Still Life with Murder

Yet another series recommended to me by a friend. I started the book thinking it would be another historical cozy (which I love), but about 3 pages in I realized that this is not an historical cozy series. Historical, yes/ Cozy, no. This is a gritty, sensual, get down-and-dirty series about a young Irish governess who lives in Boston with a very high-society family. Ostensibly she has been hired by the matron of the house to look after her little adopted child, but actually she has a relationship with Mrs. Hewitt that goes far beyond that. Nell Sweeney is her friend, confidante and one who Mrs. Hewitt uses to be her eyes and ears. In this book the family has just found out that their oldest son, who they thought died in a Civil War show more concentration is actually alive and well four years later, and he's been arrested for the murder of a lawless man outside a disreputable opium den. Nell's has kept her past life secret from her employer, but let it be said that she did not have the benefit of a genteel upbringing, and she is actually quite familiar with the seedy side of life. She can move quite freely and comfortably in the dark world of the drug dens and brothels. Nothing shocks her and she staunchly defends anyone who is dear to her. What a breath of fresh air for a heroine! What an exciting, thrilling story. I loved everything about Nell Sweeney and her life in late 19 century Boston. You bet I'll be reading other books in this series. Bring them on. show less

When I began to read Still Life with Murder, I expected to find a pleasant little story set during a period of history in which I've always been interested. Did I ever underestimate this book! Ryan's setting is wonderfully evocative and made me feel as though I were walking the streets of Boston during the Civil War. I deduced the identity of the killer early on, but that in no way spoiled this book for me-- there's simply so much to savor that this small detail quickly became irrelevant.

What makes this book so special are its two main characters: Nell Sweeney and opium-smoking ex-battle surgeon William Hewitt. Both have their demons, and it is clear by book's end that there are secrets yet to be revealed.

Nell's past has been one of show more poverty, hardship, and a fight merely to survive. She has done so through sheer force of will, her intelligence, and her understanding of the darker side of human nature. She may be a governess in the 1860's, but she's no shrinking violet, and it's fun to watch her try to keep up appearances while taking care of business. As she tries to clear Will's name, it would appear that more men than women have delicate sensibilities that she must try her best not to offend. I haven't had a character get me this fired up in a long time.

Sympathy for William Hewitt is slower to form, as it probably would be for a man willfully addicted to opium, but Ryan works her magic on him, too. Family dynamics play an important role in his behavior, as do his experiences during the war. He's determined to go to hell in a handbasket reeking of the poppy, and the author makes us want to know why.

Nell and William are two fascinating, multi-faceted characters, and I cannot wait to read the next book in this series. Sometimes-- as in the case of Still Life with Murder-- it's wonderful to have your expectations blown to smithereens! show less

Still Life With Murder, the first book in a mystery series featuring 19th century Irish-American governess Nell Sweeney, starts off the series with a bang.

Nell, a onetime workhouse denizen on Cape Cod, has plenty of pluck and intelligence. She serves in the Boston home of Viola Hewitt, an unconventional British-born matron who elevated Nell from physician's assistant to governess for an adopted daughter. For three years, Nell had delighted in caring for Grace Lindleigh Hewitt. With two grown sons killed at Andersonville, the pestilential Confederate prison camp, Mrs. Hewitt sees the toddler Gracie as the light of her life, and Nell loves both of them with all her heart.

Suddenly, Mrs. Hewitt and Nell discover that one of the Hewitt show more sons thought dead is actually alive -- when he is arrested for the murder of a sailor in the courtyard of an opium and gambling den. Mr. Hewitt is determined to avoid a scandal at any cost -- even if the prodigal son, William Hewitt, now a hopeless opium addict, hangs. Mrs. Hewitt, crippled by polio, knows there's only one person she can trust to investigate and save her son from the gallows: Nell Sweeney.

Still Life With Murder is a real page turner with lots of plot twists, and author P.B. Ryan will keep you guessing until the last few pages. Ryan also laces the novel with a plethora of researched historical details on medicine and the class social strata of the late 1860s -- although, as Ryan so ably builds the suspense, you might not notice how much you're learning.

