Death of a Dyer by Eleanor Kuhns

Weaver Will Rees is asked by the authorities to help investigate the death of his childhood friend, Nate Bowditch. Nate is found in a cottage on his property, beaten to death by a scutching knife.  Since Will hasn't kept in touch with Nate, he has a lot of ground to cover in terms of finding out what was going on in Nate's life.  The prime suspect in Nate's murder is his son, Richard, who quarreled regularly with his father. In the Bowditch family and beyond, Rees finds much discord--illegitimate children, extramarital affairs, and gambling--meaning that a number of people could have wanted Nate dead.  Rees also is trying to repair his relationship with David, his teenage son, decide if he should ask Lydia to marry him, and deal with the after effects of kicking his sister's family off his land (including his alcoholic and violent brother-in-law, Sam). This second book of the Will Rees series is an okay read, but feels like it's a bit too long.  However, I'm intrigued enough by the characters and the post-Revolutionary War time period to want to continue reading the series.  It will be published in June.