April 10, 1845: A monstrous fire rips through the city of Pittsburgh, destroying one-third of the city and leaving four thousand people homeless. Amazingly, the disaster claims only three lives. Or does it? City Constable John Parker and a group of night watchmen discover the body of a young girl among the rubble of a destroyed building. Others assume that the girl died as a result of the fire, but Parker’s mind is flooded by memories of a similar discovery from his boyhood, and he discards the idea that the girl’s death was an accident. Compelled by his haunting memories, Parker embarks on his own investigation and discovers that this is the latest in a series of murders reaching back seventeen years. His search for the killer takes him throughout the young city of Pittsburgh and into the hinterland of Western Pennsylvania, but all answers lead him back to The Burnt District.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fine, pleasant dective story set in historic Pittsburgh,
By Rea Andrew Redd "http://civilwarlibrarian.blo... (Pittsburgh, PA metropolitan area) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Burnt District (Paperback)
A pleasant reading experience for those in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania metropolitan area. The ethnic and industrial 'Smokey City' is the setting and the earliest police force are the characters. These men are the night watchmen and the constables that give the city a small portion of protection. The story is peopled by local inventors, politicans, merchants, doctors and industrial craft workers along with women, who own boarding houses and work in the craft trade. In both 'The Burnt District' and 'The Spectrum' immigration issues are at the fore. The Irish and the Nativists are in contention. The author uses the streets, bridges and canal, along with the neighborhoods, churchs, factories accurately in their pre-Civil War, 1840s, historical settings.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Burnt District, a historical novel with alot of fact.,
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This review is from: The Burnt District (Paperback)
Of course I love this book. My great-great-great-great grandfather is one of the featured characters. It has been a wonderful addition to my ancestry search as well as providing an insight into this period of history in Pittsburgh.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A gem for homeschoolers,
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This review is from: The Burnt District (Paperback)
For those who believe that one of the best ways to teach history is through historical fiction, the Burnt District helps fill a post-Louisiana Purchase, pre-Civil War gap: yes, life continued east of the Mississipi as well as west (with all due respect to Sacajawea), and north of the Mason-Dixon. Particularly evocative of the period is the description of a canal trip between Pittsburgh and Freeport (Who knew there were canal toughs? Sit on your wallets, gentlemen . . .) and a street party held by Irish immigrants. Of the many characters we encounter in the novel, Jacob Shoop is portrayed especially well, perhaps because Mr. Link has researched his life so thoroughly.
Okay -- just a couple of quibbles: I could have used a map to trace Parker's routes, or if that weren't possible, maybe a web address to check it out for myself -- I'm a Pennsylvanian by birth, but not familiar enough with the Pittsburgh area to make intelligent guesses about location. Story-wise, I wish we could have met Pittsburgh the day before the fire. The destruction of Parker's city is an apt metaphor for the desolation of his life, but I could have appreciated Pittsburgh more as a character in the story if I had known her as a vibrant city before I met her as victim and invalid en route to recovery. All in all, a worthwhile read I would recommend. The affection Mr. Link holds for his subject shines through in his work.
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