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    These Shallow Graves
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    These Shallow Graves
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    These Shallow Graves
    Audiobook13 hours

    These Shallow Graves

    Written by Jennifer Donnelly

    Narrated by Kim Bubbs

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    From Jennifer Donnelly, the critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of A Northern Light and Revolution, comes a mystery about dark secrets, dirty truths, and the lengths to which people will go for love and revenge. For fans of Elizabeth George and Libba Bray, These Shallow Graves is the story of how much a young woman is willing to risk and lose in order to find the truth.

    Jo Montfort is beautiful and rich, and soon-like all the girls in her class-she'll graduate from finishing school and be married off to a wealthy bachelor. Which is the last thing she wants. Jo dreams of becoming a writer-a newspaper reporter like the trailblazing Nellie Bly.

    Wild aspirations aside, Jo's life seems perfect until tragedy strikes: her father is found dead. Charles Montfort shot himself while cleaning his pistol. One of New York City's wealthiest men, he owned a newspaper and was a partner in a massive shipping firm, and Jo knows he was far too smart to clean a loaded gun.

    The more Jo hears about her father's death, the more something feels wrong. Suicide is the only logical explanation, and of course people have started talking, but Jo's father would never have resorted to that. And then she meets Eddie-a young, smart, infuriatingly handsome reporter at her father's newspaper-and it becomes all too clear how much she stands to lose if she keeps searching for the truth. But now it might be too late to stop.

    The past never stays buried forever. Life is dirtier than Jo Montfort could ever have imagined, and this time the truth is the dirtiest part of all.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateOct 27, 2015
    ISBN9781101916254
    Unavailable
    These Shallow Graves
    Author

    Jennifer Donnelly

    Jennifer Donnelly is the author of eleven novels including the Waterfire Saga, The Tea Rose series, Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book, and A Northern Light.  She grew up in New York State, in Lewis and Westchester counties, and attended the University of Rochester where she majored in English Literature and European History. www.jenniferdonnelly.com Twitter: @JenWritesBooks

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    Reviews for These Shallow Graves

