Monday, June 02, 2008

Mini Review: Tell Me, Pretty Maiden

Where was I with these things? That's right, with the book I finished right before my vacation. (And I've got to hurry up with them, don't I? You know, before Spring ends.)

So today we will be talking about Tell Me, Pretty Maiden by Rhys Bowen. This is the seventh in a historical mystery series set in New York City at the turn of the last century and starring Irish immigrant Molly Murphy.

Molly's detective agency seems to be booming. In fact, she has more cases then she can handle. She's been hired to follow a potential husband for a wealthy family. And she's been asked to look into the disappearance of a young man accused of robbery and murder.

But the other two cases are on her mind the most. While out with sometimes boyfriend Daniel Sullivan in Central Park, Molly found a young woman in the snow. The woman has no memory and no ability to speak.

And Molly has been hired to protect famous Broadway actress Blanch Lovejoy from the ghost haunting the theater where she is trying to make her comeback.

With all this going on, it is amazing how well things flow together. I had no trouble keeping the various sets of characters straight. One of the cases brought us to a weak and overdrawn climax, but the other three ended well. Naturally, there is some overlap, but not everything ties together at the end.

And the series characters are absolutely fun. Molly is entertaining and well worth spending time with. Her neighbors Sid and Gus are a hoot. I even liked Daniel in this book, something I haven't done since book two. There might be hope for me yet.

You could jump in here, but I recommend following the evolution of the characters from book one. Trust me, you'll enjoy the journey.

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