What do you think?
Rate this book
Erica Donato #3
Brooklyn Secrets: An Erica Donato Mystery
"Brooklyn's rich history comes to life in Stein's wonderful descriptions, and Erica is an engaging tour guide."― Booklist Erica Donato, Brooklyn girl, urban history grad student and single mom, is researching the 1930s when Brownsville was the home of the notorious organized criminals the newspapers called Murder Inc. She quickly learns that even in rapidly changing Brooklyn, Brownsville remains much as it was. It is still poor, it is still tough, and it still breeds fighters and gangs. Doing field research, Erica stops in at the landmark local library and meets Savanna, a young woman who is the pride of her mother and her bosses, and headed for an elite college and a future. A few days later, Savanna is found beaten and left for dead. Her anguished mother is everywhere, insisting someone knows something. After a massive, angry demonstration, a young girlfriend of Savanna's is found dead, too. Is there a connection? Did perfect Savanna have a few secrets? Erica's curious. But she's focused on the 1930s and has located a few women who are happy to share memories. Two are childhood friends who disagree on much but guard secrets, too―ones kept for a lifetime. Never one to resist looking deeper than her research requires, Erica keeps encountering an apparent derelict white man, a vengeful rejected girlfriend, the role of boxing as a way out of poverty, and fading evidence of long-ago crimes.
242 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2015
19 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
Triss Stein
13 books23 followersTriss Stein is a small-town girl who has spent most of her adult life living and working in New York City. This gives her the useful double vision of a stranger and a resident which she uses to write mysteries about Brooklyn, her ever-fascinating, ever-changing, ever-challenging adopted home. Brooklyn Graves is the second Erica Donato mystery, following Brooklyn Bones.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
July 13, 2022
4.5 stars
December 2, 2015
This is the first Tess Stein mystery I’ve read and it won’t be the last. I wasn't aware that this was the third book in the series until after I finished this one. I purchased the first book of this series last night.
While Erica Donato is doing research on her dissertation for her Urban History Ph.D., she finds herself getting more than she bargains for. She’s researching crime back in the 1930’s in the town of Brownsville which was the home of the infamous Murder, Inc. Mobsters. She finds not much has really changed, the town is still a dangerous place to be. While doing her research, she stumbles on a beautiful library that stands out in this dismal town. She goes in to look around and they offer her a tour, she meets wonderful young girl, Savanna who takes her on the tour and gives her the history of the library. She’s quite taken with this young woman, who lets it slip out that she has just been awarded a scholarship to an Ivy league university.
Later she hears that Savanna is brutally beaten and sees her mother making a plea on the news for help in solving this awful crime. Erica is sure she's met this woman before. She finally remembers that she had taken a class with her a long time ago at a local university. She decides to reach out to Savanna's mother and they forge an unlikely friendship with a common interest, who hurt Savanna.
There was never a dull moment in this book. Poor Erica found herself back in Brownsville, the last place she wanted to be and each time it got more dangerous for her. There were a couple of sub-plots that both tied into that same era in Brownsville. There is a lot of suspense and I found all the characters to be quite likeable. I’m looking forward to reading the first two books in this series and I hope there will be a fourth one.
I would like to thank Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing me with an e-galley for my honest review.
While Erica Donato is doing research on her dissertation for her Urban History Ph.D., she finds herself getting more than she bargains for. She’s researching crime back in the 1930’s in the town of Brownsville which was the home of the infamous Murder, Inc. Mobsters. She finds not much has really changed, the town is still a dangerous place to be. While doing her research, she stumbles on a beautiful library that stands out in this dismal town. She goes in to look around and they offer her a tour, she meets wonderful young girl, Savanna who takes her on the tour and gives her the history of the library. She’s quite taken with this young woman, who lets it slip out that she has just been awarded a scholarship to an Ivy league university.
Later she hears that Savanna is brutally beaten and sees her mother making a plea on the news for help in solving this awful crime. Erica is sure she's met this woman before. She finally remembers that she had taken a class with her a long time ago at a local university. She decides to reach out to Savanna's mother and they forge an unlikely friendship with a common interest, who hurt Savanna.
There was never a dull moment in this book. Poor Erica found herself back in Brownsville, the last place she wanted to be and each time it got more dangerous for her. There were a couple of sub-plots that both tied into that same era in Brownsville. There is a lot of suspense and I found all the characters to be quite likeable. I’m looking forward to reading the first two books in this series and I hope there will be a fourth one.
I would like to thank Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing me with an e-galley for my honest review.
November 14, 2015
Apparently this was the third in a series, but I couldn't tell it. I didn't even know it until I went to write this review. So, if you haven't read Triss Stein before, like me, this book should be no problem.
Erica Donato is writing her dissertation on the 1930's in Brooklyn when Murder's, Inc. ran the show. While researching, she becomes friends with a lovely teenage named Savanna who works at the library in Brooklyn who reminds her of her own. Several days later, Savanna is severely beaten and hanging on to her life. Erica's own research puts her somewhat in the middle of the people who hurt Savanna and she is determined to help Savanna's mother find out who did this to her daughter.
This was one that I could not put down. Just about every time Erica went researching into Brooklyn something would happen. I mean she was the only white person within miles. That is what made it suspenseful. It seemed that there were always gangs or someone messing with her every time. Then when news got out about her messing around into their business, they were threatening her.
Then it seemed like several people who actually did come out and talk to Erica would end up dead or in trouble.