    4/5

    138 ratings24 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Another fun read from Jennifer Donnelly! I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery aspect, even though I figured it out early. I was immediately drawn to Jo. Her determination to solve the puzzle behind her father's death was admirable.
      But I believe what will tug on teenage girls' heart strings is how she struggles with the obligations her family status places on her future, her passion for the young reporter, and how much she wishes for the freedom to pursue her dreams.
      Another hit!
    • 5/5
      I had wanted to read this for some time...and that was just because of the beautiful cover, to be honest! But then I was pleasantly surprised by the story that weaved together historical fiction, mystery, some romance, a little bit of women's lib in a YA book that read really smoothly, and with a nice dose of humor.
      I loved the little peek at how forensic evidence was beginning to be used to solve crimes at that time, and enjoyed how Connelly showed the stark contrast between the wealthy and poor.
      I found myself connecting to the character of Jo, who was just burning to seek out a life of 'something more' and related to her sense of entrapment, and her struggle. I expect many young girls reading this book will relate to it, even though Jo was in another place and time. There were a few 'too convenient' plot points, but overall, I enjoyed the entire storyline which was quite good in keeping the reader guessing throughout. Connelly also weaved a rich tapestry of the time period to keep your brain imagining details like what people were wearing, the filth (!), and throw in an insane asylum, and you get bonus points from me. Overall, a really fun read.
    • 3/5
      Narrated by Kim Bubs. Josephine has grown up with wealth and privilege and the cultural strictures that go with them. She longs to become a reporter like her hero Nellie Bly, a profession looked down upon by the upper class. Then her father's suicide turns out to be a murder and Jo risks her and her family's reputation to uncover the truth. Bubs portrays the wide variety of characters with distinctive voices, bringing alive late 19th century New York City for listeners. The story can bog down in parts, as when Jo's romance with news reporter Eddie founders into melodrama. Still there are enough puzzle pieces here to keep listeners guessing at the mystery.
    • 4/5
      I had read The Tea Rose series book by the same author and loved that story. This book was good, but I enjoyed her other books much more.In this book, Jo Montfort is rich and naive. However, she enjoys writing and yearns for a life of freedom away from her privileges. However, it is 1890 in New York City and women are prized for looking pretty and marrying well. When Jo's father is found dead, she uncovers a another side to his death and embarks on an adventure to uncover the real story. Along the way she befriends Eddie, a young reporter. The two of them become involved in a dangerous game that shakes the very foundation of Jo's life and what she believed in.Although the plot is a bit predictable, I enjoy Jennifer Donnelly's historical books and like her characters. I received an e-book via Netgalley.com in exchange for a review.
    • 5/5
      Set in the late 1800's, this is the story of Jo Montfort, a well-to-do teenage girl trying to find out the truth about what happened to her father who has recently died. First told that he died in a tragic accident, Jo discovers that there is more to the story and she is determined to find answers. She teams up with a handsome newspaper reporter and some new friends who help her unravel this mystery. Jo is not a typical teenage girl and she longs for a life that will allow her to follow her dreams instead of the preordained path that her family expects her to follow. This story is a perfect combination of mystery and coming of age as we witness Jane's growth and her determination to be her own person. Fascinating historical and forensic details round out the story to make this a riveting read. I was sorry to say goodbye to Jo at the end, she is wonderful character that I would love to meet again someday!
    • 3/5
      3.5 stars. I liked this story, a little bit predictable, but had good characters and a good plot.
    • 3/5
