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Dec 09, 2011

Tamora rated it:

This is the first Abigail Adams mystery by Barbara Hamilton, a pseudonym for my favorite fantasy and mystery writer, Barbara Hambly. It begins shortly after the Boston Massacre, when Abigail finds a woman's corpse in the house of a friend who left her wealthy husband. Caught between her friend's unraveling marriage to a loyalist and her friend's work for the Sons of Liberty, Abigail tries to uncover who may have killed her, knowing her own husband John is suspected of the murder.

Hami More...

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Jul 31, 2011

Susan rated it:

The Ninth Daughter by Barbara Hamilton is the first in a new mystery series set in revolutionary Boston. Protagonist Abigail Adams is the intelligent and independent wife of John Adams, patriot and member of the Sons of Liberty. In the winter of 1773, a violent gory murder is committed in the home of Abigail's friend Rebecca. Abigail uses all her skill to identify the murderer and find her missing friend, up to and including sharing information with redcoat Lieutenant Coldstone, against the wish More...

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May 30, 2011

Text rated it:

Boston, 1773: Abigail Adams, wife of anti-British activist John Adams, discovers a brutally murdered woman in the kitchen of a friend’s house. Since this is a mystery novel, she winds up trying to find out who killed this stranger, along with where her friend has disappeared to, because the British authorities seem determined to pin the crime on her husband.

Fortunately, she finds an unexpected ally in the fact-oriented British Lieutenant Coldstone, and uses her extensive social and More...

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Mar 18, 2010

William rated it:

I just finished reading the new "An Abigail Adams Mystery" - [The Ninth Daughter:] by [[Barbara Hamilton:]]. It is tough reading at first, but grows on you (me, anyway!).

The author goes into great detail about life in the 1770s in Boston, just prior to the Revolution breaking out. The ships of tea are in the harbor! By the end of the book (Mini Spoiler), the tea is dumped, by the way!

There is a grisly murder of a woman in the home of a good lady friend of Abigai More...

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Nov 10, 2009

Paige rated it:

I often judge a book by its cover, and usually it serves me well. Case in point: I was immediately drawn to Barbara Hamilton’s The Ninth Daughter because the quill pen and portrait of Abigail Adams on the cover quickly clued me in to the historical setting. Also, there was a prominent blurb praising the book written by none other than my favorite historical fiction author, Sharon Kay Penman (whose lushly detailed novels set in medieval Wales, Scotland and Britain set the bar for historical fi More...

3 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 29, 2011

Deborah rated it:

I loved Barbara Hambly's historical novels, The Emancipator's Wife (about Mary Todd Lincoln) and Patriot Hearts, which was in many ways a seduction into the life of Abigail Adams. I'd read some of Adams's letters to her children, full of wit and wisdom, not to mention compassion and an intriguing perspective on the events surrounding the American Revolution and establishment of the United States. The Ninth Daughter, under the guise of a fictional murder mystery, offers as well a beautifully wrou More...

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Sep 18, 2010

Debbie rated it:

This is a historical mystery set in Boston of 1773 and featuring Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams, as the main character.

Abigail finds the body of a brutally murdered woman in her friend Rebecca's house, and Rebecca is missing. She tries to find the murderer, and Rebecca, whom she hopes is still alive, without jeopardising the work of the Sons of Liberty. All the while the tension and politics of colonial America simmer in the background as the eve of the Boston tea party approaches More...

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Nov 16, 2009

Jacqie rated it:

I believe that Barbara Hamilton is a pseudonym for Barbara Hambly, one of my favorite authors. I love her fantasy series and her Benjamin January mystery series. Her degree in History serves her well in writing in-depth backgrounds and settings for her books. Her latest projects have been historical fiction on presidents' wives, and maybe this book was an offshoot of her fascination with Abigail Adams.
I was not drawn into this book the way I normally am. The writing style was a bit m More...

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Jan 12, 2010

Clockstein rated it:

The Ninth Daughter by Barbara Hamilton is the first in a historical mystery series starring Abigail Adams. Abigail stumbles upon a brutal murder of a mysterious woman when she stops to visit her friend, Rebecca Malvern. Before alerting the watch to the death, she informs Sam Adams and the other Sons of Liberty because Rebecca was a contact within the organization. In the course of ensuring that the British authorities won't discover any information about the revolutionary group, they destroy muc More...

