Customer Reviews

Murder in the North End (Gilded Age Mysteries, No. 5)

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

 

 

What I love about this series is thought they are mysteries it is the characters that keep bringing you back for more. They are richly and intricately drawn given so much depth that you feel as though they may walk right off the page and into your life or conversely that, you may walk into their world for but a few pages more as the book comes to a close. This entry in the Gilded Age series is the most intimate yet and speaks about the price and power of love, all types of love, from the requited to the unrequited, the kind you find between lovers and the kind you find between friends and even the love that can be found amongst strangers working towards a common goal. This book strips away for the most part all of the recurring characters that we have come to know leaving us with the beating heart of the series - Nell and Will. The mystery is secondary this time around, as it has been for the most recent entries, but I for one do not mind, because as I said it is Nell and Will and their ever-evolving personalities and relationships that keep bringing me back, that will always bring me back. In my world character trumps plot every time, but the plot here is interesting and filled with darkness. It revolves around Detective Colin Cook, whom we first met in Still Life with Murder, who has found himself fleeing from his fellow officers after being accused of murder.

Ryan has a way of advancing the story within each novel while simultaneously advancing the larger issues that have loomed from book to book and just as we get comfortable that, finally resolution is on the horizon we are dealt another rousing roadblock leaving the reader eager for the next installment. The books continue to educate and evoke a time and place in history without ever lecturing the reader and breaking them out of the entertaining spell that has been cast with Ryan's evocative and seductive words. I really can't say enough and I really can't wait until I once again get a chance to break into Nell and Will's world and stand as a voyeur.

I expect a well written mystery about credible and lovable characters Nell and Will. Ryan is ahead of the pack when writing about Brahmin
Boston of the late 1800's. Have to metion the detective work on Nell's part and the forensic studies on Will's part. It makes for unbeatable hours of pleasurable reading.

A pimp is murdered and Nell Sweeney's old friend Detective Cook has been seen by witnesses standing over the body, gun drawn. Cook has disappeared and slimy Constable Skinner, convinced he finally has the opportunity to put Cook away, terrorizes not only Nell but Cook's pregnant wife, as well. Nell and Will Hewitt are soon on the case.

While the plot seems a tad tortured in MURDER IN THE NORTH END, the character development shines through. A couple of surprise twists at the end save the novel from devolving into the commonplace.

Wholeheartedly recommended to readers of the series, who will especially enjoy the final passages.

Penultimate book in the series. Suffers from the same strengths and weaknesses as the previous book. The detection piece and the finding out whodunit in the mystery didn't have the satisfying complexity of the first two books. Again a lot of conversations with people who were extremely forthcoming. Once again Nell and Will team up and go into the great underbelly of society to ferret out a murderer. This time Detective Cook who has been a secondary character since the beginning of the series is the suspect and he has gone on the lam, which points to his possible guilt.

While the plotting is starting to suffer a bit, the character development remains very, very strong. This time we learn a lot about Colin Cook and his past. There is also forward momentum in Nell's (and Will's) personal story arc.

Once again in this series, the murderer is a surprise --- at least to me. The denouement was a bit flat because really, there was no discovery. A witness simply came forward and spilled everything.

And again the installment ends on a cliffhanger of a personal note.

As a whole the series is wonderful. The next book is the final book of the series so I am looking forward to see how (and if...) Ryan ties up all the loose ends.

Some really interesting characters are introduced to us in this installment of the Nell Sweeney mysteries, including an oversized brothel matron and a street rat with a good heart and a great deal of potential. None are more engaging, however, than our hero and heroine, together once again to rescue a friend from the hangman's noose. This slowly drawn love affair is TORTURE! But I love it, from the moment he shows up, quite unexpectedly, to the cliff-hanger ending. I didn't even pause this time before beginning the next book. The last book! Oh what will I do when there is no more Will and Nell?

Loved the whole series. Ms Ryan is a very good story teller .I wish the author would continue writing about the Nell Sweeny character.

Great story and lets the reader take a peek at Old Society Boston (upper/lower society). Really enjoyed this book and all in the series.

I just thought this book was gripping and you really don't know the answer till the end and plus the romance is great.

Mom had been looking high and low for her own copy of this book after having gotten it from the local library. I saw this and decided to get it for her birthday!