Murder on Black Friday

Nell Sweeney Mysteries #4

by P.B. Ryan

When Wall Street's first "Black Friday" leads to the demise of two acquantances of her employers, governess Nell Sweeney and Dr. Will Hewitt discover that the cause of death was not suicide but murder. Original.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical, Fiction, Romance, Crime

240 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 2005

About the author

Pseudonym used by Patricia Ryan.

Reviews

[Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boston 1869: Die Finanzkrise am Schwarzen Freitag verschont auch die feine Gesellschaft nicht. So verwundert es kaum jemanden, dass sich Philip Munro und Noah Bassett das Leben nehmen, da sie scheinbar ihr ganzes Geld verloren haben. Der Arzt William Hewitt untersucht die Leichen und stellt fest, dass es sich beim Tod von Philip Munro kaum um einen Selbstmord gehandelt haben kann. Es muss Mord gewesen sein! Zusammen mit Nell Sweeney, der Gouvernanten seiner Tochter, nimmt er Ermittlungen auf…

* Meine Meinung *
Ein historischer Krimi, der sich angenehm leicht und flüssig lesen lässt. Die Handlung ist nachvollziehbar, gut durchdacht, und die Figuren sind sympathisch. Ein klein wenig mehr Tiefe hätte ich mir gewünscht, gerade für die beiden Hauptfiguren Nell und William.
Dennoch hat es viel Spaß gemacht, diesen Roman zu lesen, und Langeweile kam nie auf. Auch das Ende ist nicht vorhersehbar und schafft es, den Leser zu überraschen.
Hat mir sehr gefallen!

[Ingie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review written July 9, 2017

4 Stars - As always a excellent good Nell Sweeney time for me. A favorite series.

Book #4 — Another part in the Nell Sweeney Mysteries series I always enjoy. 6 hours narrated by Leigh Ryan in a pleasant way.

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The fourth part Murder on Black Friday is set in Boston the autumn 1869.

« On Sept. 24, 1869, the gold market crumbles, and fortunes are lost in a matter of minutes. When two of Boston’s most prominent men are found dead on Wall Street’s first “Black Friday” *) it’s widely assumed that they committed suicide over their financial losses. »

Another crime mystery to solve for our main characters:

# Cornelia Nell Sweeney a Irish immigrant is since some years the governess for the 4 years old adopted daughter of the wealthy Bostonians Viola and August Hewitt. Nell is nowadays also a brave and snooping "hobby sleuth". Set more than a year earlier in book #1 Nell also first met the Hewitt family's dissapered eldest son, the "black sheep" Will.

# Will Hewitt, assumed dead after experiencing the US Civil War horrors, is still a war hero (and previously a dedicated medical doctor) struggling with life. Sadly is he having a horrifying hard time to go back to the wealthy upper class Boston life his family and friends lives. But then he meets the lovely and so very strong Nell...

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Truly liked and enjoy the solving of this sincerely sad crime case. Sooner or later, we will all taste the same coin if we hurt others. In this case I felt no empathy for the "evil villain" at the end.

The slowly developed love story between Nell and the Doctor is even better. — Sadly my heart ended up aching. Sigh! — May everything be settled in the next book. (Keeps my fingers crossed for a release of an audio book edition of #5 soon.)

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I LIKE - to once again spend time with good "old friends" as Nell and Will

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*) Black Friday September 1869: Wikipedia

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder on Black Friday
4 Stars

Following the 1869 gold market crash, Dr. William Hewitt and Nell Sweeney investigate the apparent suicides of two prominent Bostonians. An examination of the bodies reveals that at least one was murdered, and the investigation into the suspicious death exposes the secrets that many would kill to keep hidden.

An intriguing mystery with one of the most contemptible victims I have come across in this genre. Although it is possible to figure out the culprit and motivation, the journey toward the revelations is very compelling, and Ryan is very adept at bringing her characters to life within a limited number of pages.

Nell and Will's relationship comes to a crossroad and each must make a choice that will change their lives forever. The strength of their feelings for each other is palpable, but the obstacles to their future are significant. It will be interesting to see the direction in which Ryan takes these characters.

In sum, a short yet enjoyable read and I am eager to accompany Nell on her next investigation.

[Ceki · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author is really digging her own grave by making the books in this series shorter and shorter. It's as if she wants to get over it and finally finish the series. Unfortunately she is also reducing the quality - I'm not amused at all.

Apart from the fact that I wasn't really interested in the crime and mystery in this book, there was no advancement in the main characters' relationship and the ending left a really bad taste in my mouth. I know that she will probably "make it right" in the next installment but I'm still disappointed.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Nell Sweeney series has really grown on me. Each book has been better than the last. In this one, there are two deaths related to Black Friday, the day the price of gold crashed in 1869. Will performed the autopsies and enlists Nell to help him investigate the supposed suicides. There are plenty of people with motives to kill and secrets to cover up. I didn't figure it all out before the end, and it's always pleasant to be surprised.

Will and Nell's relationship is so full of impossibility and longing you could cut the tension with a knife. It's achingly sweet and frustrating at the same time. You can feel their love (not lust) without hope, and of course that's the story that makes me want to continue reading the series. This had just the right mix of mystery to relationship development. Recommended to anyone who likes a mix of historical mystery and sweet romance.

[Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sort of hits all the right buttons. Good sense of time and place, likeable characters, good plot, lots of twists and turns and resolves with an unexpected twist ...even if you saw some of it coming.

So yeah, I liked it.

[Marla · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I don't like a book or something in it, I can go on and on about it, but if I like a book I don't know what to write. I liked this book.
It was kind of like the previous one in that they went around talking to people until the truth came out, but it was much better this time. Possibly because it took place over a longer period of time than the previous book or because they did have a bit more crime scene like detecting going on.
Will's brother Harry keeps getting worse and worse, I almost feel bad for the beating his character is getting. I do wonder if he's going to just kept getting worse, it's kind of fascinating in a car wreck way.
The relationship seemed to develop more too, with both characters acknowledging something is there, but, woe betide, nothing to be done about it. (yes, I'm mocking them a little, but all in good fun =)
Only two more! I haven't bought them yet, but I'm itching to.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a heartbreaking ending! I'm now absorbed in these characters lives. Nell & Will's love story is what makes these mysteries so compelling. Books 5 & 6 are on Kindle, so I could read the end of the series & see what happens----at this point, I'm pretty sure it would be a satisfying ending. But I'll hold out a little longer to see if those books get added to Audible. I'd love to hear narrator Leigh Ryan giving Nell & Will's story it's proper ending!

[Lynn Put · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fantastic story in this series. The only sad point for this book was that it was shorter then the others so that it seemed there was less time in between the mystery for more interaction between the main characters Nell and Will. But I will say that there was a lot of character development in the last book so I guess it balances out. This mystery had me guessing right until the last few chapters just like the last books in the series and OH MY! The ENDING! Swoon.

[Amy Gennaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am really enjoying listening to this series of books by P.B. Ryan.

This is a series of books about mysteries that take place in post-Civil War Brahmin Boston. It details both the rich and entitled side of Boston as well as the working class, mostly Irish side along with the seedier side of Boston.

I love the characters of Nell and Will who are star-crossed lovers who cannot be together due to Nell's marriage to a violent man. Since she would be excommunicated from the Catholic church for divorcing her husband, she cannot be with Will or risk losing her position as a governess to a child that she loves.

The mystery takes place as the first "Black Friday" comes around due to the collapse of the gold market after investors tried to corner the market. Two suspicious deaths peak the interest of Will and Nell and they put their heads together to solve the mysterious deaths.

I look forward to continuing to listen to this series of books.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The historical events in this installment were quite interesting. On to book 5!

[Peggyzbooksnmusic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giving this 4/5 stars just on the basis of the last few pages of the story! Can't wait to start #5 in the series.

Was interesting to learn that the term "Black Friday" goes back to 1869 with the Gold Ring conspiracy. Speculators and investors (including some very high place government officials) plotted to drive up the price of gold and then when finding out (possibly by US Treasury Secretary, George S. Boutwell; although it was never proven) sold off and the market dropped, causing trading houses and innocent investors to go bankrupt.

Nell and Will are looking into 2 possible suicides; although Will is almost certain that one is murder. During their investigation they find out that both victims were known to each other and that other family members had motives and are suspected. As in the other books, the author tackles the issues of class injustice and how many women were thought of as simply property to be used and that marriage in the upper class was usually not a matter of love but a financial agreement within families.

Always some interesting history in these books but what keeps me coming back are the characters of Nell Sweeney and Will Hewitt. Nell's secret past is causing her to resist Will's love as she is frightened that she would then lose her place in the Hewitt home as the nanny to young Grace who she has come to love and cherish. And she is not sure if she can trust Will not to be sucked back into his unsavory past.

[sidewalk · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fourth book in the Nell Sweeny Series. I'm *still* in love!

I hope Nell's "ex-" husband gets taken out! I really really want her to be happy and as long as that guy is still bouncing around, that won't be possible!

I love where Will and Nell's relationship is going! I love how they take their time. I ADORED how such a small moment can have SUCH an impact!!!! I loved how sexy and intimate and wonderful it all was, despite being just such a small second in a lifetime! Mrs. Ryan, THANK YOU! WELL WRITTEN! It gave me goose bumps!!!! :)

Ok I am getting redundant here, but I LOVED the mystery! I had no clue until the end whodunit! I sort of had an inkling, I "thought" I had figured it out and then Mrs. Ryan throws a curve ball and wow....

No, I am not going to say more! You will have to read it for yourselves! It's worth it, in my opinion!

Start with the first book in the series and work your way up! You will not be disappointed! Very well researched, very well written, very entertaining! Worth the money! (and I am a Scrooge! hahahaha)

[Estara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hwellll, the romance took that necessary step forward in a lovely way and again I didn't know the culprit until the end, but the reason for the investigation - Will's professional pride - made it pretty distasteful to me how the two went about getting confessions from those concerned, resorting to clear blackmail again - not to help someone out (no one is HELPED by what they find out, except maybe that a woman's pride is broken in such a way that she'll finally let her fiancée help her out where before she was too capable or too scared to confide in him much), just to satisfy Will's pride (and destroy one family's good name in the bargain).

