GunShy, A Baltimore Historical Mystery [Paperback]

Louise Titchener (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0759941572 | ISBN-13: 978-0759941571 | Publication Date: November 1, 2004

It's 1882 and Oliver Redcastle, an ex-Pinkerton detective and a former Union Army sharpshooter, has inherited a house in Baltimore and a new daughter. Oliver dreams of putting his violent past behind him. When John D. Rockefeller forces him to investigate a railway explosion Oliver finds himself plunged into mayhem once again. The plot thickens when a Civil War encampment in the city digs up old betrayals, triggers death and breeds a fresh murder plot that Oliver must foil to prevent his future from becoming as bloody as his past.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Set in Baltimore of 1882, Tichner has created not only a well-written mystery with plots and sub-plots winding around each other until they all merge into a wonderful puzzler. Oliver has to not only deal with the usual riff-raff of the criminal world but also with the emotions and anger left over from the Civil War. This is a novel that will appeal to history, civil war and mystery buffs alike. --Kathy Thomason, Murder and Mayhem Book Club

It's always a problem in historical and regional novels: how much detail and local colour to use. When a novel is both regional and historical, the problem is compounded. The writer wants to give the reader easy entry into the time and place of the story, but not slow the plot and impede the characters with excessive and unnecessary detail. With a few exceptions (we didn't need to know the brand of matches Oliver uses, but it would have been helpful to know what sort of carriage a jagger was) Louise Titchener has managed the challenge well. Readers will look forward to future books about Oliver Redcastle, Baltimore's first P I, and his developing relationships with his daughter, his staff, and his new career. --Karen Treanor, New Mystery Reader

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 164 pages
• Publisher: Hard Shell Word Factory (November 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0759941572
• ISBN-13: 978-0759941571
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,418,704 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gunshy, May 23, 2005

By 

Anne K. Edwards "AKE" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: GunShy, A Baltimore Historical Mystery (Paperback)

Talented author Louis Titchener opens a door into Baltimore's past and beckons you to follow. And follow you will, willingly into a world of excitement and intrigue that threatens to undo Oliver Redcastle's plans to start a new life. Oliver, ex-Pinkerton man, has brought his daughter to Baltimore to find a more stable life style and put his days as a man hunter behind him. However, fate has other plans for him, plans that involve a return to the work he wants to leave in the past, a mysterious woman who seeks work as a detective, a railroad employee who is sure he can learn to be a detective, and most importantly, a case stemming from a horrid railroad accident that killed three important men. Or was it an accident? That seems to be the question. And men such as J. D. Rockefeller want it resolved quickly. When Oliver demurs, J. D. says he will take the case or else... The case turns out to be a lot more complicated than it seemed, with someone taking shots at Oliver, people turning out to be other than they seem, a cat burglar who lives the good life, threats against the President, and Oliver learns family secrets he wished he hadn't. It seems the past won't stay buried for anyone. A well-told tale that will keep you reading and make you glad you did. A great combination of characters and their motivations bring to life a fun read that is a pleasant way to spend the time. This is a book I can highly recommend to any reader. Enjoy. I certainly did. And I'll be looking for Ms. Titchener's next book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Gunning for your attention, April 28, 2005

By 

Kathleene Thomason "katreads" (Dunbar, KY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: GunShy, A Baltimore Historical Mystery (Paperback)

When Oliver Redcastle inherits his aunt's red brick row house in Baltimore, he decides to retire from law enforcement and take his daughter and settle down in a safer occupation. But when the president of B&O calls him to help solve a murder in which three men were killed when a train car was struck by a runaway coal car. Oliver tries to convince him that he is in Baltimore to start a new business that doesn't involve law but, like everyone else he meets, the president thinks that he is there to start his own detective agency. So he agrees to handle just this one case but the next thing he knows a young woman shows up on his doorstep wanting to work for his detective agency. When he fails to convince her that he is only working one case, he agrees to let her help him with this one case. As he begins to search for clues as to the killer's identity, he soon learns that all three of the men had enemies, including his own cousin. And to make his own life more difficult, he is having to get acquainted with his daughter, whose mother died recently and he didn't know she existed until then.

Set in Baltimore of 1882, Tichner has created not only a well-written mystery with plots and sub-plots winding around each other until they all merge into a wonderful puzzler. Oliver has to not only deal with the usual riff-raff of the criminal world but also with the emotions and anger left over from the Civil War. This is a novel that will appeal to history, civil war and mystery buffs alike.