Maan Meyers

I liked this historical mystery for the atmosphere rather than the mystery. Its setting is 1664 New Amsterdam. The Dutch colonists expect an English invasion at any moment. Pieter Tonneman, the schout (sheriff), has more than the invasion to worry about. He suspects that several recent deaths weren't accidental, and that they might be connected to a conspiracy with the English.

The descriptions of sights, smells, and activities drew me into the world of the Dutch colony, and the detailed map show more worked well to orient me to the streets of New Amsterdam as they existed in the 1660s. Fictional characters seemed just as real as historical figures like Pieter Stuyvesant and John Winthrop. The characters reflect New Amsterdam's cosmopolitan nature; in addition to the Dutch and English, there are Jews, Native Americans, Portuguese, and Germans. The emphasis on the Jewish community reminded me of David Liss's books. Racqel, the Jewish woman whose father taught her about medicines and healing, reminded me just a bit of Adelia in Ariana Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death series.

The identity of two of the three conspirators is revealed to the reader as soon as they are introduced. Although there is an attempt to shield the identity of the third conspirator from the reader, I think even infrequent mystery readers will quickly figure out which character it is. Even though the mystery was somewhat disappointing, I liked the characters and setting well enough to seek out more books in the series. I've already ordered a mystery anthology that includes a short story featuring some of the same characters. show less

PLOT OR PREMISE:
Esther Breslau is a Jewish immigrant who has found a job working as a photographer in the graft-filled world of 1895 Manhattan. John Tonnerman is an honest cop, a rare commodity on a police-force filled with those on the take and in a city where your innocence depends on the size of your pocketbook. Esther takes a picture during a riot and the thugs notice and come after her. A reporter she has been working with has the plates but the thugs worry about what he knows and take show more matters into their own hands to silence him forever. John and Esther try to figure it all out.
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WHAT I LIKED:
The research was impeccable, and the epilogue is a nice touch to separate fact from fiction. The writing is first-rate and the settings are alive with the time. Each image portrays the world of the time, and the reader is transported easily with each page.
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WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
A couple of small nit-picky points -- there are a a lot of characters, which can be a problem to track in mystery stories, but they are sufficiently different here that they don't run together as much. A few of the characters (such as the reporter) were fleshed out a little TOO much, but I'm assuming part of that was with a view to them showing up in future stories too.
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BOTTOM-LINE:
One of the best historical mysteries I have read
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DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, nor do I follow her on social media. show less

Varias mujeres mueren decapitadas. Una de las víctimas es el ama de llaves de John Tonneman, un joven médico neoyorquino que en 1775 regresa a su ciudad para ocuparse de la consulta de su padre, recién fallecido. Para John, la mujer asesinada era más una mujer que una criada y dolido por su pérdida se vuelca con implacable determinación en la búsqueda del criminal. Al revuelo ocasionado por las atrocidades del psicópata, se une la violencia social de un país al borde de la guerra show more por la independencia. En medio de ese caos, John hallará consuelo en el amor de una hermosa muchacha. show less

Aparece un cadáver en el principal depósito de agua potable de Nueva York. Corre el año 1808 y John Tonneman empieza a plantearse la jubilación. Sin embargo, el hallazgo de dicho cadáver y, posteriormente, de un cráneo enterrado treinta años atrás, junto con la súbita desaparición de su hijo mayor, arrastran a John a una nueva investigación. La familia entera se ve envuelta en los hechos y, finalmente, no sólo hallarán la respuesta al misterio, sino también la solución a sus show more problemas vitales. show less