Diane Piron-Gelman

This is written by a fellow author from Allium Press of Chicago. In the second book of this series, Rivka, a young woman from an orthodox Jewish background and Hanley, a young police detective of Irish background engage against the backdrop of Chicago soon after the fire of 1871. They met in the first book when Rivka’s father was killed. This book, like the first one, starts with a flashback to a violent episode in the past. This time it is a snapshot of Yankee soldiers fighting Confederate bushwackers and the confrontation between a former slave and a former slaveholder. When a former Yankee officer is found dead, and Rivka’s long lost brother returns with an ex-slave as a wife, the impact of the past on their present struggles is revealed.

It is an engaging second outing for these characters and we can hope for more. You get a real sense of the tensions in the young city of Chicago in these stories. Allium’s motto is “rescuing Chicago from Capone… one book at a time” and this series paints a picture of an earlier period than the days of gangsters. It is one of a number of books by the press that cover Chicago architecture in the 1880’s (Honor Above All), progressive politics of Hull House and other groups in the 1890’s (Death at Hull House, Her Mother’s Secret) and the lives of early Chicagoans in the first couple of decades of the twentieth century (Beautiful Dreamer, The Reason for Time). Chicago is a quintessential American city with many people in its past who deserve to be remembered. This is one of the books that succeeds in conjuring up one of those earlier times.
… (meer)

In book 3 of the Hanley & Rivka Mysteries, Rivka and Hanley are forbidden to see each other. It's 1872 Chicago and an Irish cop and a devout Jewish woman are not supposed to socialize. But there are darker events going on as an ex-slave from New Orleans enters the lives of people around them with damning information. It's about the Freedman's Bureau and the failure to protect recently freed slaves after the Civil War. I love finding out about real historical people I never heard of in researching my own books, so I enjoyed learning about John Jones. He was a prosperous Chicago businessman who was black. He and his wife helped escaping and newly freed African Americans who came north. Do read the whole series!… (meer)

My re-visit to the historical mystery genre with this book was a great re-introduction. I don’t read the genre often, but love it when I get such a juicy work to enjoy. This book pleases on most fronts, only falling slightly in a few areas. It’s still good enough to make me want to read more historical mysteries!

The author cuts no corners in setting her scene and exploring intriguing aspects of her historical setting and events. Devastated and corrupt Chicago comes to vivid life as it tries to re-build after the Great Fire of 1871. Charred remains, rubble, and the destitute situation of many Chicago inhabitants makes the reader viscerally live the devastation and horror.

I also loved how the author explored the complex system of police work and the aid given to the poor in the era. Seeing how personal interests and politics played such a big part in both was fascinating to explore, if not completely unexpected. After all, this is the beginning era of organized crime and Tammany Hall-like politics.

I loved the characters through which the story is explored. Frank and Rivka are strong leads, both somewhat embittered from life’s tragedies and pain. They’re both trying to find their places in the world, Frank as a police detective in a system rife with favoritism and corruption and Rivka as a woman who yearns for something more than a standard woman’s place in that world.

I do wish, though, that more time might have been spent on Rivka’s side of the tale. She wasn’t abandoned nor ignored in any fashion. Yet, far more page time and emphasis was placed on Frank and his police work. While this may make sense in the sense that this is a mystery/police procedural story, Rivka, I felt, could have added far more to the investigative side than she did. I missed seeing her more in this regard.

As far as the mystery itself goes, I felt the overall story was strong. I really enjoyed that the investigative portion wasn’t all “he said/she said” as I’ve seen in other historical mysteries before. It probably helped that the story took place in a time where physical evidence was getting more weight in police work. We got to explore how a paper trail, stray hairs, the physical presence of blood, and boot prints all played a part in convicting the right parties of any crimes.

I do have to say though that I wasn’t surprised at the responsible parties. From the weight that was placed on Frank’s past and those involved with that, I could see where the finger was pointed very early on. There wasn’t that much surprise or twist in the murderer’s identity. That’s not always a bad thing, but I felt somewhat disappointed this time.

A strong story with great historical details and characters, this mystery pleases on many fronts. I liked the attention to detail and evident time that the author put into this work. While not perfect, it’s still an excellent example of the historical mystery genre. I’ve learned that the sequel to this book is actually due out in only a few weeks. So I’m eagerly awaiting the next book in this series and getting the chance to run the streets of 1870s Chicago with Rivka and Frank again.… (meer)

Where I got the book: freebie at a conference. The publisher is a friend of mine (how’s that for going deep on the disclosure?)

Shall We Not Revenge is a murder mystery set in the Chicago winter of 1872. Only three months since the great fire destroyed much of the downtown, Chicago is still struggling to rebuild itself and many families have been left destitute, living in the holes that were once basements. The Relief and Aid Society is receiving a fortune in donations to help them, but it’s obvious that its patrician directors are very selective about whom they help, basing their decisions on their own notions of who is and isn’t “deserving.”

Detective Frank Hanley, an Irishman who has escaped a shady past, investigates the murder of an orthodox rabbi and begins to suspect that this noble-hearted man’s death might have something to do with the distribution of aid. He and the Rabbi’s daughter, Rivka, become allies in the search for justice in spite of the limitations imposed on Rivka by her traditional culture.

I really liked this one. First and foremost, the writing’s excellent—polished and assured, and intelligent throughout. I couldn’t find any faults with the research—I occasionally felt the characters sounded a little too modern, but by the late nineteenth century people could be surprisingly modern in their speech patterns and mindset, particularly in an urban environment. And the fictional murder was very cleverly worked into the Chicago of 1872 with its organized crime (small compared to its 20th century fame, but nevertheless significant), its ethnic communities and the whole post-fire aid situation. The story had the solidity of something that might actually have happened, although the author’s note gives a clear account of where fact meets fiction.

The attention to the details of the Orthodox Jewish community of the day is fascinating, although I often wished Rivka had more freedom of action. She is a strong, interesting character who really didn’t have enough to do in the novel, leaving Hanley to carry most of the action—and I found him less interesting than Rivka. I also wanted the pacing to pick up speed a bit in places—this is what I’d call a thoughtful mystery, which is odd because I can recall quite a few scenes of violence and drama. It’s just that the overall effect, for me, was one of thoughtfulness.

With writing like that, I hope that D.M. Pirrone will write more books set in Chicago. Recommended.… (meer)