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Jun 11, 2010

Bookworm1858 rated it:

Summary: In 1773, Abigail Adams finds a dead woman in her friend's house and that friend missing. Then her husband is accused of having committed the crime. So Abigail sets out to discover the real murderer and find her friend again.

Thoughts: I picked this up because I love American history and Abigail Adams is one of my favorite historical figures. I didn't realize it was the first in a series until I got it home; I like to start with the first but for mysteries that isn't always ne More...

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Dec 01, 2011

Madonna rated it:

I liked athis book. I'm a fan of Babara Hamberly's Benjamin January series, so I took a chance on this series. I'm glad I did. I've always liked Abigail Adams--and this series continues that opinion. I enjoyed the well-constructed historical background of the novel--as in the January series--and found the characters to be interesting.
The middle part of the novel was sluggish--I found myself not picking it up when I had time to. I was willing to give it a chance, though, and I was gla More...

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Nov 29, 2010

Sarah rated it:

Consider this a 3.5. Founding mother Abigail Adams plays amateur sleuth in the first book in a new series set in Boston on the eve of the American Revolution. Barbara Hamilton is a pseudonym for Barbara Hambly, author of my beloved Benjamin January series (latest book: Dead and Buried). This did not ring my bell like the January books do, but it pulled me in after a somewhat slow start. I'll read more. More...

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Aug 14, 2011

Lucinda rated it:

The Ninth Daughter (Berkley 2009) introduces Abigail Adams, the future first lady, who discovers a body covered with blood in the home of her friend Rebecca Malvern, who is missing. When Abigail finds papers linking Rebecca with the Sons of Liberty, a secret organization opposing the Crown, she calls in Sam Adams and Paul Revere to remove any incriminating evidence. Unfortunately they also clean up the murder scene, making identification of the killer difficult. When official suspicion falls on More...

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Jan 16, 2011

Kathy rated it:

Took forever before I realized why the title...and so very appropriate it was too on two levels. Abigail herself, a ninth daughter of Eve who goes poking her nose into things that don't concern her. And Abigail's time period, the 1760s, when religion was the be-all and end-all of everyone's world.

A fascinating mystery set by Hamilton incorporating as primary characters, the Sons of Liberty and their families showing us the real personalities living the fight for freedom from English ro More...

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Nov 23, 2009

Alison rated it:

Set in Boston during the American Revolution, The Ninth Daughter by Barbara Hamilton takes a unique approach to the murder mystery genre.

Ever since I found out that I was a Daughter of the American Revolution (DAR), I have been fascinated by this period of American history. This book brings to life the people we all know from textbooks -- John Adams, Paul Revere, Sam Adams and John Hancock. The Ninth Daughter takes history even further and brings us a fictional story full of action a More...

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Jul 23, 2011

May rated it:

I picked up this book because I happen to love Abigail Adams, and so what better than an Abigail Adams murder mystery?

Abigail finds an unknown woman, brutally murdered in her friend's home, and her friend missing. As she investigates the murder, she finds herself in the middle of a convoluted serial-murder plot. But as she gets deeper into the murder investigation, the political scene in Boston is getting increasingly dangerous.

The story takes place in Boston, after the Bo More...

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Nov 19, 2011

Briansmom rated it:

This is a terrific mystery in a wonderful series with Abigail Adams (yes, THAT Abigail Adams!) as the sleuth. I loved the mystery itself but the interwoven historical bits about life in pre-Revolutionary War America were just wonderful! This book did for me what all historical novels should do: prompted me to read more about the real people in the story and learn more about that time in history. I'll keep reading this series! Huzzah!

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Dec 12, 2011

Maryellen rated it:

This should really be a 3.5. Well written mystery featuring Abigail Adams. Mrs Adams finds a woman slashed to pieces in the home of her friend and the Sons of Liberty's code book is missing. Of course, John Adams is accused of the murder. Some of it is lengthy and the domestic details become repetitive but overall a good start for a series. The author does well by Abigail and is an inspired choice for a sleuth.

