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Still Life With Murder (Nell Sweeney Historical Mysteries #1)
by
P.B. Ryan
Nominated for the prestigious Mary Higgins Clark Award, Still Life With Murder is Book #1 of P.B. Ryan’s acclaimed historical mystery series featuring Boston governess Nell Sweeney and opium-smoking former battle surgeon Will Hewitt. Long thought to have died during the Civil War, Will is arrested for murder, and it's up to Nell to prove his innocence. Originally published...more
ebook, 320 pages
Published
October 15th 2010
by Patricia Ryan
(first published July 1st 2003)
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A measure of how good a mystery story is, is how much you enjoyed it even if you figured out most of what was going on.
A measure of how good a Kindle free download is, is if you are willing to purchase further titles in the series at regular price.
This book passes both tests: I figured out a lot of the final denouement (though not all) but didn't feel cheated at the end. I downloaded it free, and will purchase other titles in the series.
I enjoyed the main characters; no perfectly pretty girls o...more
A measure of how good a Kindle free download is, is if you are willing to purchase further titles in the series at regular price.
This book passes both tests: I figured out a lot of the final denouement (though not all) but didn't feel cheated at the end. I downloaded it free, and will purchase other titles in the series.
I enjoyed the main characters; no perfectly pretty girls o...more
This is a wonderful read. It starts off a bit slow, but quickly gains speed and at times I didn't want to put it down. The mystery aspect is well written, and I was pleased not to have been able to guess the outcome. The historical aspect was also well written, it takes into account the position of women in the time period while also allowing the heroine freedom to run around investigating a murder. The descriptions of Boston were fun too, reading about the town as it was post Civil War. And for...more
22 JAN 2013 - a bargain find at Barnes & Noble for the Nook - 99 cents! Easily the best find at under one dollar. Yeah me!
One day in and I have already eaten my way through 8 chapters. Well-written and peopled with terrific characters and a believable storyline. I already know I will be purchasing the rest of the series.
23 JAN 2013 - I enjoyed this new-to-me writer and 1st in a series book quite a lot. The characters are fully realized and while we may not yet know all their dark secrets,...more
One day in and I have already eaten my way through 8 chapters. Well-written and peopled with terrific characters and a believable storyline. I already know I will be purchasing the rest of the series.
23 JAN 2013 - I enjoyed this new-to-me writer and 1st in a series book quite a lot. The characters are fully realized and while we may not yet know all their dark secrets,...more
3 likes · like · see review
view all 7 comments
I found a great new historical mystery series! I enjoyed this one a lot, and the characters are really well drawn and interesting. Nell Sweeney works as a governess for the Hewitt family taking care of their adopted baby daughter Gracie, who she loves as her own. The Hewitt’s find out their eldest son, believed to have died at Andersonville prison during the war, is alive, in Boston, and charged with murder. Viola Hewitt begs Nell to act as her agent and investigate the matter. Even though Will...more
3 likes · like · see review
This is an excellent historical mystery set in Boston, MA after the civil war. The main character is Nell Sweeney who is a governess for a wealthy family in Boston. Her story is interesting and the murder mystery takes many twists and turns. I was surprised at the ending, though it did feel slightly rushed. Excellent story, great writing, and interesting characters. We are introduced to Will Hewitt, the black sheep son of her employer who is accused of murder. He is former surgeon and current op...more
I would have given this historical fiction one additional star except for what I believe is a glaring historical error (see below).
Set in Boston in 1868, the story enlists a number of interesting characters involved in either solving or covering up a murder. The main characters are well drawn; some of the minor characters are a bit stereotypical.
The writing is good and the mystery well-cloaked. I was sure I had figured it out about half-way through, was patting myself on the back until the last...more
Set in Boston in 1868, the story enlists a number of interesting characters involved in either solving or covering up a murder. The main characters are well drawn; some of the minor characters are a bit stereotypical.
