Twice in as many weeks I’ve found myself embroiled in intriguing detective mysteries inspired by Allen Pinkerton, the first Private Eye. The Case of the Deadly Desperadosis set in the lawless mining town of Virginia City, Nevada Territory, where the presumed nephew of the famous detective, P.K. Pinkerton, uses his wits, cunning, and pokerface to outwit some ruthless villains and set up a detective agency of his own. P.K.’s hope was to get to Chicago to meet, and perhaps work for, the legendary detective and his famous agency, but when the first book in The Wild West Mysteries series ends, P.K. decides to try his luck and hone his sleuthing skills in the Wild West.
Seemingly on the other side of the world from the hardscrabble frontier, Carver Young is a 14 year old orphan in New York City in 1889. About to be turned out from the orphanage where he’s lived his whole life, Carver is inexplicably taken as apprentice to the curmudgeonly, perhaps insane, former partner of Allen Pinkerton, Albert Hawking. Carver soon enters an underground hive of detectives, steam-punk style technology, and fantastic invention: the hidden remnants of Allen Pinkerton’s famous agency, resurrected in the future-subway tunnels of New York. The high-tech, pulsating, frenzied world Carver finds couldn’ t be more different from the world P.K. stumbles into, but both boys face ruthless, cunning killers who remain one step ahead of them most of the time, with little help or any clear guidance on whom to trust. Carver and P.K. have the same dogged determination, sharply attuned attention to detail, and astounding cleverness to prove their mettle as skilled detectives.
Stefan Petrucha’s Ripperis a suspenseful, sinister, fast moving mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed. The plot is complex and the “game” Carver has to solve is multifaceted and the misdirects, illusions, and obstacles are many. There is a palpable sense of danger and foreboding around every corner as Carver wrestles with Hawking’s advice – to catch a killer, you may have to become one – not knowing how closely his future (and his past) is linked to the madman at the center of the bloody murders ravaging the City.
- Posted by Cori
Cori,
I absolutely loved this story! I think Ripper is my favorite Stefan Petrucha novel to date. The time period is perfect for the blend of steampunk and turn-of-the-century inventiveness that I truly enjoy. As I was reading, I could not help think of John Claude Bemis’s book The Nine Pound Hammer (The Clockwork Dark series)where the Pinkerton’s were antagonists. Thanks again! I’ll be passing it on to Marney at the next book club.
Matt,
So glad you liked it! Love great stories and being able to pass them on to people who’ll get excited about them. Take care, Cori