Customer Reviews

A Bucket of Ashes (Gilded Age Mysteries, No. 6)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When is the last time you read a regency book with a hero who is addicted to opium and a heroine who's husband is in jail and has a past as a pick-pocket? Not to mention the herione's former lover who is a married man with a wife in an asylum. The characters are so well written and fleshed out that they get under your skin and you truly care about what happens to them.

This book is the last in the series. I honestly think that you can only truly appreciate the wonder of the storytelling in this book by reading the other books in the series first. As a stand alone book, I can see that others might feel the focus is on the characters and not the mystery. I would not have it any other way as I have been anxious to find out what happens to the characters.

I originally found these books at my library and quickly fell in love with the characters and the series. I then tried to buy the books for my own collection and re-reading. I was greatly disapointed that the early books are out of print. I managed to get copies on internet used book sites (one of which I paid over $20 for.) This series is so good that I would love to purchase the entire series as a gift for friends and family. If a publisher is reading this - please pick up these books for reprinting. With a little bit of marketing these books would sell like crazy.

P.B. Ryan has accomplished what she set out to do six books ago. That is, to tell the story of Nell Sweeney, waif from Boston who became an adored governess by her charge, and every member of the family. It was a long and difficult struggle, but Nell conquered all the obstacles with panache.

Reading the series in sequence will make it much more enjoyable if you are a new fan of P.B. Ryan. The earlier books set the premise. They also introduce the reader to the powerful characters that are prevalent throughout the series.

The setting, during the gilded age - two decades prior to the turn of the last century, is filled with anecdotal information that absolutely delights. The writer takes the reader on the visual path of cumbersome skirts, unpaved streets, non-electric lighting and a rigid cultural perspective.

This series is wonderful and A Bucket of Ashes unites loose ends and leaves the reader most satisfied. Do not miss this series, this author and most of all, this book.

I am generally a fan of the Gilded Age mysteries - the writing is pretty good, and the plots are satisfying, and I think Nell Sweeney is a great character. This installment was disappointing. It felt like it was written without the same care as the previous 5 books in the series, and the mystery felt very secondary to me. Although I very much enjoy the author's handling of the key personal relationships in this series, particularly the romantic tension between Nell and Will, I have always appreciated her ability to have her characters develop hand-in-hand with good plots, and this book did not deliver on this front.

While the outcome was very satisfying (and worth reading for this alone if you are a fan of these mysteries!), the process of getting there seemed choppy and way too fast - it's almost as if she had a check-list of Nell's issues in front of her and was resolving them as rapidly as possible in order to tie everything up neatly (too bad, as I've always appreciated her ability to leave pieces of Nell's life unresolved - seemed more true somehow). Not sure where she'll take the series from here (I feel like this could have been the final book), but I wouldn't recommend reading this unless you are a fan of this particular series. Definitely doesn't stand on its own.

A Bucket of Ashes by P.B. Ryan is the last book in the Gilded Age series starring Nell Sweeney. I read the previous book in this series, Murder in the North End, shortly after it came out at the end of 2006. Visiting the author's website a few months later, I was excited to find that the this would be the last book in the series and was supposed to be published in Dec 2007. Every week starting in July, I visited the library website waiting to get on the reserve list. When it finally made in the list mid-January, I was number one on the list. It arrived on Friday, and I curled up in bed that very night determined not to go to sleep until I had finished it. Nell and Will have faced many troubles in their past, but after (finally) making love at the end of the last book, Will left for France at President Grant's request. Nell is in Cape Cod at the Hewitt's family home taking care of Gracie when she discovers that she's pregnant and her long lost brother has been killed in a fire and implicated in a murder. kmc's review is spot on. It feels as though Ryan needed to deal with every problem in Nell and Will's romance and did so without the spark of the previous books in the series. Remember how Cheers lost its zing after Sam and Diane finally did the deed? That's how it feels in A Bucket of Ashes. The mystery and powerful attraction between the two has been muted. Ryan goes through all of the obstacles keeping the two apart and smooths them out, but I think she's forgotten that what makes a story truly interesting are the wrinkles. The mystery involving Nell's brother is haphazard and unnecessary to the storyline. These characters were so entrancing and enjoyable, they deserve (as do the readers) a much better send off.

