Season of Darkness

May 1, 2019
Famous author and amateur sleuth Charles Dickens has struck up an unlikely friendship with budding writer Wilkie Collins, whose ambition is to become the next Dickens. But before that can happen, the pair are drawn into a tragic murder case in which the victim, Isabella, was a former resident of Urania Cottage, a home for young women down on their luck and of which Dickens is a patron. The rebellious Isabella left the cottage with her friend Sesina, and the pair found jobs as maids in a London boarding house. The night she died, Isabella told Sesina she was going to meet a man who would give her the life she had always dreamed of having. Of all the cases in which Dickens has been involved, this is one of the most byzantine. Just when he and Collins think they know who Isabella's killer is, they find they've been lured into pursuing false leads. A surprising conclusion, coupled with vivid characters, authentic period details, and a constantly zigzagging plot, makes this a good choice for fans of historical murder mysteries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

February 1, 2018
Cork, Ireland, 1925. The Reverend Mother Aquinas, who runs a school for Cork's poorest children, receives a gift from a local auctioneeran old trunk labeled School Books. But when she opens the trunk, she's horrified to find the body of businessman Henry Mulcahy inside. The reverend mother has confronted death and murder before, so she knows exactly whom to callDr. Scher, to declare Mulcahy dead, and Inspector Patrick Cashman, to investigate the case. There are many suspects. One is Mulcahy's son, Fred, who rebelled against his strict father and joined the Republican Army. A second is Mulcahy's daughter, Susan, who wants to be a doctor but who, much against her will, has been promised in marriage to Mulcahy's business partner. Or perhaps the killer is Mulcahy's wife, who had been badly treated by her husband. When more deaths occur, the reverend mother decides she cannot wait for the police to solve the case and puts her own keen understanding of human nature and excellent deductive powers to use. A gripping plot, memorable characters, and authentic period ambience make for an engaging read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)