Solid

This was my first experience reading/listening to a book by Mariah Fredericks, and I’m impressed. Ms. Fredericks avoids the pitfalls common in this genre: rudimentary or overwrought characters, foolish plot lines, and inaccurate period detail.
She has written a story with an almost perfect balance between main character and secondary character development; none of the characters feel superfluous. The plot is well paced, and the historical details do not weigh down the story.
The narrator also performed well. The best narrators create seamless transitions between characters, and Stephanie Willis manages this through almost the entire story.
I will certainly listen to the next in the series.

12 people found this helpful

Outstanding.

History so often repeats its self. I can't wait to read/hear the next one of the series.

5 people found this helpful

save the history lessons for elsewhere

promising, but the last hour was brutal to get through. i didn't care who did what by that point. the stories at the end about the elephant and the factory was brutal and unnecessary. especially the elephant story....her analogy to what was happening in the book was non-existent. i chose a fictional period mystery to be entertained, not depressed.

2 people found this helpful

Average

Average in every respect. There was nothing that stood out in either the story, characters, or narration. It wasn't bad, but I kept thinking that there were so many others books to listen to instead.

2 people found this helpful

Involving upstairs downstairs mystery

Are there more of these? I really would love to know what happens next. Well narrated, dark but with a lighter moments, this was a good one.

1 person found this helpful

Enjoyable

A cozy mystery that deals with some serious matters. I thoroughly enjoyed it and loved the narrative.

1 person found this helpful

Definitely worth a credit!

I listen to historical mysteries almost exclusively, but I haven’t read many in the Gilded Age of New York. This was well written and enjoyable. It concerned not only the “upstairs-downstairs” of the day, but the social injustices that were going on as well.

I really liked the main character, Jane, who had her presence in both and a murder, besides. Not a sappy love story, but an intriguing love/marriage/money story to follow.

Already purchased book 2 and I’m looking forward to getting started!

Is any death of no importance ?

I very much enjoyed this book . Look forward to the next. Pulls at your heart strings makes you consider again the early days of working in this country .

good story but not a cozy mystery by any means

The story was rich in period details, well written with good pace and attention to social class problems, and there were a lot of good historical tie ins. However, the story is horribly sad, justice isn't really done, and innocents get harmed a lot with no resolution. Sadly, that is all very accurate to the time (and even today where social class and skin color make the difference between justice and nothing for victims), but this was recommended to me by audible as a cozy mystery which it most definitely is not. If you like historical fiction, it's a great listen. If you were expecting miscreants brought to justice and a happy ending, you will be sadly disappointed.

Classy Gilded Age Mystery

The POV character, Jane, is refreshingly practical and empathetic. Historical mysteries often struggle to portray female characters only as rebels or unrealistically forward thinking. Jane is plucky and quick witted but never jarring or out of period. I enjoyed sharing her headspace. The characters were definitely the strongest draw of the book. Those looking for a thriller may not find this story tense enough but if you’re a fan of good historical novels and fairly deft examinations of the social injustices of the past, then this is a terrific read. The narrator was excellent at all the different characters, although her Irish brogue could use some brushing up.