Compass in the Blood

by William E. Coles Jr.

According to the 1902 newspapers, it was the most bizarre and sensational crime in Pittsburgh history. Katherine Soffel, the wife of the warden of Allegheny County Jail, fell hopelessly in love with... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0689831811
• ISBN13: 9780689831812
• Release Date: June 2001
• Publisher: Atheneum Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

More Pittsburgh historical fiction please

I love historical fiction and actually bought this book without realizing it was a young adult book. I thought the book was well written overall. I live in Pittsburgh and I have never heard this story. I enjoyed how the author unraveled the mystery for the reader. I don't think a 14-year-old would appreciate the ending like someone a little older would though. I myself was divided on it. I thought it was interesting and it agreed with Jury's personality... On the other hand I felt like I didn't get the ending, the answer to the main question in the book.I agree with the other reviews (which I have now read) that the mom sub story should not be in the book and waste of good trees. I do think this book is worth the paperback price. I am also interested in reading more of this author's books, hopefully with adult characters set in Pittsburgh.

not only for young adults

I had never heard of this particular "true crime story" before reading this novel. Mr. Coles helps you see another side of this mystery - one that makes sense and is entirely believable. I enjoyed the interplay between Jury and the college students/sleuths. I would be interested in reading a sequel and seeing how these characters evolve. My only complaint (thus no 5th star) was the subplot with Dee's mom - fascinating stuff but it just went nowhere without resolution. I thought this relationship was ripe for further development. Good job, overall!

A Great Story for all Readers

Compass in the Blood is the sort of a book young and old adults could enjoy, especially anyone who love mysteries.Now I am not a person who particularly likes mysteries, but I loved Compass, in part because of the historical basis. Like many people I am more and more drawn to "creative non-fiction," and I was hooked into the story in part by my fascination with the Mrs Soffel story. What a great story that is,this old scandal involving a warden's wife who aids in a jailbreak. And how charming to ahve the story unfold throguh the research of a jigh school senior who starts off by doing a "term paper" on Mrs Soffel.As a father of three and a person who has spent a career teaching college kids, I was drawn to the young "researchers"-Dee, Megan, and Cory-such a warm but realistic version of young people. Optimistic in ways, but accurate it seems to me. And I loved the relationship of Jury, their older employer/advisor to them-imaging so nicely the teacher-student partnership. As with Another Kind of Monday (Coles owonderful previous novel), I loved the echoes of the teaching life, the way this research project makes partners of the young and the old, makes them colleagues at the end (which puts a smile on my mind). This was one of the best books, most fun and fastest reads I have come across this year. I teach children's literature, and while this is a great book for young adults, it really is also a great book for anyone.