      If I had a dollar for every time a YA main character described a dude’s eyes as impossibly blue I would have almost $100. Oh and the flip between calling the guy a man and a boy really bugs me for some reason. Other than that this was as clean as a murder mystery could be. Seventeen-year-old Jo Montford is living the charmed life as a Manhattan heiress. The only thing expected from her is to marry well and bear a son but she wants more than that. Her hero Nellie Bly went to crazy lengths to write amazing stories and Jo has dreams of finding a way to do the same. When her father dies from a gun cleaning incident she can’t accept that it was just an accident. Part of her wants to discover the real story but can’t bear to upset her mother. After a visit to the newspaper that her father owned she overhears a reporter the dashingly handsome Eddie Gallagher making claims that his death was not an accident but rather a suicide. It sets her off on a quest to search for the truth about her father’s death, that may not be a suicide after all, with the help of many new people that she would never have thought twice about interacting with before.Something about socialite stories gets me every time. It wasn’t boring with dozens of balls where the girls are catty and making offhanded compliments. Jo may be naïve and young but she wasn’t dull. There are times when she did stupid things but it felt almost expected. For someone who wants to observe the world and write about it, she wasn’t very observant. At least on things that should have gotten her attention. But in the end, her kindness and curiosity won her over to me.I know I kinda trashed Jo’s little thing with Eddie but it was still kind of cute. I might have been in the mood for that kind of fluff…They complimented each other as well as a couple. They were both ambitious and curious but Jo was a little more compassionate when it came to getting her information making her an easy target for some to take advantage of her and Eddie was right behind her to keep them right on track.Jo’s new friendships were starkly different from the ones displayed at the beginning of the book. It’s interesting to see how much she grows throughout the book and how it shows in the new pool of friends she gathers. Instead of shallow interactions where she only listens to whatever the supposed friend has to say, Jo now feels free to share her dreams and aspirations.So yea, I liked this one.
    • 5/5
      A nineteenth century would-be Nellie Bly is hot on uncovering a mystery, with the help of her new, disreputable friends. There is danger, skulduggery, a whole slew of bad guys, and loads of excitement up against a stultifying upper-class life. All the satisfaction of a Nancy Drew story as written by Charles Dickens.

      Library copy
    • 3/5
      The protagonist in These Shallow Graves is Jo Montfort, a young woman of high social stature in 19th century New York. Though her world is finishing schools, balls, and the promise of marriage, Jo longs to be an investigative journalist.When her father is found dead, Jo sets out to discover what truly happened to him. Along the way, she is thrust into a world she never knew existed, the side of New York life her sheltered existence prevented her from seeing. And she meets Eddie, a young reporter who agrees to help her for the chance of a story, but ends up staying at her side for love.I liked this book, but didn't love it. The characters were really interesting, and the historical setting was well-done. The mystery was definitely intriguing, but I found myself able to call what was about to happen chapters before it actually occurred. And I did feel the book started out too slowly, to the point where I almost put it down.I would say give this book a chance, but don't feel like you need to rush to grab a copy.
    • 4/5
      I read this novel from an ARC copy provided by the publishing company. There is not a single marking on it indicating it as a young adult novel but that is exactly what it should be. I was able to figure out virtually very twist that the book had to offer. The book centered on a wealthy young lady whose father apparently commits suicide but we find that this was not the case. She leaves her life of privilege and eventually befriends people beneath her including a tough cub reporter at a local newspaper to unravel the mystery of her father's death. Probably enjoyed by young adults but too predictable for real ones.
    • 5/5
      These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