The writing is good and the mystery well-cloaked. I was sure I had figured it out about half-way through, was patting myself on the back until the last...more
Mar 01, 2013
Susan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2013-1st-in-a-series-challenge,
2013-books-in-a-series-reading-chal,
2013-cruisin-thru-the-cozies-readi,
2013-ebook-challenge,
2013-feminist-reads-challenge,
2013-historical-fiction-reading-cha,
2013-in-the-middle-reading-challeng,
2013-monthly-key-word-challenge,
2013-mystery-crime-reading-challeng,
2013-new-authors-challenge,
2013-read-52-books-in-52-weeks,
2013-reading-challenge-addict,
2013-tbr-double-dog-dare,
2013-women-challenge,
gilded-age-mystery-series
Still Life with Murder is book 1 of the Gilded Age series by P.B. Ryan, set in post-Civil-War Boston. Cornelia “Nell” Sweeney came from an impoverished childhood, but she learned nursing skills through years of assisting Dr. Greaves with his patients. She was in exactly the right place at the right time to be offered the position of governess by the aristocratic Hewitt family. And she has the right personality and courage for the next challenge: to try and rescue the Hewitt’s eldest son William...more
One of the great things about having a Kindle app linked to my wife's Kindle account is that I have access to her archive and that is where I found this one. I thought from the title that it looked like my kind of book but I was a little put off to find that although it was a historical mystery, it was the American history.
Anyone who has read my previous reviews will know my aversion to American books and here was an American history - AND a period about which I knew little. I am a little surpri...more
Anyone who has read my previous reviews will know my aversion to American books and here was an American history - AND a period about which I knew little. I am a little surpri...more
Nell Sweeny is determined to overcome her past, though being reminded of it by William Hewitt’s current situation is something she does not relish, but her promise to her employer sends her into the stews of Boston in search of evidence.
Nell finds a defeated, addicted and morally bereft man, scarred physically and mentally by his experiences at Andersonville prison during the war. He seems like a lost cause, and worse, he insists he is guilty. However Nell’s tenacity, combined with her refusal...more
Nell finds a defeated, addicted and morally bereft man, scarred physically and mentally by his experiences at Andersonville prison during the war. He seems like a lost cause, and worse, he insists he is guilty. However Nell’s tenacity, combined with her refusal...more
Nell Sweeney is a young woman with a dark past struggling to make a new life by assisting a physician when she is given the opportunity of a lifetime. Out of the blue, she's offered a position as governess to the wealthy Hewitt family's new ward, Grace. She knows that her scandalous past would disqualify her for the position but decided to hide her past and take the job, hoping that this will bring the safety and security she's always wanted.
Still Life With Murder is teeming with fascinating c...more
A murder mystery, but wrapped in a historical novel set in the Gilded Age in Boston circa 1868, this book is deliciously full of detail about the lives of both the incredibly wealthy Bostonians and the seamiest residents who move through the alleys and wharves of the rougher slum side of town.
The protagonist is Nell Sweeney, a brainy young Irish girl who can move comfortably in both extremes of society. We are introduced to her as a 22 year old apprentice to a seasoned doctor in the Cape Cod ar...more
The protagonist is Nell Sweeney, a brainy young Irish girl who can move comfortably in both extremes of society. We are introduced to her as a 22 year old apprentice to a seasoned doctor in the Cape Cod ar...more
Aug 22, 2011
Sharanya
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical,
mystery
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...more
I'm still blundering my way through the mystery genre -- there are a couple of series I'm fiercely loyal to, and everything else is sort of blank to me -- so I was delighted to discover this one. My strongest associations with the Gilded Age have to do with AP US History exams, so I was originally a bit dubious about the historical period, but y'know? It works. It allows for a time with there were extraordinary class divides, urban crime, opium dens...
Nell is an extraordinary character, perhaps...more
Nell is an extraordinary character, perhaps...more
What a happy accident this was! Still Life With Murder (a Nell Sweeney mystery formerly Gilded Age Mystery) was a free download on Kindle. As of a couple of hours ago, I bought the other 5 in the series.
The setting for this book is Boston and Cape Cod shortly after the Civil War. Nell Sweeney has been a doctor's assistant apprentice of sorts for a doctor on Cape Cod. When she goes with the doctor to the home of a summer resident, she makes such an impression on the wife, Viola Hewitt, that she's...more
The setting for this book is Boston and Cape Cod shortly after the Civil War. Nell Sweeney has been a doctor's assistant apprentice of sorts for a doctor on Cape Cod. When she goes with the doctor to the home of a summer resident, she makes such an impression on the wife, Viola Hewitt, that she's...more
I went back and forth on reading this book. Set in the 1800's? Back when women were little more than accessories? Yeah. Pass. Give me a hardcore, ass-kicking heroine any day.
I ended up ordering it after reading the reviews on Amazon & what do you know? Nell Sweeney, former "kinda" nurse, turned governess, is as kickass as any heroine in any other period.
