In the Shadow of Gotham

I loved this book, mainly because I enjoyed spending time with the characters. Especially where there's a first-person narrator, I need to feel the voice is likable and the characters well developed. That was true here. I also appreciated how well the author incorporated real historical fact into the plot of the story, such as the mayoral election that takes place the day of the book's opening action. I look forward to the next in the series.

I picked up this novel because reviewers said it would appeal to fans of The Alienist. They were right. The lead character was engaging and complex; the depiction of early criminology (e.g. fingerprinting, analyzing criminal behavior) was fascinating; and I enjoyed the turn of the century New York City atmosphere. It was a terrific read and I look forward to more by this author.

In the summer of 1904, the steamship General Slocum catches fire in the East River. Many die including the fiancée of NYPD Detective Simon Ziele who also lost the use of his right arm. Distraught, Ziele quits the force, leaves the big city, and accepts a law enforcement position in rustic Dobson in Westchester County just outside the Bronx. However, the quiet community is shocked with the violent murder of Columbia mathematician Sarah Wingate. The culprit in a rage slashed and bashed the graduate student numerous times in her home. Ziele's investigation is superseded by an inquiry by criminologist Alistair Sinclair, who swears he can identify the killer, but must prove it. Readers will understand why the engaging IN THE SHADOW OF GOTHAM won the first Minotaur Books/MWA Best First Crime Novel award. The story line provides the audience with a superb police procedural anchored strongly in early twentieth century Westchester County with entries like the General Slocum calamity and other tidbits. Ziele is a terrific lead character still grieving his loss of his fiancee; so though he ran away from NYPD he buries himself in the investigation. Stefanie Pintoff provides a wonderful historical mystery. Harriet Klausner

I thoroughly enjoyed reading In the Shadow of Gotham. The author brings the reader seamlessly into the world of New York in 1905 where modern methods of crime solving are just evolving. The characters, both the good and the evil, and the in-between, are interesting, flawed people who are doing their best (or worst) in an imperfect world. Simon Ziele, the detective, and Alistair Sinclair, the noted criminologist form an alliance when a brilliant female mathematics student, Sarah Wingate, is brutally murdered. This partnership is the foundation of the murder investigation which takes many remarkable twists and turns before the truth is revealed. The characters, particularly the women, must struggle within the historical and social constraints as they pursue their lives at different ends of the spectrum. There is Sarah Wingate, the brilliant mathematician and criminologist Isabelle Sinclair, the daughter-in-law of Alistair, a criminologist. There are other characters who employ less savory means to survive in 1905 New York. I'll let you find that out yourself. I recommend this mystery highly and I hope Ms. Pintoff takes us to Simon Ziele's doorstep again soon. I think I have a bit of a crush on him!

Set against the backdrop of 1905 New York - when Tammany Hall effectively steals the mayor's election, women are first entering the halls of higher academics at the Ivy League, and a new age in forensics and police methods begins - this story interweaves a detective's personal story, the investigation of a brutal murder, and excellent detail about the glamour and grit that pervades old New York. In the Shadow of Gotham is a wonderful debut, a well-written mystery, rich in historical detail and suspense, and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.