      Jo Montfort is beautiful, rich and soon will be married off to a wealthy bachelor. But Jo dreams of becoming a a newspaper reporter. Then suddenly her farther (Charles) is found dead, shot while cleaning his gun. But something doesn't seem right to Jo, suicide does not fit her father, so she begins to investigate. The deeper she digs the more secrets are revealed. And murder is not out of the question.

      Jo is very likable, a woman more liberal than her times (set in the late 1800's). She is courted by a childhood friend, but she is not sure marriage is right for her. She teams up with a reporter to try to find out what happened to her father. Getting the feel of reporting is appealing to her.

      A well written historical who-done-it. The characters are well developed, the plot moves at a steady paces. The attention to detail, brings you into the story as if you are there. These Shallow Graves was very enjoyable, with plot twists, drama and a splash of romance it has all the makings of a true 5-star read. I highly recommend to those who love Historical/Fiction.

      *I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
    • 4/5
      The writing was mediocre from the beginning. The lesson in love that the reader is left with also seems a bit misguided. The forensic investigator really felt like a cheat, and I'm so over beautiful characters being morally superior. Lastly, the main character didn't work for me. With her forward ideas, she felt like a modern character made ridiculously sheltered in an attempt to have her fit in the time period. Despite all this, I did enjoy the story.
    • 3/5
      New York, 1890 and Josephine Mountfords father has been killed. Jo sets out with Eddie Gallagher to find out who has killed her father and why.I have read The Tea Rose before which I enjoyed and also A Gathering Light. This book I'm on the fence.Whst I liked was the time setting of the book and the wonderful descriptions of the streets of New York. I also liked the mix of characters from both walks of life. Jo is a Nancy Drew of a chsracter doing all things she shouldn't to find out the truth. What I didnt enjoy was how tediuos the book was becoming. It is a chunk of a book although its easy to read. I felt however it was going on and on and on. I have to own up to skipping pages to just to see who did what and why.So at times I was enjoying the book and at other times I was getting bored and just wanting to get to the end. Overall it was okish, but I wont be put off reading more books by this author.
    • 5/5
      Growing up in New York in the 1800s as a socialite and teenage female limits what you can or are allowed to do. Jo Montfort, the name that has everybody turning to see what she will do next, marry the extremely wealthy Bram Aldrich or attend the social event of the year, is not your normal female. She writes for her school newspaper and wants to know about real-life scenarios. Her world is turned upside down when she receives the news that her father is dead. This unexpected turn of event prompts Jo on an adventure of a lifetime, being a sleuth to solve the unconvincing (or at least to Jo) reasons why her father would be murdered. While on a mourning visit to the newspaper her family owns, Jo overhears an account that maybe her father had committed suicide. This news catapults Jo into an unusual partnership with the newswriter and even an assistant coroner. Donnelly weaves historical social norms into this story of intrigue and mystery. You will be guessing up until the end. Well-written, fast-paced, full of historical and medical references; a definite acquisition for any middle or high school library with fans of forensic mysteries or historical society norms.
    • 4/5
      Jennifer Donnelly has written an engaging historical mystery and coming of age story in THESE SHALLOW GRAVES. Josephine Montfort's world changes dramatically when her father dies. Her sheltered life as the daughter of one of the first families of New York didn't prepare her for what she learns. But Jo doesn't really fit into her sheltered life. She wants to be a newspaper reporter like the famous Nelly Bly. She doesn't want to spend her life married to a rich man she doesn't love, caring for his home, and raising his children. Jo has a handsome potential fiance in Bram Aldrich whom she has known since they were children but she has no romantic interest in him despite knowing that she should. When she meets reporter Eddie Gallagher, her future certainties are challenged. As she and Eddie investigate the murder of her father and she falls in love with him, she questions more and more the future that has been planned for her. Eddie introduces her to parts of New York that she has never seen and people she would never have gotten to know. She becomes friends with Fairy Fay, a young woman who has been raised by the local Fagin as a pickpocket and who has outgrown it and is to be sold to a madam as a prostitute.Jo makes discoveries that shatter what she knows of her family and her father. I had figured out who the villain was pretty early in the story and had some ideas about the secret that was being hidden but enjoyed discovering the truth along with Jo. I also enjoyed the glimpse into the 1890s for both the rich and the poor. Seeing what a woman's role and choices were made me very glad that I am living now and not then.This was a great story that was as much a mystery as an exploration of a time in history that is thankfully past. Readers will enjoy both the mystery and the strong character of Jo Montfort who finally makes her own choices.
    • 4/5
      Spoiler Alert!Author Donnelly provides a great opening and conclusion, although the middle is slow, repetitive, and predictable at times. Jo, the main character, relies heavily on friends to help her solve several murders and to get her out of precarious situations. In part, this is a coming of age story for a girl forced to grow up.The timeline seems inaccurate for some situations. Slavery ended in the United State in 1865, yet the father would have been at least twenty when he became involved in the slave trade in 1871. In 1890, he has a daughter old enough to be engaged. A quick web search indicates the average life expectancy for a man of that era was around forty years. In addition, the reporter was using a typewriter in 1891 at a time when few reporters had access to the machines.
    • 3/5
      Jo Montfort is from an upper-crust New York family. When her father dies, she can't believe that he killed himself. With the aid of a young reporter, she finds a series of murders and actions tracing back years and endangers her own welfare.
    • 4/5
      I love, love her historical fiction. i read an ARC of this so unfortunately i didn't read the cool facts she puts in the back. anyways even though i figured out f 90% of the twists i still liked it. it was still suspenseful. i also liked how she showed the differences between the poor and rich how woman had so few choices no matter how much money they had, and that the romance was believable (mostly).
    • 4/5
      Jo Montfort has been raised to be a proper young lady, expected to marry a wealthy peer worthy of her place in society. But Jo has a secret; she loves to investigate and write news stories, something no self-respecting lady in 1890s New York should do. When her father accidentally shoots himself, Jo is distraught, but becomes even more upset when she visits the newspaper office he owned and overhears a journalist’s speculation that his death was not an accident. Determined to discover the truth, Jo enlists the help of Eddie, a reporter, and begins to dig into her family’s shipping business. But uncovering the truth proves to be a dangerous business, as it reveals secrets about her family’s business dealings that aren’t pretty. And even more scandalous, Jo finds she may be falling for Eddie.
    • 4/5
      This book is both good and familiar. The plot involves a well-educated young woman determined to uncover the truth about her father's death, while also trying to decide if she truly wants to marry the man her family has all but chosen for her. Along the way, she discovers some really bad family secrets, meets a handsome aspiring journalist, digs up a grave, and encounters a side of Victorian-era New York City not for the faint of heart. Overall, this book made for fun reading, as I've come to expect from Jennifer Donnelly.
    • 4/5
      “Fac quod faciendum est.”

