The Jekyl Island Club

by Brent Monahan

Located on the idyllic Georgia coast, Jekyl Island was the playground of the rich at the turn of the last century. Vanderbilts, Goulds, Rockefellers, and other members of elite society vacationed there, enjoying the finest aspects of Southern hospitality that money could buy and importing the rest from New York. Indeed, the money was the club's one hundred members controlled one sixth of the nation's wealth. When one of the club's members is shot to death on the island, his fellow captains of industry anxiously conclude it was as a hunting accident. Is the impending visit to the Jekyl Island Club by President McKinley the only reason? Could J. P. Morgan himself have been the one who pulled the trigger? Whose side is member and millionaire newspaperman Joseph Pulitzer on? The answer to whether or not the richest of the rich can literally get away with murder lies in the hands of local sheriff John le Brun, a wily Civil War veteran who has his own agenda with the Yankees who bought Jekyl Island. This ingenious novel raises Brent Monahan to the first rank of contemporary entertainers. The real Jekyl Island Club, its members, and many real events from American history of the era are interwoven within a plot that could easily have happened. Cleverly plotted and delightfully told, The Jekyl Island Club is suspenseful storytelling at its finest.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Brent Monahan was born in Fukuoka, Kyushu, Japan in 1948, as a World War II occupation baby. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University in Music and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Indiana University, Bloomington. He has performed, stage directed and taught music and writing professionally. He has authored fourteen published novels and a number of short stories. Two of his novels have been made into motion pictures. Brent lives in Yardley, PA, with his wife, Bonnie.

Reviews

[Bonnie Gleckler Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Located on the idyllic Georgia coast, Jekyl Island was the playground of the rich at the turn of the last Century. The Club was actually a membership of 100 of some of the wealthiest men in America. Of those men Monahan focused on just a few to make the story believable as they did visit the island regularly. Joseph Pulitzer, and J P Morgan, as well as President McKinley were central to the plot.
Our story starts with an “accidental shooting”, thought to have been committed by a poacher who’d come hunting on the island. Sheriff John LeBrun is called in, from the mainland, to investigate. He has his suspicions that is was more likely a murder. Many of “The Club” members wanted this event shoved under the rug, but LeBrun insisted on investigating. He was looked down on, and shunned by many on the island. However he endured. Along with his Deputy Sheriff Warfield Tidewell and a second murder, the cases are solved.

[Dan Dundon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having visited Jekyl Island on many occasions, I was intrigued by this historical fiction by Brent Monahan. I was surprised not only by the intricate plot but at the amount of historical research the author did before writing. I just finished a biography of Joseph Pulitzer so I was familiar with the man and his career. Monahan was able to include many interesting tidbits of Pulitzer's life in this novel. It made history come alive. Jekyl Island itself was accurately portrayed making the novel especially entertaining.
While I won't spoil the ending for those who might be interested in reading this, it does incorporate some fascinating historical references to international affairs at the time.

[Ilah Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Civil War Veteran attempts to solve crime among the arrogant rich world leaders.

I read the book 1 of a 4 book series because of a good review. I did not expect to enjoy the period mystery as much as I did. Monahan is a new author to me so I was not sure what to expect. I enjoyed the Southern history, mores, travel & politics at the turn of the century on a small Island off the coast of Georgia for the very wealthy and liked the way the historical information flowed into the story. The novel was a real page turner. I have already purchased the series and am excited to start Book 2, The Sceptred Isle Club located in England. Be sure to read other reviews for further details about the story.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really amazing! Having just come from our anniversary trip to Jekyll Island and staying at the Jekyll Island Club, I was intrigued from the moment I saw this book. Spot on research makes this a fascinating read. Having just seen these buildings and learned about the history, I was all in. The story is a little complicated with several murders and loads of characters, but it wraps up neatly. I'm not sure how it is allowed to use real people in a fictional set of events, but the more I realized that the story was fiction, the more I got into it! A great read for realistic, historical fiction folk who visit the island.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining and somewhat twisted mystery. Except for the Sheriff, character development was a bit shallow. That could be because these are historical, well-known, somewhat sordid, figures. One would definitely want Sheriff LeBrun on their side. The details and description of the Jekyl Island Club during its heyday were the thing that really attracted me to the book. Having been to Jekyll Island several times and toured the opulent "cottages", it was fun to put characters in the mix. For anyone who is interested in the era, it is a well-researched, easy read.

