The year is 1866. Doctor James V. Dougherty and Medical Steward Sean McBrien (whose earlier adventures you can find in "The Haystack") are now discharged from the Union Army and live in Penrose Valley in Carbon County, Pennsylvania. Dougherty is now married to Genevieve Collingwood, whom he had met just after the battle of Antietam. McBrien is now the pharmacist in town. In the aftermath of the war there is an increase in manufacturing, which also demands an increase in fuel, making this anthracite region of Pennsylvania an essential part of the economy. The mines are owned and operated by increasingly larger companies with headquarters in the large cities and sometimes even in Europe. The labor force is drawn from the seemingly endless supply of immigrants struggling to eke out a living in this new nation. In their effort to fight against their exploitation by the industrialists, they are unsuccessful in forming labor unions and so are drawn more and more to the use of violence. The mine owners are just as willing to use violence of their own, often under the guise of lawful response. It is in within this context that Dougherty, called to assist after a mine cave-in, discovers the body of a man who should not have been in the mine at all. The effects of the dead man include some horrifying information about a killer who has apparently been at work for some years during the war. Evidence points to the fact that he is now in Penrose Valley. All that Dougherty and McBrien have to go on is a collection of letters and newspaper articles, through which it seems impossible to identify the killer. Nonetheless, they do contain information that can lead to his capture, if it can be deciphered. Their effort to do so puts them and others at risk of becoming additional victims of the killer who has become known as The Butcher.
About the Author: James J. Mulligan is a Roman Catholic priest of the Diocese of Allentown in Pennsylvania. Most of his previous books have dealt with topics in theology. He has written numerous articles and for some years authored a series of newspaper columns on medical-moral issues. He also taught theology and medical ethics at Mount Saint Mary's Seminary for almost 25 years. He has long been a fan of mysteries, historical fiction and, as a hobby has studied Nineteenth Century medicine and forensics. His previous mystery, "The Haystack," made use of this background as it followed the progress of medical doctor James V. Dougherty, a regimental surgeon in the 69th Pennsylvania Regiment. Together with Medical Steward Sean McBrien, he was faced with a mysterious death at the time of the Battle of Antietam. In the process of finding the killer, he almost lost his own life. In "Tender Justice" the war is now over and Doctor Doughtery and Steward McBrien are now established in a mining town in Pennsylvania. The labor unrest of the time is the background for another thrilling mystery. The author, relying on his background with forensic medicine, and his insight into the history of the area in which he grew up presents a realistic account of a fictional murder that takes its place among the many violent acts that occurred at that time historically.