      Do what must be done.

      This is a highly entertaining read! I thought about this book whenever I had to sit it down. I didn’t want to sit it down. This is both historical fiction and a mystery. I love 19th century fiction as reading about how people lived during that time period is fascinating. I can tell Jennifer Donnelly did a lot of research to write this novel as it shows in the details.
      The storytelling is wonderfully done, great pacing and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. I love how she ended her chapters with the little bombshells and cliffhangers – it was a great way building suspense.

      The characters were very vivid, both physically and emotionally. I knew exactly what they looked like as well as their strengths, weakness and fears. The characters are likeable and believable. I loved that some of the characters were majorly screwed up, because imperfect characters add to the charm of the novel.

      The protagonist, Jo, is an intelligent, stubborn, courageous, and curious-minded teenager who comes from a wealthy family with old money. I wanted her to have everything that she wanted – all the answers she was seeking and her dreams to come true.

      I almost cried at the end. It was perfect. Out of the three biggest surprises, one I guessed correctly, but it was pretty late in the book when I guessed. The other two surprises were complete shockers to me, but I loved that. There were some cleverly placed hints throughout the story, but of course I didn’t realize they were hints at the time. I’d make a terrible detective.

      I could see the movie of this novel playing in my mind as I was reading. I hope this novel becomes a movie! I highly recommend this book to fans of YA, historical fiction and mysteries.
    • 3/5
      Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: A bit slow in the beginning but I did end up enjoying the novel in the end.Opening Sentence: Josephine Montfort stared at the newly mounded grave in front of her and at the wooden cross marking it.The Review:These Shallow Graves is a young adult historical mystery where a girl ‘unwittingly’ learns of her father’s murder and wants to solve the case. When I say ‘unwittingly’, she didn’t set out to uncover her father’s death. She assumed he committed suicide like everyone else. She didn’t believe he did it but it wasn’t until she overheard a fellow journalist declaring her father was killed that she decided to get to the truth of this story.Josephine Montfort is a young girl in 1890. She is constantly reminded that the only things in life that she needs to worry about is marrying a nice young man who can support her and the children that she will bear for the family name. That is not what Jo wants. She wants to be a journalist, the next Nellie Bly. When Jo’s father dies of an apparent suicide, Jo doesn’t believe that he would ever do such a thing but she doesn’t question it too far until she overhears a young man telling that her uncle paid the police to declare her father’s death a suicide because they didn’t want the family name weighed down by murder.Jo teams up with Eddie, a young journalist who needs a big story to make his name in the business, to look into her father’s death. Eddie opens her heart and her mind into what life is like for those who are not privileged. Without Eddie’s help, Jo would not have been able to go to the depths that she must in order to get clues and evidence. Jo takes a lot of risks that could very well ruin her name and her potential marriage matchup.These Shallow Graves was a bit slow for me. It took me a while to get into this novel. I wasn’t really that interested in Jo. She annoyed me more than anything. Honestly, I kind of thought she was an idiot until I realized that I was just being impatient. Every time I thought the clues were obvious she would brush them off until she got back to the clue in a roundabout way. This is a long book and it took me over halfway through it to be fully involved with her story. The ending was worth it.Jo is having a crisis of heart and mind (security). As she is working the story with Eddie, she realizes that Eddie has taken her heart but since he is a penniless journalist her family would never allow her to marry him. Jo knows that if she wants to secure her future with the wealthy elite, she must marry Bram. A handsome eligible bachelor that she loves like a brother. Bram wouldn’t be horrible for her but she wouldn’t be able to pursue her dreams of journalism (because rich ladies just don’t do those kinds of things). Jo also wants to be able to help everyone, she doesn’t like the unfairness of this new world she is just learning about.Eddie and the secondary character of Faye really helped shape the story. Eddie helped open Jo’s eyes to the seedier side of life and to what love feels like. Faye is a master of disguise and pickpocket extraordinaire. Although she can’t be too good because she gets arrested a lot and she has to use disguises because people know what she looks like. It was the heart to heart that Jo and Faye have that really turned this story around for me.Overall, These Shallow Graves was a historical novel that kept reminding me how terrible life was for women both rich and poor. The mystery was a bit obvious for me having guessed key clues early on but the way the story ended up playing out was still satisfying. I wanted to know how the story would end for Jo, Eddie and Faye more than anything. This story would probably be better for a younger reader who isn’t as impatient as me. Although, I would definitely like to see a spin-off story with Faye.Notable Scene:It was hard for Jo to imagine the scenario of her father’s death, but Eddie didn’t spare her. He made her work. He made her think. It was not what she was used to from a man, and she liked it.FTC Advisory: Random House Delacorte provided me with a copy of These Shallow Graves. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
    • 5/5
