Boston, 1868: The dawn of the Gilded Age, an era of burgeoning commerce and invention, of unimaginable new fortunes and lavish excess-for some. Born into dismal poverty, young Nell Sweeney scratches by on her wits and little else until fortune blesses her with a position as nursery governess to the fabulously wealthy Hewitts. But she soon learns that ugly secrets lurk beneath the surface of their gold-plated world.
The Hewitts’ eldest son, William, a former Union Army battle surgeon and the black sheep of the family, was reported to have died three years before in a notorious Confederate prison camp. But one snowy February afternoon, his parents learn that he is, in fact, still alive-and in jail for having murdered a man while intoxicated on opium. Infuriated by his son’s deception and convinced of his guilt, August Hewitt forbids his wife from coming to Will’s aid, so she begs Nell to help exonerate him. Nell finds that she must delve into the kind of dark and treacherous underworld she thought she’d left far behind if she is to unearth the truth before the hangman’s noose tightens around William Hewitt’s throat.
EXCEPTIONAL CHARACTER DETAIL – NOT MUCH MYSTERY 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.Â
The best mystery novel I’ve come across in years 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.Â
You will love following Nell around 19th century Boston! 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.Â