Sixth and final in Ryan's Gilded Age series, we return to the story of Nell Sweeney and her past; a past that is unfurling more quickly than she had planned. Normally set in Boston, Nell and the Hewitt family are vacationing at the Hewitt's summer cottage in Cape Cod. Nell is swimming with her young charge when she is suddenly blind-sighted by her past - the doctor who saved her life and took her in and educated her - appears on the lawn of the Hewitt home. Dr. Cyril Greaves, absent for so many years, has appeared with horrible news for Nell - but could it be a blessing in disguise?

Cyril has come to break bad news to Nell about her only surviving brother - about whom her employers know nothing. Nell has kept the information of her pick-pocket days and jail-bound husband from them in order to make a better life for herself and to stay with Gracie Hewitt. Gracie is Will Hewitt's daughter, but Nell has been her governess since infancy, and she is afraid that her highly questionable past will take it all from her- if her possible secret pregnancy doesn't do it first. While worrying about the results of their single night of passion, Nell finds that the charred body found nearby could be that of her brother and worse - that he is suspected of murder!

Once again Nell must find her way to the heart of the mystery, using connections she's made throughout the years she's spent in Boston solving other crimes. But will she be able to get the answers she needs to clear her brother's name and find the murderer before her reputation - the reputation she's worked years to build - is torn to bits?

The series is set in Boston following the Civil War and each installment stands well on its own, but knowledge of the series does help in understanding the nuances. The plot is well built and acted out on the pages, and the characters will keep you glued to the pages to find out how all the pieces fit together.

This is a great cozy with a historical backdrop - especially for those who enjoy a touch of romance in their mysteries. I enjoyed following the story of Nell, Will, and Gracie, and hope that Ryan is able to capture us with another mystery series just as captivating.

I wish that Ms Ryan had decided not to end the adventures of Nell and Will. Well written and exquistely detailed she brought the adversity of post civil war, Brahmin and Irish Immigant poulated Boston, alive to her readers. The love affair between the Brahmin opium addicted civil war veteran doctor and the trajedy stricken Irish immigrant heroine is equally laudable. Ryan's characters are historically drawn with an erudite knowledge of the period and she brings Brahmin and poor immigrants together by writing about crimes that overlap the two communities and spotlight humanity at it's best and lowest. Here's to hoping that P.B. Ryan finds her way back to this world she created from a time gone past; and decides to continue writing about the detective team that represented the best Boston's Gilded Age had to offer. This series is A+ reading all the way.

Dr. Greaves, Nell's Sweeney's former boss and lover, arrives with news that Nell's estranged criminal of a brother has died after a burglary attempt that turned homicide.

While readers might nitpick with some of the plotting early on (a genuine chance at serious pathos misses the mark when Hewitt arrives on the scene a bit early, for instance), BUCKET OF ASHES pays off handsomely in a very moving third act.

Devotees of this series won't be let down and will, in fact, find themselves scrambling for the Kleenex box. Those who have suffered along with Nell Sweeney for six books will be gratified that they stayed with it.

A highly recommended crown jewel in a sparkling series.

One of the things I like least about this book was the fact that it relied too heavily on prior installments. A real problem for me since I have not read the earlier books

Since I felt like I was a guest where at a party of grown up grade school pals, this book was tough for me to get into. I forced myself to stick with it and was glad I did.

By the end of the this book, I had fallen in love with and mourned a character who was dead when the books started.

The characterization of Jaime/Jim was powerful and touching enough to more than make up for the slow start and somewhat pat ending. Ryan's delivery of Jaime's story is a testament to her skill as a writer. Great job.

I also like the fact that many of the characters in this books were flawed in ways rarely depicted in protagnists. Ryan maintained the humanity of the characters even as she celebrated their individual acts of heroism. Very nice.

I just finished book 6 and I have to say how much I enjoyed reading all 6 books. I like the mystery part - each book is connected but yet each mystery is something different and new. And I enjoyed the romantic tension b/w Nell and Dr. Hewitt. I found the ending satisfying and not too syrupy. Great read.

I stumbled on this series via my Kindle. Although the books start out well with interesting characters and situations, I got the feeling PB Ryan lost decided to put a quick end to everything. The for whatever reason. The editing is especially poor, which is a shame. When a character living in 1870 is wearing sunglasses and a bathing suit, and strolls over to casually greet our amateur detectives. Now, if this had been a time travel novel where Scott and Zelda were pulled into help solve a cozy murder, fine. This version of 1870 is replete with small kitchens in boat houses overlooking the ocean, and even more convenient and well-equipped bathrooms wherever we look. Whatever.

Enjoyable books.