Within minutes of finishing Still Life With Murder, I was downloading the Kindle edition of the sequel, Murder in a Mill Town. What an auspicious beginning to a sequel! And, just to sweeten the already sweet reading experience, Kindle readers can download Still Life With Murder for free. show less

I didn't initially consider myself a Mystery fan. I just didn't think I had the patience for being almost completely in the dark about the outcome of an initial problem, and then there was the way one has to find the answer to that conflict - through searching a room, a house, a hallway, by talking to characters, reading between the lines of their stories etc. With that in mind I thought mysteries were slow reads - a whole lot of problem-solving and not enough direct action, or magic. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was great if you were into that sort of thing, but I didn't think it was for me.

Boy, was I wrong.

I got this book because they were offering it for free on Kindle, and I thought, ok, sure, I'll power through a mystery. show more Power through, hah! I devoured this book in one night. The suspense was wonderful, the characters extremely well-developed, and then there was Nell and Will. Two damaged, strong protagonists who seized me by the heart and never let go. Their dialogue was enchanting, and their interaction fascinating. Coupled with this was a very well-researched setting in post-Civil War Boston, with the social machinations that came with that. Everything is so detailed and told in such a way that you really feel a part of that society.

I am officially a Mystery convert. Truth. show less

The historical fiction/mystery fan in me absolutely loved this story! As first book in the six book Gilded Age Mystery series, author Patricia Ryan (writing as P.B. Ryan) strikes the right balance between setting the stage, introducing the characters, getting some character development rolling and hitting the ground running with a well-crafted mystery. The setting – Boston in the immediate aftermath of the American Civil War – is a wonderfully depicted as Ryan’s attention to detail makes the city, its societal norms and its dark underbelly of opium dens and gambling houses, come to life. Right at the start, we learn that Nell’s past life is one that she would just as soon not dredge up, while Will’s past 5 years is equally a show more closely guarded history. All of the characters have very realistic qualities of flaws and values/virtues – even police Detective Colin Cook stands out as being more than I would have initially expected. The story has some great relationship development between Nell and Viola, Nell and Will and even Nell and Detective Cook as he allows Nell to tag along on some of his investigative visits. If you like your stories to have a hint of possible romance, Ryan caps that off with a potential developing attraction between Nell and Will. Always a nice tease for the other books in the series. Ryan also has a knack for creating a mystery that is a puzzle to unravel and still makes sense in the end.

On the downside, I struggled with the latitude that Nell seems to have within the Hewitt household - okay, with only certain members of the household - allowing her to spend hours at a time out and about on the case when she is supposed to be tending to young Gracie. I also found that I wished there was more development regarding the Hewitt family dynamics, as Ryan either leaves some things unexplained and simply glosses over other things. Maybe these areas are touched upon in the later books in the series.

Overall, a well-crafted mystery, a wonderful first book in a new series for me and one I can highly recommend to fans of Lyndsay Faye's Timothy Wilde trilogy. show less

Having just visited Boston, I enjoyed the setting. Also the heroine, Nell Sweeney. An interesting character who is not always right and who has secrets of her own. An enjoyable start to a new mystery series.

Still Life with Murder
4 Stars

Three years after the end of the Civil War, Nell Sweeney, a young woman born into poverty, finds her way into the home of the Hewitts, a wealthy Bostonian family. When William Hewitt, a former military surgeon and black sheep of the family, is accused of murder, his mother and Nell’s benefactor, begs the young governess to help her eldest child. To uncover the truth, Nell must delve deep into Boston’s dark and dangerous underbelly, but the greatest threat might just come from the enigmatic William himself.

Interesting historical setting, especially the details about Andersonville prison during the Civil War and in its aftermath. The heroine is also very appealing, but the mystery is on the predictable show more side.

Nell is a spirited yet practical heroine and there are just enough hints about her murky past to make her particularly intriguing. William is similarly ambiguous. He has obviously been traumatized by his experiences during the war, but there is also something fundamentally dark and ominous about him.

The mystery is pretty straightforward and it is possible to guess the identity of the culprit quite easily. Nevertheless, it is fun to follow along as Nell investigates, although she does get into some rather unrealistic situations that require a healthy dose of suspension of disbelief. Some of the other twists and turns to do with the various characters are also obvious, but compelling enough to continue with the series.

All in all, a promising start to an interesting series. show less