A Bucket of Ashes

by P.B. Ryan

Book Overview

From the Mary Higgins Clark Award nominee-a new Gilded Age mystery. Nell's reputation as a model governess is threatened by a secret from her past-and the possibility that she might be carrying Will Hewitt's child. But these problems pale with what she learns: that the body of her only remaining brother has been discovered- and that he was wanted for murder.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425218732
• ISBN13: 9780425218730
• Release Date: December 2007
• Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
• Length: 278 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.3" x 6.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

Sorry to see this series end.

I wish that Ms Ryan had decided not to end the adventures of Nell and Will. Well written and exquistely detailed she brought the adversity of post civil war, Brahmin and Irish Immigant poulated Boston, alive to her readers. The love affair between the Brahmin opium addicted civil war veteran doctor and the trajedy stricken Irish immigrant heroine is equally laudable. Ryan's characters are historically drawn with an erudite knowledge of the period and she brings Brahmin and poor immigrants together by writing about crimes that overlap the two communities and spotlight humanity at it's best and lowest. Here's to hoping that P.B. Ryan finds her way back to this world she created from a time gone past; and decides to continue writing about the detective team that represented the best Boston's Gilded Age had to offer. This series is A+ reading all the way.

Bucket of Ashws

I enjoy this period of history and find these charactors very appealing. Also enjoyed Boston post civil-war.The attitudes of the time are quite revealing as well as the way they dealt with problems we still experience today. One wonders what era is the most enlightened ? I can't wait for Nell's next case. and for Harry to get what he so richly deserves.

A touching end to the series

When is the last time you read a regency book with a hero who is addicted to opium and a heroine who's husband is in jail and has a past as a pick-pocket? Not to mention the herione's former lover who is a married man with a wife in an asylum. The characters are so well written and fleshed out that they get under your skin and you truly care about what happens to them. This book is the last in the series. I honestly think that you can only truly appreciate the wonder of the storytelling in this book by reading the other books in the series first. As a stand alone book, I can see that others might feel the focus is on the characters and not the mystery. I would not have it any other way as I have been anxious to find out what happens to the characters. I originally found these books at my library and quickly fell in love with the characters and the series. I then tried to buy the books for my own collection and re-reading. I was greatly disapointed that the early books are out of print. I managed to get copies on internet used book sites (one of which I paid over $20 for.) This series is so good that I would love to purchase the entire series as a gift for friends and family. If a publisher is reading this - please pick up these books for reprinting. With a little bit of marketing these books would sell like crazy.

Winning Series Finale

P.B. Ryan has accomplished what she set out to do six books ago. That is, to tell the story of Nell Sweeney, waif from Boston who became an adored governess by her charge, and every member of the family. It was a long and difficult struggle, but Nell conquered all the obstacles with panache. Reading the series in sequence will make it much more enjoyable if you are a new fan of P.B. Ryan. The earlier books set the premise. They also introduce the reader to the powerful characters that are prevalent throughout the series. The setting, during the gilded age - two decades prior to the turn of the last century, is filled with anecdotal information that absolutely delights. The writer takes the reader on the visual path of cumbersome skirts, unpaved streets, non-electric lighting and a rigid cultural perspective. This series is wonderful and A Bucket of Ashes unites loose ends and leaves the reader most satisfied. Do not miss this series, this author and most of all, this book.

heartwarming historical mystery

As a child Nell Sweeney lived in the poor house and lost her family to disease and when she got out she made a living working as a pickpocket. Now she has a respectable job working for the wealthy Hewitts as a governess to their adopted daughter Grace. Only she and the family know that Grace is Will Hewitt's biological child, born on the wrong side of the blanket. He is unable to care for her because of his opiate and gambling addictions. When the family goes to Cape Cod for the summer Nell runs into her ex-lover Dr. Greaves who tells her that her brother was murdered after hiding out in a shed that caught fire. He was wanted for the murder of Susannah Cunningham a woman who he worked for as a gardener. Besides needing a divorce because her abusive husband is in prison and will remain so for thirty years, and she is carrying Will's baby, Nell with the help of Will and Dr. Greaves investigate the death of James because an autopsy shows he was knifed and did not die from smoke inhalation. P.B. Ryan writes a heartwarming mystery that capture the ambivalence of the rich on the east coast five years after the civil war ended. The protagonist leads a troubled life but she rises above her upbringing to become a solid citizen who loves the responsibility of caring for her young charge. Will comes back from France where he was applying his medical skills and is there for Nell when she needs him most. Readers will care about him because he feels he is unworthy to love someone as pure as Nell. Harriet Klausner