Kate Belli - Betrayal on the Bowery

New York City, Summer 1889. Society girl-turned-investigative journalist Genevieve Stewart and wealthy Daniel McCaffrey have arrived at the docks to see their friends, Rupert and Esmie Milton, off on their honeymoon. But the romantic idyll comes to a screeching halt when a crazed man bursts into their stateroom screaming about demons and drops dead before their eyes.

The dead man is Marcus Dalrymple, who had once asked Esmie to marry him—and inside Marcus’s pocket, Daniel finds a medallion that they trace to a Lower East Side bar called Boyle’s Suicide Tavern. The medallions are prizes given to anyone who spends the night there without dying.Clearly, a visit to Boyle’s could prove hazardous, but it may offer the only clue to Dalrymple’s death. Genevieve and Daniel barely escape the bar with their lives but learn that the crime could have a connection to the recent disappearance of a sugar baron’s daughter. 

Only after another young man plunges to his death from a rooftop bar—also screaming about demons—do the pieces of the puzzle begin to come together.The clues lead Genevieve and Daniel far from the city’s moneyed environs to a reputedly haunted mansion deep in the Bronx. There, they will confront the truth—and the demon at its heart.

Comment: This is the second installment in the Gilded Gotham mysteries by author Kate Belli, whose first book in this series I have buddy read in January. Now, my friend and I have decided to give the second book a try.

In this adventure, which takes place some months after what happened in the first book, Genevieve and Daniel reunite for the wedding of their friends Esmie and Rupert. However, when the happy couple is about to leave for their honeymoon, someone suddenly arrives with stories of monsters and then falls dead. The man is someone the group recognizes as Marcus, who had asked for Esmie's hand some time ago, and they also find in his pocket a medallion linking him to a club in seedy part of town. As Genevieve and Daniel investigate, they discover a complex link between several people and a house that many claim is haunted. But why is Marcus dead, and what about a young society woman who seems to be missing for several days, is there any connection? How can the case be solved?

As it had happened with the previous book, this one was also quite engaging for the most part. I must say that there were some moments, in the middle, which weren't as incredible and were actually a little boring for how repetitive, but the case being investigated and several key scenes related to it, quite alluring.

The case is a well thought plot, and has more twists than what I was expecting but I will be honest and say that this whole plot about shady people and their shady business reminded me too much of mafia like behaviors and I don't appreciate those types of stories. Thankfully, since both Daniel and Genevieve are part of a different social group, the scenes that happen in those shady locations aren't many and I could focus my attention in other elements.

I liked the way things are presented and how the clues fit one another as the plot moves along. I liked it that the author found ways that seemed realistic in how the events connected and why would the characters accept that to go from point A to point B they had to do things a certain way. But, along the way, other things, such as how Marcus and then another character that dies would know each other, and why would they decide to visit this shady bar and so on, many of those things just passed me by. I wanted to focus again on the actual decisive details and not on things that, while useful, failed to captivate.

There are many things that seem to be isolated at first but turn out to be linked as things progress. While this does mean the story is always vibrant, it also means there is a lot to be aware of and I've found myself too distracted by too many things. Besides, part of me was always on the lookout for clues about the main couple's relationship or, better, the possibility of a development in their relationship, thus it was very difficult to keep my focus on details of the case all the time.

Daniel and Genevieve like each other, are possibly in love with each other but she refused a proposal by him in the first book. Here,it seems they had time to process things and now seem to be on the same page, but apart from some thoughts and tense moments here and there, nothing advanced. I cannot say i mind this, because I know the third and fourth books will deepen the romance, but the magic of seeing them fall in love seems too bland and mute. I kind of wanted more romance content.

The plot gets to a point where some twists are revealed and while I see how they might seem incredible, some were also a little predictable. The end, however, was quite a letdown, and the culprit arrested by the police was obviously framed. I suppose this might have a new turn in the following book but it really made things seem they were not finished. I would not say things end in a cliffhanger but it feels like it.

All things considered, this book had interesting situations, others were boring and unnecessary and the romance was quite weak, even allowing for their history since the first book. I hope the third is better.

