The year is 1803, and New York is a town on the brink of mass expansion. When Kerry O'Toole, a mixed race girl with family connections to both of the reigning local gangs, happens upon a dying young girl in an alley, she calls on her friend Marshall Justice Flanagan to find out what he can about who she was.
When the murdered child leads back to a secret compound run by a religious man who calls himself Absalom, Kerry determines to find a way in while Justy breaks rules and spins plots to discover the truth behind this mysterious religious group. There is more at stake than either of them ever guessed, and with political treachery and gang wars looming, Justice finds himself at the heart of one of the biggest conspiracies young New York has ever faced.
I found this book to be an incredibly fun window into the past. The descriptions of New York over 200 years ago are so incredibly different to the concrete monster we know today, but of course it was once a small town full of industrious foreigners, newly arrived in America to find a better life. The cultural diversity in this book is wonderful, and the reader in my head had to constantly catch up to adjust to the different accents, and imagine what a mix of two would sound like. Irish, Welsh, English and Scottish, all kinds of Africans and Islanders, they all mix together in this book, showing some of the origins of our beautifully mixed melting-pot of modern America. The flash language is a joy to read, and if it gets too bizarre and difficult to understand, there is thankfully a full glossary at the back.
This book is filled to the brim with action and adventure, as it follows the reckless Kerry and the hot tempered and volatile Justice. Both of them have experienced pain, war and injustice and are willing to do what it takes and risk it all to make things right. I enjoyed the various relationships described, and the ways that the characters relate across various stages of family and friendship. I was also pleased with the less than perfect protagonists, as I think we are all a little tired of the typical does-no-wrong lead characters that we have been used to. It adds grit and realism to a story having flawed characters, and it also makes them relatable in ways that the perfect knights in shining armour can never be.
I found that the ending dragged on a bit too long for me, and I would have been happy with three or four chapters less, although I did enjoy the ending. Having not read book one in this series, I still found Hudson's Kill to be an enjoyable stand alone novel, and I think it is fine to read this way. I am sure I will pick up the first book at some point, but I didn't feel like I was missing out as I read this one.
I recommend this book to fans of historical mysteries and those interested in the diverse history of America.
When the murdered child leads back to a secret compound run by a religious man who calls himself Absalom, Kerry determines to find a way in while Justy breaks rules and spins plots to discover the truth behind this mysterious religious group. There is more at stake than either of them ever guessed, and with political treachery and gang wars looming, Justice finds himself at the heart of one of the biggest conspiracies young New York has ever faced.
I found this book to be an incredibly fun window into the past. The descriptions of New York over 200 years ago are so incredibly different to the concrete monster we know today, but of course it was once a small town full of industrious foreigners, newly arrived in America to find a better life. The cultural diversity in this book is wonderful, and the reader in my head had to constantly catch up to adjust to the different accents, and imagine what a mix of two would sound like. Irish, Welsh, English and Scottish, all kinds of Africans and Islanders, they all mix together in this book, showing some of the origins of our beautifully mixed melting-pot of modern America. The flash language is a joy to read, and if it gets too bizarre and difficult to understand, there is thankfully a full glossary at the back.
This book is filled to the brim with action and adventure, as it follows the reckless Kerry and the hot tempered and volatile Justice. Both of them have experienced pain, war and injustice and are willing to do what it takes and risk it all to make things right. I enjoyed the various relationships described, and the ways that the characters relate across various stages of family and friendship. I was also pleased with the less than perfect protagonists, as I think we are all a little tired of the typical does-no-wrong lead characters that we have been used to. It adds grit and realism to a story having flawed characters, and it also makes them relatable in ways that the perfect knights in shining armour can never be.
I found that the ending dragged on a bit too long for me, and I would have been happy with three or four chapters less, although I did enjoy the ending. Having not read book one in this series, I still found Hudson's Kill to be an enjoyable stand alone novel, and I think it is fine to read this way. I am sure I will pick up the first book at some point, but I didn't feel like I was missing out as I read this one.
I recommend this book to fans of historical mysteries and those interested in the diverse history of America.