Murder at Bertram's Bower [Paperback]

Cynthia Peale (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 26, 2002

IN A HAVEN FOR FALLEN WOMEN, HAS HISTORY’S MOST DEPRAVED KILLER RISEN AGAIN?

The Back Bay has been filled in. Palm readers and prostitutes ply their trade in South Cove. And the watchword of the day is “NINA:” No Irish Need Apply. Boston in 1892 is a town of Victorian pride, prejudice, and private passions.

Now, on Beacon Hill, a crusading woman and her genteel brother, Addington, are investigating two grisly murders of young women, the work, say police, of “a deranged person.” For Caroline Ames, solving the mystery is a matter of helping an old friend, the woman who runs a home for wayward women known as Bertram’s Bower. But for Addington, the investigation will lead to the revelations of a sexually alluring, scandal-struck actress...and to the secrets of some of Boston’s most “respectable” men.

As Addington confronts the hypocrisy of Brahmin society, he moves closer to a shocking suspicion about the killer’s identity. And as fear grips the city, the evidence points in one frightening direction: that London’s Jack the Ripper is alive, well, and killing again. . .


From the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Ripper-like murders of "wayward" women in Victorian Boston attract the attention of a brother-and-sister sleuthing team, who, with their surgeon/boarder, step in where police will not because of anti-Irish sentiment. Addington and Caroline Ames want the murderer caught so that scandal will not close down Bertram's Bower, a shelter for fallen women run by a friend of Caroline. Suspects include an Irish teen who works at the shelter, the clergyman/brother of the owner, Irish gang members, and perhaps the police themselves. Picturesque characterizations, solid plotting, and great period atmosphere recommend this second Beacon Hill mystery (after The Death of Colonel Mann) to all collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Peale (The Death of Colonel Mann, 2000) returns to Victorian Boston, where amateur sleuths Caroline and Addington Ames and their boarder, Dr. John McKenzie, investigate the murders of two residents of Bertram's Bower, a home for wayward women. Agatha Montgomery, Caroline's friend, runs the home, and her brother, the Reverend Montgomery, raises funds for it. There is no shortage of suspects: a typewriter salesman, a young Irish immigrant who works as a handyman at the home, and the matron who seems to despise both the residents of the Bower and all men. Or perhaps Jack the Ripper lived to cross the pond. The search for clues takes readers on a tour of Boston's rigid society, with its class distinctions, prejudice against the growing Irish immigrant population, and narrowly defined women's roles. Peale, a pseudonym of Nancy Zaroulis, has done her research and created a fine portrait of Boston and its inhabitants in 1892. Strongly recommended for historical cozy fans. Barbara Bibel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 332 pages
• Publisher: Dell (March 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440613957
• ISBN-13: 978-0440613954
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,017,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Victorian Boston--mixing proper with murder--great fun, May 19, 2001

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Murder at Bertram's Bower: A Beacon Hill Mystery (Hardcover)

Has Jack the Ripper moved from London to prey on reforming prostitutes living in Bertram's Bower? When two are found brutally slashed to death, Victorian Boston goes into panic. Fearing her childhood friend's rescue mission will be destroyed, Caroline Ames forces her brother Addington and friend MacKenzie to help her investigate--despite opposition from the police and even her friend.

Cynthia Peale does an excellent job presenting characters that are both believable in the context of the Victorian era, and still sympathetic in our own day. She brings in enough history for flavor without overwhelming the reader with research.

The mystery is well crafted (although it is not especially difficult to guess the perpetrator) and well seasoned both with the historical detail and also with a strong romantic element. MacKenzie is completely infatuated with Caroline, yet cannot simply declare his affection. Addington has an even more serious problem--he admires an actress with a scandalous past. This, of course, would be completely inappropriate.

Peale does a fine job making her three primary characters sympathetic. When they are put in danger by their continued investigations, the reader really cares.

Well done.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A winner, February 15, 2001

By 

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

This review is from: Murder at Bertram's Bower: A Beacon Hill Mystery (Hardcover)

In 1892 South End Boston, police officer Joseph Flynn discovers the horribly slashed body of twenty year old Mary Flaherty. The victim worked as a secretary to Agatha Montgomery, the head of Bertram's Bower, a place for wayward women. Mary lived in the Bower. The next evening, someone brutally murders Mary's roommate Bridget Brown in the same manner.

Besides her near mental collapse from shock, Agatha's reputation as well as that of her brother Reverend Randolph Montgomery takes a beating with the two homicides. Her close friend Caroline Ames, a once a week teacher at Bertram's Bower, persuades her brother Addington to investigate the murders even though Inspector Crippen will object. With the help of their border Dr. John MacKenzie, the sleuths begin to unravel dark secrets that place the intrepid trio at risk of becoming the next victims.

MURDER AT BERTRAM'S BOWER, the second Ames Victorian mystery (see THE DEATH OF COLONEL MANN) is a fascinating historical tale that brings the gay nineties to life. Although the use of actual past events and items add depth to the tale, the plot belong to the characters, especially Caroline, who are warm, lively, and caring. The subplot of a budding romance between Caroline and John augment the feel of authenticity. The budding romance, along with a fine who-done-it will appeal to sub-genre fans.

Harriet Klausner

5.0 out of 5 stars Good new series, August 2, 2008

By 

S. R. Schnur "srschnur" (ME USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Murder at Bertram's Bower (Paperback)

This is the second book in the "Beacon Hill Series." The first book is "The Death of Colonel Mann." The next book, which I will definitely read, is "The White Crow."

Boston was always the most "upright" of the American cities, and the Victorian period exacerbated this tendency. This is the background for this series. The author catches the tone of the times and provides a great plot with the slightest hint of a romance in the offing. I figured out who the murderer was, but that in no way spoiled the story. I liked this book slightly better than the first which I also liked. This means this is not one of those series that starts with a great book and goes downhill from there.