Today I'm participating in the Murder on Oak Street Blog
Tour. In this post you'll find book and author information along with
my review. Be sure to enter the giveaway contest below.
About the book . . .
Murder on Oak Street (A South Shore Mystery)
Historical Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – New York
Publisher : Inez M. Foster (November 12, 2022)
Hardcover : 503 pages
ISBN-10 : 173333758X
ISBN-13 : 978-1733337588
Paperback : 503 pages
ISBN-10 : 1733337571
ISBN-13 : 978-1733337571
Digital ASIN : B0BFMT4WL2
Synopsis . . . New York, 1904.
After
two years as a coroner’s physician for the City of New York, Daniel
O’Halleran is more frustrated than ever. What’s the point when the
authorities consistently brush aside his findings for the sake of
expediency? So when his fiancée leaves him standing at the altar on
their wedding day, he takes it as a sign that it’s time to move on and
eagerly accepts an offer to assist the local coroner in the small Long
Island village of Patchogue.
Though the coroner advises him that life
on Long Island is far more subdued than that of the city, Daniel hasn’t
been there a month when the pretty librarian, Kathleen Brissedon, asks
him to look into a two-year-old murder case that took place in the city.
Oddly enough, the case she’s referring to was the first one he ever
worked on, and the verdict never sat right with him.
Eager for the chance to investigate it
anew, Daniel agrees to look into it in his spare time, but when a fresh
murder occurs in his own backyard, he can’t shake his gut feeling that
the two cases are connected. Can he discover the link before another
life is taken, or will murder shake the peaceful South Shore village
once again?
My review . . . Doctor and coroner Daniel O'Halleran remains haunted by his very first death case two years earlier. He can't shake the feeling that his conclusions were ignored and justice wasn't served. Daniel finds himself adrift after this experience, coupled with the unexpected break up of his betrothal which shook his self-esteem to the core. The young doctor hopes that moving from New York City to Long Island for a similar position will offer him a fresh start.
As circumstances would have it, Daniel is given another chance to revisit the old case when Kathleen Brissedon, the local young librarian, asks him to take a closer look. She hopes that reexamining the case will clear the victim's name and bring a sense of closure for her stepbrother Patrick, the victim's son. Things take an interesting turn when a murder occurs in the town. Daniel's innate investigative abilities turn up clues in the new case that seem eerily connected to the prior one. Can he piece together enough proof to solve both cases and bring the guilty to justice?
This historical mystery, set in New York's Gilded Age, brings to vivid life the
ruthlessness of a group of self-made men and their associates, some
of whom will stop at nothing--including murder--to obtain wealth and
status. It's a showdown between scoundrels and society's better angels who seek justice and accountability
in the face of dastardly deeds.
The story's many plausible suspects, motives, and
red herrings move the plot along, held my attention, and kept me guessing until the last few pages. The author has created a multi-layered cast of characters and a budding attraction between the doctor and the librarian, who seem romantically and professionally well-suited. The series is off to a good start with great potential for future storylines and books 2 and 3 already in the works.
About the author . . . I. M. Foster is the pen name author Inez Foster uses to write her South
Shore Mystery series, set on Edwardian Long Island. Inez also writes
historical romances under the pseudonym Andrea Matthews, and has so far
published two series in that genre: the Thunder on the Moor series, a
time-travel romance set on the 16th century Anglo-Scottish Borders, and
the Cross of Ciaran series, which follows the adventures of a fifth
century Celt who finds himself in love with a twentieth-century
archaeologist.
Inez is an historian and librarian, who loves to read and write and search
around for her roots, genealogically speaking. She has a BA in History
and an MLS in Library Science and enjoys the research almost as much as
she does writing the story. In fact, many of her ideas come to her while
doing casual research or digging into her family history. Inez is a
member of the Long Island Romance Writers, the Historical Novel Society,
and Sisters in Crime.
Giveaway . . . Click here for a chance to win books 2 and 3 (choice of print or eBook) in the South Shore Mystery Series.
Author links . . .