Grade: 7/10

Kate Belli - Deception by Gaslight

Glittering Gilded-Age New York holds its lavish charms--and a litany of deadly sins--as intrepid reporter Genevieve Stewart uncovers a trail of corruption and murder.
As a chill sets in on New York City in the winter of 1888, a jewel thief dubbed the "Robin Hood of the Lower East Side" has been stealing from the city's wealthiest and giving to the poor. Genevieve Stewart--a young woman whose family is part of Mrs. Astor's famed 400 but who has forged a life of her own as a reporter--decides to chase the story, but gets more than she bargained for: a murder victim sprawled in a dark alley in the dangerous Five Points neighborhood.
A handsome neighborhood tough comes to her rescue--but when she encounters the same man at a glamorous ball a few nights later, she realizes he's society scion Daniel McCaffrey. Could this be her Robin Hood? When two more murders rock the Knickerbocker world, it becomes apparent that something much more sinister is afoot than a few stolen diamond necklaces. Genevieve is determined to prove that Daniel is Robin Hood--but she's loath to believe he is a killer as well. From the glittering lights of Fifth Avenue to the sordid back alleys of Five Points, the truth is just one murder away.

Comment: I've started the reading year with a buddy read pick. My friend and I have gravitated towards mysteries with romantic elements in the recent years and this is yet another example.

In this story we meet Genevieve Stewart, a young woman who is part of a wealthy family but whose drive led her to become a reporter, which isn't so bad since her family is known for some eccentricity. While following a tip, she encounters Danny and two friends, whom she assumes are linked to criminals but she still inquires about "robin hood", a thief who has recently stolen things from rich families to, apparently, give the money he gets from it to poor families. Things don't go as she intended and she tries to put this out of her mind, which is something she can't do when the sees Danny in a posh event some days later. It turns out that he is actually Daniel McCaffrey, a very wealthy heir to the Van Joost fortune. Could he be the actual thief? Or is there something deeper going on among the wealthy and the powerful of society?

I was quite entertained while reading this book. I liked the idea of a woman from a well off family wanting to be a reporter and wanting to investigate real subjects - as opposed to "lighter" ones which she does as well. I liked the author's style too, which helped in making me interested to know what would happen next.

Genevieve was a captivating heroine because she might be rich and confident but she has her personal scars and is somewhat vulnerable in some aspects. I liked her family too and truly wish the author had highlighted the domestic aspects of her life way more. I liked it that she wanted to do a serious job with her career and that she wasn't afraid to go to places or attempt things which would allow her to learn more or to advance in her work.

Daniel was a little more complicated to read, he comes from a more challenging background, with his family coming from Ireland and they being poor. At some point in the story he shares his past with Genevieve and it was heartbreaking, which of course made me more sympathetic towards him and what lessons he can learn by being around friends and, now, Genevieve. It's also quite the question if he is really linked to the thief or not.

There are some hints at a romance between these two but nothing definitive happens. I will say, however, that it felt as if the author had planned the plot to go a certain way and, speculating now, I assume she might have decided/was told she could keep up with the series, and this meant a new path at the end of the book so that other things could be set up for the next story. I say this because the final chapters, regarding the romance possibilities,were a little jarring. Some scenes happen and then we have the epilogue and I thought to myself, did I skip some chapter or something? Perhaps this was only my personal impression.

Regarding the investigations Genevieve and Daniel do, there are two sub plots ongoing, the one related to the thief, and another one linked to a corruption scheme. I think the author managed to wrap up both in a neat bow in the end and I think the steps to go from one situation to the next made sense. There were some elements which were a little too convenient but I could overlook those because the explanations and the resolution were done well enough.

I feel content by how this plot was developed and by how the main subjects were dealt with. I wasn't as fond of how the romantic relationship developed closer to the end, but I guess this will be "solved" in future installments. Also, there was this vibe of some detachment surrounding them and who they were in their private lives that made some passages feel very impersonal. I kind of wanted the author to have been bolder in portraying how both Genevieve and Daniel would interact with others.

Still,I have hopes for the next book which I believe my buddy read friend will want to read too.

Grade: 7/10