1) "Ripper" by Stefan Petrucha
Has Jack the Ripper moved across the Atlantic to terrorize Gilded Age New York City?
For 14-year-old Carver Young, growing up as an orphan in 1895 New York isn't easy, though it gives him plenty of opportunities to practice lock picking, sleuthing and eavesdropping. When he’s chosen as an apprentice by Pinkerton detective Albert Hawking, Carver finds boundless opportunities to learn the detective trade, especially when he assists Hawking on the hunt for a serial killer in New York City. Carver dives into the case, turning to Delia, his best friend from the orphanage, for assistance with research, as her adoptive parents have access to the archives of The New York Times. As the clues mount, Carver discovers the killer might be Jack the Ripper, and that Jack may have a clue to Carver’s parents. Petrucha does an excellent job developing historic New York as a character in the city, though a map or two would not be amiss. Well-rounded characters, both teen and adult, help to gloss over occasional lapses in the credibility of the dialogue. Pacing is smooth, blending coming-of-age with mystery and action.
While some may guess the plot twist, Petrucha nonetheless provides both a well-crafted romp through yesteryear’s New York and an enticing companion for it. (Historical mystery. 12-15)
2) "Suspicion" by Alexandra Monir
This omnibus paranormal/mystery/suspense/romance follows as many gothic memes as possible within a modern setting.
New Yorker Imogen, 17, inherits an English dukedom, which embroils her in a centuries-old mystery. During childhood visits, she fell in love with Lord Sebastian Stanhope. He, however, became attached to her cousin Lucia in the interim. But now Lucia has died, making orphaned Imogen the only remaining heir. Imogen appears to be the direct descendant of Lady Beatrice, hanged as a witch in the early 1800s (some 150 or so years after the last recorded witch hanging in England, but who cares about historical accuracy when there is a trope to exploit?). The young duchess has inherited her progenitor’s supernatural power to grow flowers in an instant, among other useful abilities. She must also contend with such genre staples as the cold and intimidating housekeeper and her daughter, the nasty maid. A murder mystery explodes into the plot; can Imogen use her powers to unravel the mystery? Unfortunately, the entire effort is rife with clichés. In keeping with the genre, all protagonists are extraordinarily beautiful/handsome, all major characters are titled, and the palatial mansion has four turrets and a supernatural garden maze.
A simplistic entry in the genre for undemanding fans of Downton Abbey. (Paranormal romance. 12-18)
3) "Tsarina" by J. Nellie Patrick
A Russian countess, Natalya Kutepov passionately fights the Red revolutionaries in an attempt to save her country, her heart and a precious Fabergé egg.
When their gentle world is turned upside down one cold night by a mob on a rampage, Natalya and her friend, Emilia, try to flee St. Petersburg for the safety of Paris. They are thwarted by a young Red named Leo, who tries to use them as a way to get to the powerful Constellation Egg. Given magic, mystical powers by Rasputin before he died, it keeps the royal Romanov family in power and protects those they love. Beloved of the tsarevitch, Natalya has a personal investment in the egg, and to protect it, she taps into internal reservoirs of strength and cunning she’s never been required to access before. Caught in the frozen landscape of Russia during the revolution, the three young adults embody the hope, terror, conviction and patriotism seething in the warring crowds that surround them. Eventually, Natalya comes to understand the deeply personal reverberations of the revolution: “[T]he rioters in St. Petersburg weren’t Leo any more than the nobles who fled the country early on were me.” Patrick treats her heavy subject with welcoming, graceful prose.
Romance, adventure, magic and history blend seamlessly into a story that is not just historically sensitive and gloriously thrilling—it’s essential moral reading. (Historical fantasy. 12 & up)
4) "Bliss" by Lauren Myrade
5) "Cross My Heart" by Sasha Gould
Sixteen-year-old Laura della Scala becomes dangerously embroiled in the secrets, scandal and political intrigue of 16th-century upper-class Venice as she seeks to unravel the mystery surrounding her sister’s unexpected death.
Summoned home from the convent where she’s lived for five years, Laura discovers her beloved sister Beatrice has drowned, and her father expects her to marry Beatrice’s wealthy fiancé, Vincenzo. Still grieving for Beatrice, Laura’s pulled into the gossip and rivalries of Venetian society, in which everyone is “part of a scheme or a plot.” When Laura realizes her future husband is elderly, cruel and lecherous, she feels powerless to disobey her father. Desperate to avoid marrying Vincenzo, Laura betrays a confidence to join the Segreta, a powerful secret society of masked women who arrange for Vincenzo’s disgrace and exile. Saved from the marriage, Laura feels indebted to the Segreta, but she also suspects they may be involved in her sister’s death. As she searches for Beatrice’s murderer, Laura falls in love with a penniless young artist with his own volatile secret guaranteed to rock Venetian society. Told in the first person, present tense from Laura’s perspective and set amid glittering ballrooms and dark canals, this richly atmospheric thriller stars a bold heroine who tackles murder, betrayal and revenge with contemporary gusto.
Enticing, exciting fare. (Historical fiction. 12 & up)
6) "Palace of Spies" by Sarah Zettel
A rollicking spy caper in corsets.
In 1716 London, gimlet-eyed Peggy is 16 and orphaned, living off the charity of her beloved cousin’s family. When her grim, unsentimental uncle arranges a marriage of convenience to a brute, Peggy’s adventure begins. In desperation, she accepts the help of Mr. Tinderflint, a mysterious stranger who claims to have known her mother and offers her an outlandish escape. When she finds herself in the court of King George I, having assumed the identity of a maid of honor (now secretly and suspiciously deceased) in the Princess of Wales’ entourage, her own skepticism about the plausibility of the scheme is part of the fun. Ostensibly there to spy for her employer, she quickly learns that all is not as it seems, and she’s left to suss out the motivations of both her friends and enemies while staying one step ahead of them all. In less adept hands, this would be formulaic folderol, but Zettel arms her narrator with a rapier wit; Peggy is observant and winningly funny as she recounts the intrigues, flirtations and dangers she encounters at court. The tale is studded with rich period descriptions of the foods, fashions and foibles of royal protocols.
This witty romp will delight fans of historical fiction as well as mystery lovers. (Mystery/historical fiction. 12 & up)
7) "The Case of the Missing Moonstone" by Jordan Stratford
The future author of Frankenstein teams up with the future inventor of the computer to establish a young ladies' detective agency.
The fact that in real life Mary Shelley, nee Godwin, was 18 years older than Ada Lovelace, nee Byron, doesn't seem to bother Stratford one whit. He simply reduces the age difference by 15 years and arranges for Mary to be sent to Ada's house for tutoring. Their tutor is a hapless Percy Shelley (bumblingly incognito); illicitly sharing Mary's carriage every day is a cheerful young Charles Dickens. Young readers unencumbered by the knowledge that the setup is laughably ahistorical may enjoy the slight mystery, which unfolds when Mary and Ada decide to spice up their routine by investigating interesting crimes. They will probably warm to Mary’s steady intelligence. They will certainly relish Ada's many eccentricities, especially the hot air balloon she keeps tethered to her roof and her willingness to store Shelley in the distillery closet when he gets in the way. But even the most credulous child may find it very hard to believe that a Victorian family submits to the interrogation of two strange girls about a lost gem under the guise of a school project. An author’s note attempts to correct the text’s inaccuracies.
At best readers won't get it, and at worst they will believe it. (Historical mystery. 8-12)
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