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Aug 02, 2011

Marissa rated it:

This is an interesting period mystery piece. Our heroine, the titled ninth daughter, is Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams, and this focuses on the late 1700s, just before the Revolutionary War. Hamilton delves deep into the political, religious, and societal issues of the time, as Abigail leads us through the streets and backwoods in and around early Boston. In addition to the murder mystery, which is quickly introduced in the first few pages, questions and thoughts about slavery, the treatme More...

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Nov 27, 2010

Mary Ronan rated it:

Abigail Adams is the amateur detective in this first book in a new series that takes place in 1773 Boston. The author doesn't insult the reader and since Abigail is very well educated there are untranslated Latin phrases and references to the Bible and Greek mythology. And a finely crafted mystery, some interesting characters, and a real sense of the smells and the cold and the sound of bells.

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Nov 20, 2010

Marie rated it:

Reading Barbara Hamilton's Abigail Adams series is like stepping into a time machine. I can see the harbor, the redcoats, the houses, and feel the blast of a Boston winter. Reading, for me, is at its best when a book takes me out of my ordinary existence and puts me square into the life and time of someone or somewhere that fascinates me. I plan to read all of the Abigail Adams volumes.

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Feb 02, 2011

Abigail rated it:

I had high hopes for this book, it has a great premise: Abigail Adams solves mysteries. Awesome. Unfortunately, the execution is not so awesome. It's not a very tight story and falls a bit flat in general. The suspense is pretty minimal for a murder mystery and it is unnecessarily lengthy. Even for an Abigail Adams fan like me, I don't think I'll continue with the series.

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Mar 09, 2010

Elizabeth rated it:

This is Barbara Hambly's new series--not sure why she's using a pen name, but at least it's close enough that it's easy to remember. The Ninth Daughter has the same depth of setting that her Benjamin January books have, but Colonial Boston isn't as interesting and engrossing as I find ninteenth century New Orleans. Abigail is an interesting character, but I found her historicity distracting--with Benjamin January you never have to stop and wonder if the "real" person could have done More...

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Aug 19, 2010

Patricia rated it:

While this was a pretty good historical mystery about the early days of our country, I really did not identify the main character with Abigail Adams. Dearest Abby was a personality to reckon with, and any book about her that did not have her two sisters deeply involved in her life, does not portray her properly.

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Oct 16, 2011

Joanne rated it:

bought on a whim - love historical mysteries. Discovered author is Barbara Hambly - love her Benjamin January series. Fingers crossed about this book.

Interesting and fun book. Lots of historical detail about pre-revolutionary Boston. I enjoy mysteries with strong women protagonists. Religious cults are dangerous no matter what era.

I'll look for the other books in this series.

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Apr 28, 2011

Deirdre rated it:

A mystery woven into the lives of Abigail and John Adams around the events leading up to the Boston Tea Party. A neat trick. I hope there are more to come in this series. Turns out the author is a pseudonymous version of an old favorite of mine -- one I haven't read in quite a while -- Barbara Hambly!

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May 19, 2011

SLK rated it:

A quick read. Abigail was a great character. It was fun to read, and the twist at the end, was perfect to end it. The supporting characters made for an interesting story, and the historical aspects were fun to read about. The revolutionary war setting made for interesting reading.

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Aug 16, 2011

Kris rated it:

An excellent mystery with extremely well rounded characters set against the days leading up to the Boston Tea Party in 1773. Kudos also to Ms. Hamilton for making the British soldiers sympathetic and human and giving us one of the most realistic portrayals of Sam Adams, I've read outside of non fiction.

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Jun 08, 2010

Robin rated it:

Interesting concept, to have a figure from history acting like Amelia Peabody or Miss Marple. It will be even more interesting to see if there are any forthcoming.

Nice mystery, but it dragged a lot in some places. On the whole, probably a great beach read. Enjoy!

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Jan 08, 2012

Elizabeth rated it:

I am ready for a fun series and I thought this would be it but it did not sell me 100%. I feel like I should have enjoyed this more but for some reason I just could not get into enough to read more then a chapter or two at a time so it took longer then expected. I'll probably get the next one to see how it progresses. But overall it was good as historical mystery as I enjoyed the details of day life in colonial Boston and the surroundings, although I'm not a fan of having such famous historica More...

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