jmc_bks

September 24, 1869. The Gilded Age loses some of its glitter when the gold market crashes, wiping out fortunes and dreams in a matter of minutes. But whip-smart Boston governess Nell Sweeney has found that in the rarefied world of the rich, power and dark secrets go hand in hand…

When two acquaintances of the Hewitts, Nell’s wealthy employers, are found dead on Wall Street’s first “Black Friday,” most people assume they committed suicide after being financially ruined. Yet upon closer examination, Nell’s trusted friend Dr. Will Hewitt suspects that one of the men was actually murdered.

With little more than her Irish wit and indomitable will to guide her, Nell sets out to help Will find the culprit. But as the investigation progresses, the pair discovers that they two men were linked by something more valuable – and far more treacherous – than gold…

Nell Sweeney is an Irish woman in Gilded Age Boston, working as the governess of Grace, adopted daughter of Viola Hewitt. Her side profession as an investigator of sorts arose as a result of her employment: in the first novel, A Still Life With Murder, Viola asked Nell to help her clear the name of her son, Will Hewitt, doctor, opium-eater, gambler, scoundrel, disowned and estranged. Will, presently employed at Harvard as an instructor and specializing in medical jurisprudence (the forefather of modern forensics), uses Nell for access to the lower classes and the upper classes of Boston society. As an Irishwoman, Nell is more trusted by some of the servants than Will is. As a respectable governess, she moves about the edges of Boston society and is recognized by many as a part of the Hewitt household, while Will himself was educated abroad and is more or less unknown to Boston society.

I guess these mysteries would be classified as cozy mysteries? I’m not really sure. I like that they show the beginnings of forensic science and the currents of class and money in Boston post-Civil War. The victims have often died by violent means and there is suspense in as much as there is a mystery to solve, but for the most part, the killer or killers are not a threat to Will or Nell. Ryan’s mysteries are read like jigsaw puzzles with Nell and Will putting together the pieces, without the rush of say, a J.D. Robb book. They remind me of Christie’s Miss Marple mysteries, really.

Of course, there is a little bit of relationship development going on, too. Nell and Will are "engaged" unofficially – the rumor has been circulated so he can spend time with Nell and her charge, Grace ... who is actually his daughter. They are intensely attracted to one another, but the attraction remains mostly unacknowledged until the end of this book. Why not? Because they are not truly engaged, and Nell is still married, unbeknownst to her employer. She has promised to remain "unwed" during Grace’s youth. Attempting to get a divorce would mean admitting to she was married, risking loss of access to Grace, whom she has raised since birth, and probably would result in being excommunicated. Nell sees the Church as an institution that saved her after the disaster of her abusive marriage, and is unwilling to risk excommunication. Will, a wanderer for years, is struggling with being honorable. More will occur on that front, I assume, in the next book, Murder on Fifth Avenue, which is due out next month.

Murder on Black Friday is a fairly quick, pleasant read. Grade: B.