Showing posts with label upper class. Show all posts
Showing posts with label upper class. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

House of Thieves

The House of Thieves by Charles Belfoure
 412 Pages

"In 1886 New York, a respectable architect shouldn't have any connection to the notorious gang of thieves and killers that rules the underbelly of the city. But when John Cross's son racks up an unfathomable gambling debt to Kent's Gents, Cross must pay it back himself. All he has to do is use his inside knowledge of high society mansions and museums to craft a robbery even the smartest detectives won't solve. The take better include some cash too --the bigger the payout, the faster this will be over.
With a newfound talent for sniffing out vulnerable and lucrative targets, Cross becomes invaluable to the gang. But Cross's entire life has become a balancing act, and it will only take one mistake for it all to come crashing down --and for his family to go down too."

The historical parts of this book are very interesting and Belfoure sprinkles architectural information throughout the novel.  It is a little farfetched to think an entire family will readily turn to a life of crime because they are bored.   

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Murder at the Brightwell

Murder at the Brightwell by Ashley Weaver
325 Pages

This was a Library Reads pick for October  and is a murder mystery set in 1930's England.  Amory Ames is a woman in an unhappy marriage to a playboy.  When her former fiancee asks for her help in dissuading his sister from marrying a man with similar character, she embarks on a holiday at the sea.  When a murder occurs, Amory tries to figure out who is responsible, but there are many suspects.

 Several people seemed to have liked this mystery, but I didn't feel engaged by Amory or any of the other characters.  For this reason I wouldn't recommend this book to a mystery lover.