A Curtain Falls [Kindle Edition]

Stefanie Pintoff (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set in New York City in 1906, Pintoff's worthy sequel to her Edgar-finalist debut, In the Shadow of Gotham (2009), finds Det. Simon Zeile pursuing another sensational case. When chorus girl Annie Germaine turns up dead on a Manhattan theatrical stage, dressed in the outfit of the company's leading lady, Broadway impresario Charles Frohman asks the authorities to keep the tragedy as quiet as possible so the news won't affect the box office receipts. Next to Annie's body, which shows no marks of violence, is a cryptic note. Zeile soon learns that another actress, presumed to be a suicide, was found dead on another stage three weeks earlier, dressed up with a similar note next to her body. Certain that a serial killer is at work, the detective again consults criminologist Alistair Sinclair, who helped him investigate in the previous book. A larger pool of suspects would have benefited the plot, but the convincing period detail and expert storytelling will hook most readers. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Praise for In the Shadow of Gotham

“Superior historical mystery… The author has inevitably been compared to Caleb Carr, whom she certainly rivals in her meticulous research into the period and its fledgling forensics.… She does an outstanding job of blending historical detail with engaging characters and a suspenseful plot.”
—The Denver Post

“Pintoff excavates a rich vein of early criminology.… She also delivers a gripping detective story.… Great for dexterous plotting and for New York atmosphere at the turn of the last century.”
—Booklist

“Will remind many of Caleb Carr at his best.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“What a fabulous first novel… Pintoff’s fascinating historical mystery has believable multidimensional characters.”
—Romantic Times (Best First Mystery of 2009)

"The first winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition nicely contrasts academic theorizing with the reality of police detection set against the backdrop of a vividly depicted turn-of-the-century Gotham. Recommended to readers who enjoy historicals of this period, such as Caleb Carr’s The Alienist and Ann Stamos’s Bitter Tide.”
—Library Journal (starred review)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 470 KB
• Print Length: 399 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0312583966
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1 edition (May 11, 2010)
• Sold by: Macmillan
• Language: English
• ASIN: B003JTHYF8
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,533 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Stefanie Pintoff is the Edgar® award-winning author of a mystery series where early criminal science meets the dark side of old New York. Her writing has also earned nominations for the Anthony, Macavity, and Agatha awards. Now a full time writer, she lives on Manhattan's Upper West Side with her husband, daughter, and their family dog.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Look Back, September 12, 2010

By 

Joel M. Glasser (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Curtain Falls (Hardcover)

Those of us readers who are fans of the CSI TV series and other similar forensic police programs will find Stephanie Pintoff's new novel a unique look at what police science was in the early years of the 20th century. Against a background of the theatrical world, including real historical characters like impressario Charles Froman, Ms. Pintoff weaves an intriguing story around Detective Simon Ziele that includes a serial murderer, a budding romance, a look at gay life in Manhattan at the time and a good look at what police work probably was like in 1906.

This is the author's second novel built around Detective Ziele, and as his character continues to develop, I think other readers will find him as engaging as I do.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent historical police procedural, May 14, 2010

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Curtain Falls (Hardcover)

In 1904, New York City residents are stunned by the tragic sinking of General Slocum. Like so many locals, NYPD partners detectives Simon Ziele and Declan Mulvaney are impacted by the calamity. Simon's fiancée died with the sinking; he quit the force and left the city moving to Dobson up the Hudson. Declan stayed with NYPD until now in 1906 he is a captain.

Needing someone he trusts, Mulvaney asks Ziele, who just watched in disgust a jury set free a spouse killer, to investigate the murder of a Broadway chorus girl; the second such homicide made to look like a suicide near the Garrick Theater on West Thirty-Fifth in the last few weeks. Ziele believes a serial killer is loose. The cops arrest a suspect, but Ziele thinks the wrong man has been brought in. He and criminologist Alistair Sinclair investigate the murders.

The latest Ziele historical police procedural (see In the Shadow of Gotham) is an excellent period piece with a strong whodunit. Readers will enjoy the cankerous camaraderie between Ziele and Sinclair who respect each other professionally but also distrust one another personally especially with the former guilt-laden attracted to the latter's widow daughter-in-law. With insight into the beginnings of the Great White Way becoming the American Theater District inside a strong cop case, Stefanie Pintoff provides sub-genre fans with another superb early twentieth century mystery.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good, very predictable, September 25, 2010

By 

Howard Butler MD (Lantana, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Curtain Falls (Hardcover)

I do enjoy this genre. I found her first book, In the Shadow of Gotham much better, although, this book had the ability to be better had it not been so predictable. Having said that, even though, the bad "person" is fairly easy to figure out from a relatively early time in the book, the book remains exciting.

I think this writer has a very successful future ahead of her and her plots very intricate and detailed with the backdrop of NYC in an era that enhances the mystery.

Those of us NY History buffs will find the writer's references to historical landmarks including restaurants (some still in existence) an added treat.

I am not sure if the writer purposefully makes the "villain" easy to figure and is more concerned about the plot that ultimately unfolds or is an unintended weakness of the book. In either case, the reason for 4 instead of 5 stars and I definitely look forward to more of her mysteries. I think she is a great writer and has a theme that will stick.