by Sarah Erwin

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it.

All God’s Sparrows and Other Stories by Leslie Budewitz brings together three short stories (originally published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine), and a novella, all exploring the life of “Stagecoach Mary” Fields. These carefully researched and richly detailed pieces of historical fiction are based on Mary’s life in Montana in the late 1800s.

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Image Source Beyond the Page Publishing

Mary was born into slavery in Tennessee. In 1885, she traveled to the Montana mission of the Ursuline Sisters to care for Mother Amadeus Dunne, who was deathly ill with pneumonia. (Mary had worked for Mother Amadeus’s family in Ohio.) She ended up working for the Sisters for many years, and later drove a US Postal Star Route, hence her nickname, “Stagecoach Mary.” She is believed to have been the first Black woman in the country to have such a position.

I loved everything about this––it’s clear Leslie completed a great deal of research into this courageous, independent, and loving woman, and wrote about her with great care and empathy. While the anthology includes separate stories and a novella, they all tied together beautifully, and I felt my admiration for Mary growing as the years and pages went by. Her quiet search for truth and quest for justice is clear in all the stories as she helped neighbors, especially women and children. In her steady way, Mary helped those around her solve mysteries and problems to live a better life. The stories are quick reads and a lovely mixture of the details of Mary’s life and the mysteries that happen every day.

I could not put this collection down, and was totally immersed thanks to the details and storytelling. I would look up and find myself surprised to be sitting in the car pick-up line at school and not out on the frontier of Montana. The ending is beautiful and satisfying, and while I closed the book a while ago, Mary will stay with me for a long time.

To enter to win a copy of All God’s Sparrows and Other Stories, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "sparrows,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen November 2, 2024. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. If entering via comment please include your email address so we can contact you. You can read our privacy statement here if you like. 

 Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast which features mystery short stories and first chapters read by local actors! 

You can click here to purchase this book.

Sarah Erwin started her career as a children’s librarian, later becoming a public library director and now she’s a stay at home mom. While her career might have changed, her love of reading has been a constant since 4th grade and she reads over 200 books a year. Read along with her on her blog Sarah Can’t Stop Reading or on Instagram. Sarah lives in St. Louis, MO with her two kids, her husband and a family dog and cat.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.