And then he didn't even keep the position that allowed him to perform a post-mortem on people dead by violence.

On the upside a nice came from Max Thurston and a lovely new side character in Eileen, who joins the Hewlitt household in the next book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever mystery, it kept me guessing till the end.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wall Street's First Black Friday occurred on Sept. 24, 1869, and Boston was shocked when two prominent men were found dead.  Everyone thought they had committed suicide over their losses in the sudden gold drop in value.  However, Dr. Will Hewitt doubts that one of them died by his own hand.  He and Nell Sweeney interview folks close to the former gold barons to find out the truth.

Ryan proves that an author doesn't have to resort to steamy love scenes to keep her reader's attention.  Will and Nell agonize over a single kiss, and it is breath-taking.  The couple, because he belongs in the upper crust, and she is familiar with the seamy side of life, are a perfect couple to detect murder together.  Absolutely charming.

 Gilded Age Mystery
1. Still Life with Murder (2003) 
2.Murder in a Mill Town (2004)
3.Death on Beacon Hill (2005)
** 4.Murder on Black Friday (2005)
5.Murder in the North End (2006)
6.A Bucket of Ashes (2007)

[Jill Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

On Sept. 24, 1869, the gold market crumbled, and many lost fortunes. Two wealthy Boston men are found dead on “Black Friday” and it looks like they both committed suicide over their losses. But forensic scientist, Dr. Will Hewitt, thinks that one of the men was murdered. 30 pages before the ending, the mystery part of the book wound down rather quickly. I thought it could have gone on for much longer. The epilogue was long, but it described the day Will left for Shanghai and he and Nell had their first kiss. The yearning between them is palpable and very enjoyable to read, but he still left because he knew he could not ask Nell to be his woman because she is still legally married to Duncan who is in jail, and she would lose her job as Gracie’s governess. The romance part of the book was excellent and was better than the mystery storyline. This book was 70 pages shorter than #3

[V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will and Nell continue to push through their romantic tension as they investigate another mystery, this one brought forth by Will’s position at Harvard. When two suicides appear to occur the same day as the price of gold rises and then drops precipitously, many would be quick to write off the two deaths as victims who lost everything, but Will suspects something else is at play. And, of course, Nell is utterly incapable of resisting a mystery—and Will Hewitt.

I felt the mystery at the center of this book was quite obvious after a certain point, so I’m not sure what took Will and Nell so long to solve it. Probably all that unresolved tension between them. The yearning has, I fear, reached catastrophic levels. It’s the beating heart of this series, and after how this book ended, I desperately need to start the next.

[Atara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

This was my least favorite of the series. It felt like there was very little sleuthing done. They made about 4 interviews and everything was revealed. I felt they were also way too harsh with Miriam, and accused her without sound evidence. There was also very little character development. It was interesting to have the book revolve around a real-life historical event. But otherwise, I felt like it was just a filler, just a book to put certain plot lines (which I will not say for those who have not yet read it) in motion.

But, it was still engrossing, and I would read anything with my two favorite characters in them. Hopefully the next installment will be better.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great combination of historical fiction and mystery. Dr. Will Hewitt is called upon to do autopsies on two men, supposed suicides in the aftermath of the drop in the price of gold, which they both had invested in heavily. The absence of a suicide note for one and the pattern of wounds for the other led Will and Nell to investigate both deaths in order to correctly determine the true causes, and, if necessary, the culprits. Fascinating characters, believable conversations, layers in the detection, and surprising and satisfying solutions. A terrific read.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the entire series in just a few days. They are short and, if you enjoy one, you are going to want to read to the end. The mysteries are good enough, the romance (star-crossed lovers from different social classes) carries from one book to the next, the setting is well-described and one of the main characters has a major character flaw which adds a bit of interest. Read them in order.

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

P.B. Ryan continues to entice me! I literally start the next book in the series right after finishing one. THIS plot kept me guessing until the end.
How will Nell deal with her predicament? I must continue to reinsert my head in HER time--not mine. Having grown up in the very rigid religious milieu in which Nell lives, I do understand it.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the series. I love the protagonist's Irishness and boldness. The characters in this story were a bit confusing and it tended to be very long and drawn out. I love the main charcters. I hope the series carries on! I love the history.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn, Damn, Damn! What's a murder myster without a bit of romance simular to Romeo and Julier? This series has me completly in its thrall. Can't get enough. Sigh, will they get together or be forever apart?

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. It's an average mystery, with a decent plot and likeable recurring characters. I didn't get a strong historical feel from this book, and many of the characters are forgettable (or feel too modern, or both). I was left with little incentive to pursue the series.

[Louise Galbraith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

P.B. Ryan makes the characters come alive. The details are so good that I felt the emotions of the characters. Once I finished one book I had to immediately start the next one. If you like great mystery stories with an underlying romance, this book is for you.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

These just keep getting better and better. I already am sorry there are only 6 books in the series.

[Pat Chrivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had they really not kissed?! Perhaps I’m misremembering book 1.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, my stars.