No Fun in the Fens

by Mike Ryan

The game is afoot when turn-of-the century Boston Probation Officer Cootch Connolly discovers two of his clients murdered. Adding to his worries, the famous art collector and socialite Isabella Stewart Gardner’s home has been robbed of priceless paintings and she appeals to Cootch and his brother, police Inspector Finn McCool Connolly, to recover them.

Investigating the Gardner Mansion, Cootch is taken with Isabella’s captivating niece, Lucy Winters, and a relationship develops as Cootch scours the dark alleys of Beantown in his quest for answers. A confrontation with a vengeful cop in Haymarket Square and an attack on the banks of the Muddy River lead Cootch to a drowned peddler floating in Boston Harbor and a fired groundskeeper hanging from a tree. In a race against time, Cootch must foil the conspirators before they wreck his wedding, and his life!

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 19, 2012

About the author

A former reporter, Mike Ryan has written for newspapers and magazines. A graduate of Boston State College and Boston University, ten of his novels have been published. Besides his family, interests include the Boston Red Sox, bike riding, pickleball, and history.