Murder at Bertram's Bower: A Beacon Hill Mystery

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.

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!

Has Jack the Ripper moved from London to prey on reforming prostitutes living in Bertram's Bower? When two are found brutally slashed to death, Victorian Boston goes into panic. Fearing her childhood friend's rescue mission will be destroyed, Caroline Ames forces her brother Addington and friend MacKenzie to help her investigate--despite opposition from the police and even her friend.Cynthia Peale does an excellent job presenting characters that are both believable in the context of the Victorian era, and still sympathetic in our own day. She brings in enough history for flavor without overwhelming the reader with research.The mystery is well crafted (although it is not especially difficult to guess the perpetrator) and well seasoned both with the historical detail and also with a strong romantic element. MacKenzie is completely infatuated with Caroline, yet cannot simply declare his affection. Addington has an even more serious problem--he admires an actress with a scandalous past. This, of course, would be completely inappropriate.Peale does a fine job making her three primary characters sympathetic. When they are put in danger by their continued investigations, the reader really cares.Well done.

In 1892 South End Boston, police officer Joseph Flynn discovers the horribly slashed body of twenty year old Mary Flaherty. The victim worked as a secretary to Agatha Montgomery, the head of Bertram's Bower, a place for wayward women. Mary lived in the Bower. The next evening, someone brutally murders Mary's roommate Bridget Brown in the same manner.Besides her near mental collapse from shock, Agatha's reputation as well as that of her brother Reverend Randolph Montgomery takes a beating with the two homicides. Her close friend Caroline Ames, a once a week teacher at Bertram's Bower, persuades her brother Addington to investigate the murders even though Inspector Crippen will object. With the help of their border Dr. John MacKenzie, the sleuths begin to unravel dark secrets that place the intrepid trio at risk of becoming the next victims.MURDER AT BERTRAM'S BOWER, the second Ames Victorian mystery (see THE DEATH OF COLONEL MANN) is a fascinating historical tale that brings the gay nineties to life. Although the use of actual past events and items add depth to the tale, the plot belong to the characters, especially Caroline, who are warm, lively, and caring. The subplot of a budding romance between Caroline and John augment the feel of authenticity. The budding romance, along with a fine who-done-it will appeal to sub-genre fans.Harriet Klausner