Customer Reviews

Still Life with Murder (Gilded Age Mysteries, No. 1)

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was up until 7am this morning reading this book and its sequel, Murder In a Milltown. Not since Owen Parry's Abel Jones series have I been so excited about a mystery series.

Nell Sweeney is a young woman with a dark past struggling to make a new life for herself assisting a physician when she is given the oppurtunity of a lifetime. Out of the blue, she's offered a position as governess to the wealthy Hewitt family's new ward, Grace. She knows that her scandalous past would disqualify her for the position but decideds to hide her past and take the job, hoping that this will bring the safety and security she's always wanted.

For a time all goes well, but Nell's carefully maintained new identity as straight-laced governess is put in jeapordy when her mentor and employer, Viola Hewitt, begs her to help save the eldest Hewitt son, Will, from hanging for murder. Unable to disappoint the woman who took such a chance on her, a poor unconnected Irish girl, Nell agrees to ivestigate the case. Suddenly, Nell is plunged back into a world of crime and poverty as she investigates the murder Will has been arrested for. Will, rich boy, martyr and rake, dominates every scene he is in. While his innocence is questionable, his charisma and the tragedy of his story soon have Nell determined to do everything she can to help him. While Will might be a bit of a cliche, the way he wears his frailties on his sleeve making him a worhty counterbalance to Nell's self concious propriety and righteousness. Their scenes together are some of the best in the book.

Still Life With Murder is teeming with fascinating characters. Nell's remarkable empathy with each of them, from Detective Cook to the prostitute Pearl to self-destructing Will Hewitt, make her not only a great amateur sleuth but the perfect guide through the posh parlors and rank opium dens of 19th century Boston.

An entertaining and satisfying read and a very promising series.

Excellent, excellent novel. A hopeless lover of mysteries, I will be the first to admit that 95% of the mystery novels out there are badly written and poorly conceived. "Still Life With Murder" is a true exception to that rule. I so enjoyed this world -- I am so glad that I picked this up at the bookstore. I am so devastated that I have finished it and that no sequel has been published yet.

The sleuth is no shrinking violet: born to a delicate age, she is anything but fragile and no where near naive. (Jane Austen would be shocked out of her little white bonnet.) The handsome, damaged, wildly charismatic and most-likely murderous William Hewitt had me swooning in my chair as if he were standing right in front of me -- cooly mocking and deadly enticing. Her characters are that well-drawn. And the setting, 1860's Boston, was marvelously vibrant. As a current-day resident of Boston, I learned so much about my adopted city's history. I will never be able to stroll trough the Public Gardens again without thinking of this book and hoping to find Nell and Dr. Hewitt engaged in furtive conversation on a bench nearby.

WORD TO THE WISE -- don't read the 1st review down there written by a highlighted reviewer -- they give WAY too much of the story away. The most enchanting part of this mystery is the mysterious sleuth herself -- the author knows what she is doing will let you know what she wants you to know WHEN she wants you to know it. Nell's history is meant to unfold slowly and tentatively throughout the novel.

Wow! How wonderful to find a new author in the field of Historical Murder Mysteries. This book is completely outside and above the typical Victorian murder mystery story. The characters are so interesting I can hardly wait for the next book, and the historical detail is fascinating. P. B. Ryan has shot to the top of my list of favourite authors pushing Ellis Peters, Anne Perry, Linsay Davis, Dianne Day, and Candace Robb all down a notch.

Any astute mystery lover will figure out the identity of the killer fairly quickly, but a trip through the time machine back to post Civil-War Boston sets this book apart from the pack. Interesting characters make this book worth reading and I have just finished doing so. On the side table rests the next installment of Nell and company, MURDER IN A MILL TOWN which will be picked up shortly after this review is posted.

Do not understand one viewer complaining about sexual content--hardly any-just one or two VERY brief scenes describing nudity that was pertinent to the scene of the moment. While others rave and give 5 stars, I personally feel that 4 stars is the accurate rating because of the lack of mystery concerning the killer

Worth your time and recommended.