As far as the mystery goes, Ryan kept me guessing right up until the Big Reveal. Just when I would think I had it all figured out & was...more
I ended up ordering it after reading the reviews on Amazon & what do you know? Nell Sweeney, former "kinda" nurse, turned governess, is as kickass as any heroine in any other period.
As far as the mystery goes, Ryan kept me guessing right up until the Big Reveal. Just when I would think I had it all figured out & was...more
I got this as a free download via Kindle and I figured I'd give it a try. I love mysteries and I love historical fiction, so it sounded like a win-win.
I think I had gotten only half way through the first chapter before I was hooked. I love that it's set in Boston and in the post Civil War era. It's a nice change and provides a great background for a mystery.
The thing that appealed to me most in the book were the characters, especially Nell. She's not perfect, she doesn't come from an upper class...more
I think I had gotten only half way through the first chapter before I was hooked. I love that it's set in Boston and in the post Civil War era. It's a nice change and provides a great background for a mystery.
The thing that appealed to me most in the book were the characters, especially Nell. She's not perfect, she doesn't come from an upper class...more
I read this book because I'going to Boston this summer and went looking for a Boston-related book.
Nell Sweeney is a governess in a fashionable Boston family in the latter half of the 19th century. To do her employer, Mrs Hewitt, a favor she starts investigating a murder. Nell is smart, fast thinking and being a governess, she is respectable enough to move in high society, but not so respectable that she cannot move about outside the higher circles.
"Still life ..." is a good read and gives an int...more
Nell Sweeney is a governess in a fashionable Boston family in the latter half of the 19th century. To do her employer, Mrs Hewitt, a favor she starts investigating a murder. Nell is smart, fast thinking and being a governess, she is respectable enough to move in high society, but not so respectable that she cannot move about outside the higher circles.
"Still life ..." is a good read and gives an int...more
This is an interesting mystery wrapped in a charming character wrapped in some pretty solid historical context. We're in Boston in the late 1860s, and Nell Sweeny becomes the governess to the Hewitt family, coming on after the matriarch of the family, Viola, decides to adopt the illegitimate daughter of one of her household staff.
A few years later, a murder happens (as it does), and Nell--at Viola's request--becomes involved because it involves one of Viola's grown children. Nell is smart, and t...more
A few years later, a murder happens (as it does), and Nell--at Viola's request--becomes involved because it involves one of Viola's grown children. Nell is smart, and t...more
I got this as a free kindle book. I liked it enough to buy the remaining books in the series.
It's 1864, and reformed pickpocket Nell Sweeney is hired to be the governess to the girl she just assisted deliver through a caesarean operation. Four years later, little Gracie, given up by her chambermaid mother and adopted by the Beacon Hill matron for whom the chambermaid worked, has captured the heart and soul of Nell.
The family's lawyer arrives and discloses that the son they thought had died in th...more
It's 1864, and reformed pickpocket Nell Sweeney is hired to be the governess to the girl she just assisted deliver through a caesarean operation. Four years later, little Gracie, given up by her chambermaid mother and adopted by the Beacon Hill matron for whom the chambermaid worked, has captured the heart and soul of Nell.
The family's lawyer arrives and discloses that the son they thought had died in th...more
Story is set Post civil war in a corrupt Boston, where the wealthy can buy away their children's indiscretions.
This is a story about friendship, loyalty and misgivings. William Hewitt returns to Boston after the war addicted to opium. He never tells his family he survived Andersonville, preferring to live the life of an addicted gambler. When William is charged with murder, his parents learns he survive the war. August Hewitt wants William to hang and will pay handsomely to see its done. While...more
This is a story about friendship, loyalty and misgivings. William Hewitt returns to Boston after the war addicted to opium. He never tells his family he survived Andersonville, preferring to live the life of an addicted gambler. When William is charged with murder, his parents learns he survive the war. August Hewitt wants William to hang and will pay handsomely to see its done. While...more
I really loved this book. As someone fully enthralled with the Victorian era, I really was not disappointed. Ms. Ryan has certainly done her research. Nell may have some modern sensibilities, but I didn't think they were out of place here. Considering her background, her unique situation, she might very well have been one of the women (a few decades later) to bring about reforms for women. The dark horse, a flawed hero if ever there was one (or is he a hero at all?) is an accomplishment in chara...more
I liked this historical fiction novel well enough to move on to the second in the series. Nell is a feisty governess to Gracie, the adopted granddaughter of Viola Hewitt, one of the richest matriarchs in Boston. Set in the time period just following the American Civil War, Nell gets involved in solving a murder,at the behest of her employer, Viola. Her black sheep son and surgeon Dr. William Hewitt, has been charged with murder. Viola secretly asks Nell to help her son, who doesn't want to be fo...more
This started off quite slow but once you get into the middle part of the story, it really does pick up. I downloaded this book onto my Kindle when it was free and it is a testament to the strength of the book that I am more than willing to pay to download the rest of the series.