[Katie Gainey-West · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book but it was extremely slow-going and I was disappointed with the ending. I’m also not even sure I understand the ending. I grew up visiting Jekyll Island and even lived in Georgia for several years. It’s great to read about a place you can envision clearly but the storyline for this was poor. In addition to the setting I also liked the whodunnit themes, but the racist overtones and unlikable characters were the final straw.

[Darel Krieger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had really high hopes for this book but ended up being disappointed. It seemed to have a lot going for it, an historic location, famous people of the time, murder & intrigue. The book was only 383 pages but it seemed like much more than that. The plot trudged along at a snail's pace and none of the characters be they real or fictional evoked any sort of emotion from this reader.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sped through this entertaining read in two days. It's a cozy, intelligent, well crafted murder mystery and a timely allegory for current international relations and titans of industry and politics. Be warned: the racist vocabulary of some characters, while perhaps historically accurate, is jarring and nasty as hell.

[Sherry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I forgot to enter this when I started reading it. It has taken me about two weeks to read - and it was painful! I love Jekyl Island and the history of its visitors so I really wanted to like this book, but it was so slow...I was just glad to finish it!!

[Danielle Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome detailed information of the island's actual history and a decent fictionalized murder mystery included. I particularly like the ending. The question to "Justice" by J.P. Morgan who wants to know how well she could see now that her blindfold was off.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just plucked this book off the shelf as a last minute addition, and I'm really glad I did! Takes place at the turn-of-the-century on an exclusive island off the coast of Georgia. Turned out to be a first-rate mystery, complete with a brilliant detective to solve it.

[Ryan Bernard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Your standard period murder mystery. Tends to be slow and lack true action scenes. While historically interesting, the story felt stale and dragged more often then not. Simply average.

[Jeannie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining after just visiting Jekyl Island.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interested in the history of Jekyl Island but the book is to slow moving.

[Dan Le · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cleaver Detective LeBrun saved the day but solving a class-struggle murder case during the heydays of Jekyll Island, Georgia.

[Paulette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third time reading this book. I enjoyed it even more this time. I recommend it to all.

[Janet R. Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder mystery. Enjoyed very much and a great ending.

[Madeline Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very fun read. I have been to Jekyll Is;and many times, and enjoyed the book immensely. Well written and a good depiction of 1899 and Pulitzer, Morgan, etc.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started out very slow. It took me a long time to get interested in the plot. I liked the sheriff from the beginning, and the conflict between J.P. Morgan and Joseph Pulitzer was interesting. I was happy with the ending.

[Dan Gladwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Great page turner" is a spectacularly apt way to describe the Jekyl Island Club. It is a little slow in the beginning, but once it gets going (about 20 pages in), it's incredibly hard to put down. In fact, I finished the book in two nights, staying up until 6am. It's a great read, but not a book that will stay with you for an extended period of time.

Brent Monahan knows how to do develop some decent characters. I was introduced to the author while reading the "Book of Common Dread", one of my all-time favorite books. The characters in the Jekyl Island Club are developed just as well, but they are completely different than those found in the Common Dread. It is very refreshing to find an author that is skilled AND confident enough to build strong characters without dipping into the same well.

As some others have mentioned, the ending definitely feels forced and a little contrived, but I can't fault the entire book for spinning off topic at the end.

I definitely recommend the Jekyl Island Club for some fun leisurely reads, but it probably won't be life changing.

