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Rating: 
Summary: The Death of Colonel Mann: A Beacon Hill Mystery
Review: A great read! The characters are well developed, the setting is perfect, and Peale makes Boston come alive. The best part is, I had no idea who did it until the very end! I would highly recommend this book to people who love a good mystery. Can't wait for the next installment.
Rating: 
Summary: Mildly entertaining, poorly written mystery.
Review: As someone who works in Boston, I really enjoyed the setting of Peale's book. Also, the character of Addington Ames and his sister Carolyn are fairly well drawn. It is too bad then that the mystery itself isn't more intriguing or the writing better conceived. Although Peale has clearly done some research on 1890s Boston Brahmin social and city life, it almost seems as if she never completely integrated the information into the mystery, making it little more than just a superficial, guided tour of Victorian Boston. The writing was frequently awkward and some of the dialogue jarring. Also, there are many scenes where the POV shifts from one character to the next; something that I have been told by a writing instructor is a definite "no-no" in fiction writing. All in all, I really did want to like this book and it is still diverting enough to be read quickly. However, it does seem to me that it could have been a lot better.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Entertaining Mystery
Review: Generally I'm not a big fan of "historical" mysteries, but, because a friend gave me this book, and I felt conscience-bound to at least ATTEMPT to trudge through it.From the very first page, I couldn't put it down. Addington Ames and his sister Caroline are engaging characters--both are flawed, to be sure, but their flaws are consistent with their time and their respective places in it. The good Doctor MacKenzie is a solid sidekick, more of an American translation of Holmes's Dr. Watson than a ... of him, as some whiny readers have complained. The secondary characters are well drawn, too, rounded, complex, and believeable for the most part. The plot, while not the strength of the book, is interesting and engaging enough to keep readers a little bit off-balance, right up to the very end. The best part of the book, in my opinion, is the setting and its rich historical detail. Another reader suggests that the historical setting here somehow "gets in the way" of the action of the book, but I couldn't disagree more. Ms. Peale has obviously done extensive research, and the Boston she presents is intriguing: a city that in 1892 was already ancient, a bit stagnant, simultaneously on the verge of change and ever unchanging, and unrelentingly unforgiving. Having spent some time in Boston, I particularly loved the descriptions of Beacon Hill and the Square, timeless places where it might still be 1892 today. I loved the way Ms. Peale worked in actual historical figures, like Dr. William James and the famous portrait painter, John Singer Sargent. All in all, THE DEATH OF COLONEL MANN took me away from 2001 and into another time and place--nobody could ask for more from a book. I look forward to reading the second novel in this promising series, and I'll certainly be less ready to dimiss "historical" novels in the future. If you enjoy good writing and a good mystery, read THE DEATH OF COLONEL MANN.
Rating:
Summary: Engaging plot, rich characterizations, atmospheric...
Review: I am a great fan of Anne Perry so imagine my delight when I found this author and this book. The era is the same as Ms. Perry, but the setting is in Boston, not England. Ms. Peale delineates Victorian Boston very well, and her characterizations are quite good. The proprieties and social consciousness are the same as Ms. Perry, and the evils are just as vivid. This book deals with the death of Colonel Mann who we never meet in the story, but we certainly hear enough about him. He wrote scandal sheets and used information that he gleaned from his many informants to blackmail various people in society. The kind of character that has many people who are happy at his death, but the murder needs to be solved anyway because Addington's nearest and dearest were affected by everything and in danger. I look forward to more Beacon Hill mysteries.
Rating: 
Summary: good first mystery
Review: i read a high percentage of all mysteries written and this one ranks high. It is well plotted, an held my interest. The characterization could be a little better, but hopefully that will improve with time. I do hope, though, that caroline becomes a little less self-effacing in future books.
Rating:
Summary: Engaging plot, rich characterizations, atmospheric...
