Death of a Robber Baron

June 10, 2013
O’Brien shifts from pre-Revolutionary France (False Patriots and eight other Anne Cartier mysteries) to Gilded Age America with this capable first in a new series. In 1892 New York City, Jack Thompson shoots himself after losing the family money to untrustworthy financier Henry Jennings. Jack’s destitute widow, Pamela, turns to her attorney, Jeremiah Prescott, who’s also a private detective, for work. While patrolling for shoplifters amid the jewelry counters of Macy’s, Pamela favorably impresses Lydia Jennings, Henry’s wife, who invites Pamela to investigate petty thievery at her Berkshires “cottage,” where Henry soon turns up murdered. Pamela and Prescott seek the culprit from a large field of suspects, including Henry’s thieving steward, his gay son, and his ambitious mistress. The novel’s etiquette, relationships, and language are noticeably more casual than its period’s norms, but O’Brien captures the colorful details and varied characters of an opulent era deftly. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency.

July 15, 2013
A well-born woman is forced to reinvent herself as a private detective in 1893 New York City. Pamela Thompson's business-obsessed spouse lost all their money in a crooked scheme hatched by Henry Jennings, the Copper King. Her husband's suicide leaves Pamela with nothing but a boardinghouse in a bad neighborhood of New York City, where she and her ward, Brenda, a young woman whose abusive father has just been released from prison, eke out an existence. Her life changes when well-connected lawyer, detective and Civil War hero Jeremiah Prescott offers her a job as a store detective in Macy's jewelry department. Her success there ironically leads her to a job at the Copper King's home in the Berkshires, home to the palatial cottages of the wealthy, because the second Mrs. Jennings wants someone to keep an eye on the staff at her beloved Broadmore estate. Pamela and Brenda are happy to escape the city and Brenda's father, who's threatened them both. Pamela's newly developed detective skills are put to the test when Henry Jennings is found murdered in his study. There's no dearth of suspects, since his second wife and his own son, a homosexual his father despised, were both about to be cut out of his will. Although Jennings was a crook and philanderer who treated his staff badly, the local police fasten on a tramp as the most likely suspect. Pamela and Prescott, who has a cabin in the area, must use all their skills to solve the complicated case. O'Brien's debut offers a pleasingly detailed look at the age of the robber barons along with enough strongly characterized suspects to keep readers guessing.

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July 1, 2013

Widowed Pamela Thompson joins the 1893 workforce as a fledgling detective under the mentorship of her attorney, Jeremiah Prescott. Working first at Macy's and showing a knack for spotting shoplifters, Pamela is next offered a position in the Berkshires at the home of copper mogul Henry Jennings. His wife fears servants are stealing, but more than thievery is afoot as Pamela uncovers hints that Jennings's life is in danger. Many hate him with a murderous passion, including the husband of his mistress and his own gay son. Then Jennings's big Fourth of July party goes bust when he is found dead in his study. Pamela isn't so confident about finding a murderer, but Prescott encourages her to "follow the evidence." VERDICT Nicely turned details and engaging characters bode well for the team of Thompson and Prescott. O'Brien's debut is occasionally weighed down by multiple subplots, but the author skillfully weaves in fascinating details about American social history. Pair with Stephanie Pintoff, and also recommend for fans of Rhys Bowen's "Molly Malone" series.

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