Still Life with Murder by P.B. Ryan is an amazing mystery. The characters of William Hewitt and Nell Sweeney leap off the page. Boston governess Nell is drawn into the underworld after presumed dead William Hewitt is arrested for the murder of a street thug. Long hidden secrets are revealed, including some of Nell's own. Ryan is a master at writing dialogue; it's rare that a author writes characters with such flair. The chemistry between William and Nell practically ignites the pages. The mystery itself is handled well with excellent pacing, and I was surprised at the depth of darkness within William, which only makes him more fascinating. I can't wait to read the next in the series.

P.B. Ryan has done quite a lot of research and many of the descriptions of Civil War era Boston ring true. But Nell Sweeney, the main character, is supposed to be a reformed thief who spent 4 years as assistant/mistress to a doctor. How in just 4 years, while working for him, did she also manage to learn Latin and French, anatomy and very modern ideas about preserving evidence? I like the other characters in the book, and also in the second in the series. Their motivations and actions connect with their characters as well described. But Nell continues in the second book to be just a bit too modern and too insightful, even though the author allows her to jump to conclusions and be mistaken once in a while. I hate to suggest that an author 'dumb down' a female character, but at least be sure about the historic accuracy of important aspects of the plot, such as having cops look at blood splatters and such. That seems too scientific for 1860s policing.

This is one of the best 99 cent Kindle books that I have purchased so far. A few of the others have been a real disappointment. Nell is a likeable heroine,(kind of a 19th century geek, but in a good way).Her life story is believeable, although I find some of the situations in the book to be questionable. For example, even with an elightened employer like Viola, I'm not sure that it would be possible for a governess (disguised as a member of a charity organization) to talk a police detective into escorting her to a house of gambling and prostitution, and allowing her to freely interview the male customers. I also don't believe in that day and age, an unescorted, 'respectable" woman in Nell's position would have been able to move so easily around Boston,without a female escort or companion, especially since some of the episodes take place at night. Nell would be more believeable with a female sidekick. That's why I have to give the book four stars, otherwise I'd give it five.
But for an entertaining yet complex mystery read, this book won't disappoint. I've purchased some of the other books in the series by PB Ryan for $3.99, and haven't been disappointed, either. Enjoy!

I picked this up on a whim, looking for a diverting historical mystery to entertain me for a few nights before bedtime. Hours later, I found I had stayed up too late and finished the book, wanting more, more, more. The book is well-written, well-plotted, and completely engrossing. In 1868 Boston, Nell Sweeney, a governess, tries to help a man accused of murder by learning if he really committed the crime or is only covering up for someone else. To tell you anymore would deprive you of a wonderful journey.

I was kept guessing along with Nell Sweeney as the investigation progressed. Usually paperback mystery series start out fine and either improve over several volumes and/or eventually fade away. This book is stunning and I hope the series continues. I have to know what and who will enter Nell's life next.

I highly recommend this book. Buy it. Own it. Before it goes out of print. This is a wonderful book and you will want to share it with your friends and even reread it yourself.

At page one I was enchanted. At page two I was drawn in for the night. PB Ryan creates intelligent, engaging characters and a compelling story as Nell explores her way throught the mysterious adventure of her surprising life.

This well-written book transports you into Nell's world so cleanly that you will believe you are there. I will be looking for the next book for sure.

Ms.Grimes

Kindle seems to be on a roll with a number of strong series starring amateur female sleuths. This, one of the historical ones, stars a young woman saved from being part of the dregs of Boston Society by an older man, a physician, who became both lover and teacher. Her big break comes when the physician is called in to handle a difficult birth process for a staff member in a high status Boston household and is offered the job of caregiver for the child. She is drawn into a murder case of interest to the lady of the house and.....but that is the substance of the book. Well written, interesting character development and a plot which has its twists and turns, this is a likely pleaser for those enjoying historical mysteries which are not really "cozy". I have already purchased the remainder of the series now available from Kindle.