Review: I really felt I was in Beacon Hill at the turn of the century, and I enjoyed the book tremendously. Very good mystery - reminds me a little of Detective Pitt & his wife Charlotte of the Anne Perry novels, only set in Boston USA! I look forward to reading the rest in the series. It kept my interest throughout the evenings of an exciting vacation. I very much enjoyed the details about the characters involved in the story. So much so that I could read a mystery set in Dr. Mckenzie's background in the military right now!
Rating:
Summary: An engaging and enjoyable mystery set in 1891 Boston.
Review: Imagine a world where even the slightest hint of scandal can ruin a woman's chance for marriage, where having one's name in the newspaper is tantamount to social ruin, and where one is considered a "spinster" by the age of 35. Enter the world of the Boston Brahmin, the gentry that comprise Boston's high society, the "old money" whose connections and ancestry define their social status. Addington and Caroline Ames, brother and sister, are members of this class and subject to its rules and dictates. When their young cousin, Valentine Thorne, is threatened with blackmail by the unscrupulous Colonel Mann (a publisher whose gossip sheet reveals the secrets of those who refuse to meet his blackmail demands), Addington goes to confront the Colonel, only to find him dead. Unfortunately, the packet of letters that were used to blackmail Valentine are also missing, so Addington and Caroline set out to find the letters and perhaps, along the way, a killer. This is a wonderful mystery, rich in detail and atmosphere. The book is subtitled, "A Beacon Hill Mystery" (as opposed to, for example, "An Addington Ames Mystery"). This is no accident, for the story is told from varying viewpoints, allowing the reader to experience the full range of Boston society. Addington and Caroline, both members of the upper class, nevertheless are consigned to strict gender roles and societal expectations. Their boarder, Dr. MacKenzie, is a stranger to Boston's rigid caste system-through him we experience Boston as a newcomer. Valentine, much younger than her Ames cousins, is of a marriable age and more susceptible to the threat of scandal. Each of these characters is fully developed, with their own separate concerns, motives, and relationships between and amongst each other. The mystery plot is complex and executed well (although it does seem that everyone in Boston has a scandal to hide). There are many characters to track, but the author does a good job of reminding the reader who everybody is and how they fit in with one another. The next in this series is "Murder at Bertram's Bower."
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Summary: Up all night !!
Review: Living in an area where you cannot get many good books, I picked this one up as a last resort, thinking at least its something. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN !! I was up all night a few days in a row trying to finish this book between home and work. The plot was well developed and I didn't already know who did it half way thru, I literally had to read to the end to find out !! And the characters where real and beleivable and very likable. I am such a fan of this author I cannot WAIT until she writes more ! I highly highly recomend this book. its great historically and suspensfully. I usually read Steven Saylor (since I live in Italy, his books are amazing) and Kate Ross, but she only had a few books. From now on I am Beaconphile !!!
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Summary: Room for Improvement
Review: The Death of Colonel Mann is the first in Cynthia Peale's Beacon Hill mystery series. The series has potential, but Peale will need to smooth out some of the rough edges before she has a real success. On the plus side, she's captured the cityscape of late Victorian Boston very well. She's also created a complex and riveting mystery for her trio of engaging amateur detectives to solve. On the minus side, the pace of Peale's writing is so frantic that readers barely have a moment to assimilate new information before the trio is dashing off to the next suspect. She also has some difficulty in establishing an appropriate diction for her eminent Victorians, always an issue with period mysteries. And finally, Peale has perhaps unconsciously adopted some of the social snobbery of her period. Her depiction of the police as uncouth louts is worthy of a Cabot or Lodge at his most Brahmin. And she never adequately answers the question of why, however poor, it's so important that her patrician hero, Addington Ames, not be forced to seek gainful employment like the rest of us mere mortals.
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Summary: Victorian Ice
Review: The Death of Coloney Mann captures the very soul of Victorian Society. Stepping outside of what was considered "proper conduct" would lead to disgrace and risking total outcast by friends and family. Cynthia Peale has depicted this reality so very clearly while weaving an intriguing Mystery! It's a great read!
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