[Jtomassetti · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Jekyl Island Club by Brent Monahan is a must read for those who have visited Jekyll Island off the southeast coast of Georgia. (During the era of the book the name of the island did not have the second L). On the island today the restored hotel, The Jekyll Island Club, and "cottages" built by the millionaires who originally developed the island more than one hundred years ago still exist. This mystery takes the reader back to the time when the millionaires ran Jekyl as their own private vacation island. The mystery story itself is entertaining. The real and fictional characters are wel ldeveloped. The details of resort allow the reader to imagine being there. I did find one small mistake. The author has the sheriff hiding behind a rock when the culprit shoots at him. These coastal islands are just sand. There are no natural rocks on the island. For those that have not visited Jekyll Island the book may not be as interesting.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have finished this waaaaay before now but hurricane evacuation kind of put a dent in my reading momentum.

This book is good on several levels. The plot has a good twist to it & you really don't know "who dunnit" till the end. (As any good mystery novel operates.) The characters are easy to visualize. The setting is familiar. I live on St Simons Island but I've spent a fair amount of time on Jekyll (current correct spelling), poking through the restored "cottages" & it was amazing to be able to place characters in their appropriate settings. I feel like running over there this week while the weather's cool & "reliving" the novel. It's been a long time since I've read something that has inspired me to be silly.

[Elizabeth Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally got hold of the first of Monahan's John Le Brun books. Having read the next two, I knew the solution, so it was mostly a matter of learning the whole story. As always, the history and issues of the day were the most interesting part of the experience. The mystery is a nice, tangly one, but the key clue was left to dangle past plausibility and the denouement seemed vague and anti-climactic. I enjoyed his deputy chief, Tidewell, who has almost no role in either of the subsequent books in the series, and I am sorry that Monahan abandoned him and the South to move Le Brun onto a larger stage so quickly.

[Lori Robinett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started reading this book while vacationing in Gulf Shores, Alabama. It was too heavy a book, with lots of characters and history and description. It was a bit overwhelming and difficult to keep track of who was doing what, with who, and why. The description was beautiful, and I enjoyed the inclusion of historical figures. The author did a good job of showing the human side of recognizable characters.

After 9 months of occasionally picking the book up and reading a bit, I decided it was time to call it quits.

I quit reading before I was finished because, quite honestly, I just didn't care whodunit or why.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy fun mystery that I read because we had just vacationed on Jekyl Island. It is amazing to think that Jekyl was once owned by the richest people in America and now it belongs to the state! I thought the conspiracy theory of the USS Maine at the end of the book was a bit silly but otherwise it was amusing to read of J.P. Morgan and Thomas B. Reed as murder suspects! I loved Warfield - what a great character - a lawyer who got fired as the scapegoat for a firm that was padding the books so becomes a deputy sheriff (reminds me of Sgt Hathaway on the Lewis series).

[Graceann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A murder mystery set at the mythic Jekyl Island Club (and it was spelled that way in the beginning), among the richest folks in their 20-room "cottages." All the intrigues and petty rivalries are here, as is the Upstairs, Downstairs kind of atmosphere one expects to see among the rich and their servants. Ripping good yarn.

[Oceana2602 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been to Jekyll Island. I remember swimming in the hotel pool outside when it rained like crazy, and watching movies on HBO when I decided that I couldn't get any wetter if I tried, but that was definitely wet enough.

The book was a bit like that: not what you'd have wanted, but not unenjoyable either.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this while on vacation in Hilton Head. It was one of the book in the condo. Since it took place near there I thought it would be fun to read it. It took place the the late 1800's and had people like J P Morgan and Pulitzer in it which was something I enjoyed.

[David Nadolny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It is a classic Edwardian detective story. I guess I read the series out of order, but it was just as enjoyable. Monahan goes down on my authors to read file.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting history/mystery featuring J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer and other captains of industry. I should probably read more about them based on this fictitous account.