Three elements of the story that I really loved: it was a detective story, investigating the brutal murder of a no-gooder at a local gambling den/whorehouse. The detective was female - not strange really but when you add...more
Three elements of the story that I really loved: it was a detective story, investigating the brutal murder of a no-gooder at a local gambling den/whorehouse. The detective was female - not strange really but when you add...more
Aug 20, 2010
Barbara
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
mystery-thriller-goodies
Very interesting murder mystery set in Boston, post-Civil War. The Hewitt family is one of Boston's most elite. But they are not immune to tragedy, as two of their 4 sons died in Andersonville Prison during the war. Or did they?
A gruesome murder has been committed in an unsavory neighborhood and the main suspect (caught at the scene) is identified as Dr William Hewitt, the oldest of the Hewitt sons and long believed dead. Only now he's an opium addict, as well as a murder suspect. August Hewitt...more
A gruesome murder has been committed in an unsavory neighborhood and the main suspect (caught at the scene) is identified as Dr William Hewitt, the oldest of the Hewitt sons and long believed dead. Only now he's an opium addict, as well as a murder suspect. August Hewitt...more
A few months ago I started reading the Sebastion St. Cyr mystery series, I loved it and read all five in less than five days, then bought the sixth a month later, but the next isn't released until March (I don't think I can wait much longer). So anyway, I've been trying to fill the void by reading other historical mysteries and Still Life With Murder is one of them.
In 1864, twenty-two yr. old Nell lives with and works for a doctor, though she's had no medical training (which kinda bothered me, b...more
In 1864, twenty-two yr. old Nell lives with and works for a doctor, though she's had no medical training (which kinda bothered me, b...more
This is the first in a historical fiction mystery series set in Boston after The Civil War. I really enjoyed this and hope to read the whole series.
Nell Sweeney is a young Irish lady who becomes a governess for a wealthy Boston family. She becomes involved in a murder investigation somewhat against her will. I don't want to give the plot away as there would then be too many spoilers. Nell has a mysterious past that is only partly told in this book and I assume that more of her past will be revea...more
Nell Sweeney is a young Irish lady who becomes a governess for a wealthy Boston family. She becomes involved in a murder investigation somewhat against her will. I don't want to give the plot away as there would then be too many spoilers. Nell has a mysterious past that is only partly told in this book and I assume that more of her past will be revea...more
This book turned out to be a big surprise for me. Still Life With Murder (a Nell Sweeney mystery formerly Gilded Age Mystery) was a free download on Kindle.
The setting for this book is Boston and Cape Cod shortly after the Civil War. Nell Sweeney has been a doctor's assistant apprentice of sorts for a doctor on Cape Cod. When she goes with the doctor to the home of a summer resident, she makes such an impression on the wife, Viola Hewitt, that she's hired as the governess to Viola's newly adopt...more
I can't remember when I've enjoyed a murder mystery so much! I thought that Ryan did a wonderful job of making the characters believable and the setting realistic.
Set in Boston during and after the Civil War, the story describes a murder committed outside a house of ill-repute. The protagonist, Nell, has a checkered past. Now working as a governess for one of Boston's leading families, and lives in their home. However, Nell has risen in the world from some rather seedy beginnings which are hint...more
Set in Boston during and after the Civil War, the story describes a murder committed outside a house of ill-repute. The protagonist, Nell, has a checkered past. Now working as a governess for one of Boston's leading families, and lives in their home. However, Nell has risen in the world from some rather seedy beginnings which are hint...more
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 so...more
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 so...more
Aug 02, 2011
Deb
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2011-books-read,
kindled-ebook
I was disappointed in this book. It was dull, melodramatic, and predictable. Shortly after the Civil War, Nell Sweeney is hired as a governess to the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy Boston Brahmin family. Nell is from the poorhouse and has a questionable past, but then so does her employer, Viola Hewitt. Viola's blacksheep son William was believed killed in the war, but he's alive. He's an opium addict however, and has been accused of a brutal murder. Against her husband's wishes, Viola asks...more
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