[.ca] MURDER AT BERTRAM'S BOWER (ISBN 0440613957)

bygone era:
This is a second mystery by Ms.Peale set in late XIX century Boston. She is masterful in describing the rigid class system of the Brahman elite and its tight hold on the pulse of the city. Her characters are well developed and seem alive. The only problem are her puzzles. They are not very complex and guessing a murderer doesn't pose a problem. Nevertheless I enjoyed reading this book and I rate it 3 1/2 stars.

Wonderful Sense of Period!:
Ms. Peale writes a great Victorian mystery. She makes the era come to life expertly. In this book we are introduced to a home for "fallen" women - something quite common during this era when the ordinary citizen took responsibility for people in need because there were no social safety nets. In the book it appears that there is a crazed killer out attacking girls from Bertram's Bower (one of the homes as I've mentioned). The nature of the killing has the public worrying that the Whitechapel murderer, Jack the Ripper, has moved his base of operation to Boston. Caroline and her brother set out to try to determine who is committing these very bloody crimes because one of Caroline's dear friends runs Bertram's Bower, and it's her girls getting killed. Along the way we are exposed to the seemier side of Boston in 1892. The portrait painted of Boston from this time is very authentic, even though the mystery is easy to figure out. I really enjoy this series. It's a pleasure to find an author who knows how to create a believable Victorian mystery.

The Perfect Classical Gaslight/Victorian Mystery:
This was my first introduction to Cynthia Peale's Mysteries. It is one of the best mysteries I have ever read. With the perfect mystery backdrop of Victorian Boston, Gaslights and Fog. This book twists and turns and just when you think you got it...you didn't! The ending is hair raising. I'm looking forward to reading Colonel Mann and the White Crow. I applaud her work!

Incredibly Rich Victorian Backdrop:
It is a tribute to Ms. Peale's talent that despite the fact I found none of her characters to be particularly sympathetic, I was drawn irresistibly into this story about murdered reformed prostitutes and do gooders. The Boston portrayed in this book is almost stulifying in its insularity and self righteousness. Upright men of the Watch and Ward prowl the red light section searching for moral offenses and offenders. A single misstep by a woman leads to social and familial ostracism and eventually death-- if the woman is not lucky enough to attract the attention of Agatha Montgomery, Directoress of Bertram's Bower, a facility for the reclaiming of fallen women. Addington and Caroline Ames (with their devoted Dr. McKenzie)set out to aid Agatha and by extention the habitues of Bertram's by trying to help the police solve the case of the murdered ex-prostitutes. The reader who sets out with them gets a fascinating look at Boston in the 1890's, warts and all. The contrasts are striking. Along the way we meet a woman who was a passionate abolitionist in her youth in the same city where the advertisements for jobs that state NINA (No Irish Need Apply). One of the good things about this book is that Ms. Peale lays this information out without preachiness. The reader is allowed to discover things for herself. During the course of the investigation, Addington is tempted from his uprightness by a fallen woman turned actress and Caroline begins to wonder if maybe it isn't some one else's turn to do some good. This book reminds me of those fascinating interior photographs of Victorian homes-- rooms crammed so full of treasures that the eye has trouble making sense of it, but a rich trove once the pattern is decerned.

As good as the first! Great series!:
Again, a solid plot and wonderful old Boston atmosphere satisfy the mystery reader in the second book in the Beacon Hill series. The discovery of the first book in a small bookshop in Cape Cod led to my returning within days to Books By The Sea to buy up the remaining two. I've not been disappointed thus far. I want to see less of Caroline's headstrong ways (yawn) and more about Ames. I look forward to a little more character development in the future installments in the series.