      Jennifer Donnelly, author of Revolution and A Northern Light has given us another engrossing history lesson in These Shallow Graves. The rich and privileged Josephine Montfort is called into the headmistress’s office of her elite boarding school, Miss Sparkwell’s School for Young Ladies, only to find her close family friend, Abraham Aldrich, waiting for her with the sad news that her father, Charles, has died. It was deemed an accidental death–the gun Charles was cleaning went off accidentally.TheseShallowGravesWhen Jo goes to bestow a bequest to the editor of the Standard, a newspaper Montfort owned, she overhears a reporter, Eddie Gallagher, stating that the death was not accidental. It was actually suicide. Jo, an aspiring reporter herself, cannot believe what she has heard and confronts her uncle, Phillip Montfort (Charles’ brother) who, indeed, confirms the story after Jo will not let up.Jo feels compelled to find out what would prompt her father to kill himself and enlists Eddie’s aid. Being the career minded, aggressive reporter that he is, Eddie agrees and introduces Jo to the world of 1890s New York that no proper lady should experience, that of pickpockets, pimps, paupers and more.Readers are apprised of life in Manhattan during the late 1800s, the wide divide between the haves and have nots, children left on orphanage doorsteps because there are too many other siblings to take care of, unscrupulous men who take in these orphans, train them to rob and steal in payment for their care, madams and prostitutes and more.Jo’s actions, unlike those of teenagers of her station in life, goes against all expectations of her grandmother, uncle and mother; so much so that it may ruin the chances of a marriage proposal from the highly desirable Bram Aldrich.These Shallow Graves is a most enjoyable read! I also must recommend Donnelly’s other books, Revolution and A Northern Light, especially Revolution. To borrow my own words, “Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly: Historical fiction (also A Northern Light by Ms. Donnelly) combined with some time travel transports Andi Alpers from her 21st century Brooklyn home to the middle of the French Revolution. Wonderfully written and totally engrossing.”
    • 4/5
      This book is set in 1890, a time in which roles for well-bred women could be described as getting married to the best possible socioeconomic “prospect,” then tending to their drawing rooms, dinner parties, gardens, and dogs. Women didn’t get to be reporters, as 17-year-old Josephine (“Jo”) Montfort wanted to be, or anything else, for that matter. As her uncle told her, “A woman’s entire happiness depends on her marriage….” Moreover, a marriage was a business transaction; “Passion is for the lower orders….”Jo chafed at these restrictions, longing to go out into the world and make a difference, like the famous woman reporter Nelly Bly. She declares to her friend Trudy: "I’m not a spaniel! and I don’t want my whole life to be about . . . breeding!”Trudy, oblivious, replies: “It won’t be, silly girl. There will also be parties and outings. Wallpaper. China patterns. And upholstery.”As the story begins, Jo is working on the newspaper at her finishing school, struggling to get something included besides insipid articles, when she has to leave upon learning that her beloved father has died from an apparent accident while cleaning his gun. She is devastated, but not for the same reasons as the reigning matriarch of the Aldrich clan, who was looking for a quick wedding between her 20-year-old grandson Abraham (“Bram”) and Jo, so they could start producing offspring. Jo “loves” Bram; he is a good and honorable person. But her feelings for him are more akin to feelings for a brother or cousin than for someone she might fancy. But the sort of romance found in books didn’t seem to be in the cards for someone of her background.Jo’s father, Charles Montfort, and his older brother Phillip had been partners in Van Houten Shipping along with four other men, and also had a city newspaper, "The Standard". Her father’s stake in these businesses were to be sold along with some other bequests he made in his will. When Jo takes one of those items over to The Standard’s editor, she overhears a handsome young news reporter named Eddie Gallagher say that her father did not in fact have an accident, but committed suicide. Jo confronts her uncle, and he admits it was true, but Jo has trouble believing it. She asks Eddie to help her find out why her father would do such a thing, and he takes her to meet his friend Oscar Rubin, a budding forensic scientist at the morgue. Oscar informs them that Charles Montfort neither had an accident or took his own life; he was murdered.Thereafter, Jo plunges herself into a murder investigation, with Eddie at her side, along with help from his friends Oscar and others from his world she meets, such as a cynical pickpocket of around her own age, Fay, who soon becomes her truest friend. Jo learns that outside of the “better” side of town, many people are goodhearted and honest, even though they can barely find enough to eat or feed their children.And there is something else: Eddie and Jo, thrown together so often, soon find themselves interacting physically, and Jo discovers what it is to feel desperate for someone’s touch and for his kisses: “She felt like a fairy-tale princess woken by a kiss to a new world, new people, new emotions.”She knows that Bram would never make her feel like that, and never let her share his world, as Eddie did; it would be too “scandalous.”But even as she struggles with her emotions, and the seeming impossibility of there ever being a chance for her and Eddie to be together, the two of them dig deeper (literally, in one instance) into the details of the case, especially after the murders start to pile up. Before long, even Eddie and Jo themselves are threatened with their lives.Discussion: As usual, Donnelly backs up her historical fiction with impressive research and insight. She also creates yet another spectacular female role model in Jo.Evaluation: Even though I figured out from the start what was happening in the plot, it made only the slightest dent in my enjoyment of the story. Jennifer Donnelly is excellent at historical fiction and characterization, and I love her work. I dearly hope there will be a sequel to this book!