These Shallow Graves
The New York Times bestseller from the acclaimed author of A Northern Light, Revolution, Stepsister, and Poisoned. This thrilling mystery is perfect for fans of The Cellar and Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls. It's a story of dark secrets, dirty truths, and the lengths to which people will go for love and revenge. Jo Montfort is beautiful and rich, and soon--like all the girls in her class--she'll graduate from finishing school and be married off to a wealthy bachelor. Which is the last thing she wants. Jo dreams of becoming a writer--a newspaper reporter. Wild aspirations aside, Jo's life seems perfect until tragedy strikes: her father is found dead. The story is that Charles Montfort shot himself while cleaning his revolver, but the more Jo hears about her father's death, the more something feels wrong. And then she meets Eddie--a young, smart, infuriatingly handsome reporter at her father's newspaper--and it becomes all too clear how much she stands to lose if she keeps searching for the truth. But now it might be too late to stop. The past never stays buried forever. Life is dirtier than Jo Montfort could ever have imagined, and this time the truth is the dirtiest part of all. Praise for These Shallow Graves
★ "Action-packed chapters propel this compelling mystery...[and] the injustices Donelly highlights remain all too relevant."--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review "Lovely prose, historical intrigue, unique characters and setting. I devoured this book!" --Ruta Sepetys, New York Times bestselling author of Between Shades of Gray and Salt to the Sea "A splendidly hair-raising tour of the brightest and darkest corners of Victorian New York." --Elizabeth Wein, New York Times bestselling author of Code Name Verity and Black Dove, White Raven "A fast-paced Gilded Age crime thriller." --Julie Berry, award-winning author of All the Truth That's in Me
★ "Action-packed chapters propel this compelling mystery...[and] the injustices Donelly highlights remain all too relevant."--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review "Lovely prose, historical intrigue, unique characters and setting. I devoured this book!" --Ruta Sepetys, New York Times bestselling author of Between Shades of Gray and Salt to the Sea "A splendidly hair-raising tour of the brightest and darkest corners of Victorian New York." --Elizabeth Wein, New York Times bestselling author of Code Name Verity and Black Dove, White Raven "A fast-paced Gilded Age crime thriller." --Julie Berry, award-winning author of All the Truth That's in Me
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
I’m still debating on how many stars to give this book. I’ve been in the mood for a good historical fiction with an intriguing mystery. Even though the story was well written and the ambiance of NYC in 1890 filled my craving for a cozy atmosphere...the mystery was extremely subpar. Every time a new piece of information was discovered it was easy to place how it fit into the overall story. I genuinely believe, as much as I am likely to guess endings, this is the first book where I’ve guessed every single element to the mystery. Not only did I guess them, but I guessed the perpetrator and one of the other major reveals, early on. With good faith, I can’t give this book a higher rating, even though I have been tempted. I just did not enjoy it like I really hoped I would. The summary of the book sounded right up my alley... but in reality... it was a very thick book and over a 13 hour audio. It’s just not worth it.
*I received an advance copy of this book through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
These Shallow Graves is an engrossing and well-plotted mystery that is hard to put down. From the very first page, Donnelly introduces the reader to a female heroine that is spirited, brave, and precocious. Josephine Montfort's upper class life, set in the New York of the late 1800s, is planned and waiting to begin, until her father turns up dead. Jo's inquisitive nature leads her to clues about her father's death she just can't ignore, and along with a brash reporter they find themselves ensconced in a mystery--and front-page worthy story--that is bigger than they expected. The cast of characters in this novel kept me reading furiously until the end, which wrapped up nicely, but left room for a sequel I sincerely hope will be written.
These Shallow Graves is an engrossing and well-plotted mystery that is hard to put down. From the very first page, Donnelly introduces the reader to a female heroine that is spirited, brave, and precocious. Josephine Montfort's upper class life, set in the New York of the late 1800s, is planned and waiting to begin, until her father turns up dead. Jo's inquisitive nature leads her to clues about her father's death she just can't ignore, and along with a brash reporter they find themselves ensconced in a mystery--and front-page worthy story--that is bigger than they expected. The cast of characters in this novel kept me reading furiously until the end, which wrapped up nicely, but left room for a sequel I sincerely hope will be written.
I was disappointed by this story. It had an interesting premise and promised to be very atmospheric. It also had a quote on the front from another author I'd read and enjoyed (Ruta Sepetys). And I did have fun! It was a cloak-and-dagger, romantic Victorian romp.My big problems with it were that it took longer for me to finish than I wanted, so it felt like it dragged on, and it was terribly predictable.
I just had this problem with another book and it really frustrates me, because I'm normally no good at predicting anything in books. I'm clumsily and happily in the dark if a story is done well. I saw every one of the twists coming except for one, maybe. And the main character saw none of them coming. I would have appreciated if she had seen a couple of the smaller ones coming, but when she didn't, she just felt like an idiot, to be frank. There were times when the main character was sharp and insightful and other times where I just wanted to grab her hand and go, "Oh honey." Alas, it wasn't an endearing trait.
Also, as time went on, the story smacked a little too much of Titanic for me. There was a scene that was practically word for word out of Titanic that I already mentioned as I was reading, but it just got to the point where it all became too ho-hum.
Cool idea, not good enough execution for me. I still had fun, but could have had more. Not too bad for literally just browsing in the library and pulling things off the shelf willy-nilly.
I just had this problem with another book and it really frustrates me, because I'm normally no good at predicting anything in books. I'm clumsily and happily in the dark if a story is done well. I saw every one of the twists coming except for one, maybe. And the main character saw none of them coming. I would have appreciated if she had seen a couple of the smaller ones coming, but when she didn't, she just felt like an idiot, to be frank. There were times when the main character was sharp and insightful and other times where I just wanted to grab her hand and go, "Oh honey." Alas, it wasn't an endearing trait.
Also, as time went on, the story smacked a little too much of Titanic for me. There was a scene that was practically word for word out of Titanic that I already mentioned as I was reading, but it just got to the point where it all became too ho-hum.
Cool idea, not good enough execution for me. I still had fun, but could have had more. Not too bad for literally just browsing in the library and pulling things off the shelf willy-nilly.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.