There was a lot of history with the mob in this part of the city and one could not be sure that it still wasn't going on.
Even the historical parts of the city that had once been were interesting, because that happens with every city. The old soda stand is now a 7/11, etc.
I most assuredly enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it. Violence is only mentioned. I know that I am going to be looking for Triss' other books and catch up on what I missed.
Thanks Poisoned Pen Press and Net Galley for providing me with this free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
Erica Donato is writing her dissertation on the 1930's in Brooklyn when Murder's, Inc. ran the show. While researching, she becomes friends with a lovely teenage named Savanna who works at the library in Brooklyn who reminds her of her own. Several days later, Savanna is severely beaten and hanging on to her life. Erica's own research puts her somewhat in the middle of the people who hurt Savanna and she is determined to help Savanna's mother find out who did this to her daughter.
This was one that I could not put down. Just about every time Erica went researching into Brooklyn something would happen. I mean she was the only white person within miles. That is what made it suspenseful. It seemed that there were always gangs or someone messing with her every time. Then when news got out about her messing around into their business, they were threatening her.
Then it seemed like several people who actually did come out and talk to Erica would end up dead or in trouble.
There was a lot of history with the mob in this part of the city and one could not be sure that it still wasn't going on.
Even the historical parts of the city that had once been were interesting, because that happens with every city. The old soda stand is now a 7/11, etc.
I most assuredly enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it. Violence is only mentioned. I know that I am going to be looking for Triss' other books and catch up on what I missed.
Thanks Poisoned Pen Press and Net Galley for providing me with this free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
November 12, 2015
This was my first Erica Donato story and it read like a good friend was telling me a story from her life. It was a story that unfolds at a steady pace and you keep reading because you want to know why this happened and how this happened just as if you and a good friend were talking. Erica is working on her disertation when she comes across some information that draws her into another direction besides how the past differs from the present and the social changes on those time periods. As she is reasearching this she gets drawn into 2 seperate mysteries, one of a lost brother and the other an honor student who was brutally beaten. As she is drawn into these mysteries she realizes Brownville of her youth is not the same. I would like to thank the publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ARC.
July 1, 2016
The pacing and combination of mystery, social justice, history and compassion made this a solid summer read.
July 3, 2017
First, I would like to express my thanks to Poisoned Pen Press, NetGalley and the author who provided a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Stein has written a refreshingly good mystery, Brooklyn Secrets, the third in the Erica Donato series. This is my first delve into the Erica Donato series, and I had no idea that it was book three when I began reading. This is not a concern as this book serves well as a stand-alone. Oh, yes, and I will be returning to Triss Stein’s Erica Donato Mysteries Brooklyn series.
As the name implies, Erica Donato is a Brooklyn girl. She is also a single mother, a widow, and a graduate student trying to achieve her masters degree in the urban history. Busy gal. Erica is working on her thesis paper, a research of the 1930’s era Brownsville neighborhood. Brownsville was a seedy neighborhood then, and the infamous Murders, Inc. Mob assasins group emerged from the poor neighborhood where the boys were always fighting. There were many 1930’s gangs in Brownsville, and there were various ethnic groups in the neighborhood. From Jewish to Blacks to Italians to Irish if memory serves me correctly. Brownsville was much the same today, still very poor, education levels were low. The main difference was that today it was mostly Black.
While conducting her field research in a Brownsville library, Erica becomes acquainted with the employees of the local library. Among these is a girl, Savannah, called Savvie, who is a senior in high school and the apple of the library people’s eye, and her mother’s, too. This is because she is a very smart student who has applied herself diligently and earned her way out of Brownsville to a very prominent college. Things are looking good for Savvie, when a few days later she is beaten close to death and remains in a comma. Her mother, whom it turns out is a distant acquaintance from the past of Erica, moves into action and goes so far as to organize and throw a very successful demonstration rally. One of Savvie’s friends, D’Andre, who worked at the library wants to tell something to Erica after the demonstration, a secret that Savvie kept? D’Andre is found dead.
Was there more to sweet, smart, innocent Savannah that Erica previously thought? Although curious, Erica still has that thesis hanging. She needs to stay on track with this, but then she meets two older women from Brownsville who were young during the 1930’s and they agree to share stores rich with flavor and history. One of the ladies requests that if Erica should happen to run across anything about her brother who was killed back then, that Erica share this information.
Triss Stein has written a story well told here. The Brownsville history combined with the fiction works very well and she is quite detailed about this. Narration of the story is a very important part which is told from Erica’s point of view. This book is quite hard to put down and moves at a pretty fast pace. However, it is not a book driven to this point by continuous violence, gore and multiple crimes. I found this book very enjoyable and would have no problem recommending it to this genre’s readers. I would say a 3.75 stars to round up to a 4-star.
Cam
Stein has written a refreshingly good mystery, Brooklyn Secrets, the third in the Erica Donato series. This is my first delve into the Erica Donato series, and I had no idea that it was book three when I began reading. This is not a concern as this book serves well as a stand-alone. Oh, yes, and I will be returning to Triss Stein’s Erica Donato Mysteries Brooklyn series.
As the name implies, Erica Donato is a Brooklyn girl. She is also a single mother, a widow, and a graduate student trying to achieve her masters degree in the urban history. Busy gal. Erica is working on her thesis paper, a research of the 1930’s era Brownsville neighborhood. Brownsville was a seedy neighborhood then, and the infamous Murders, Inc. Mob assasins group emerged from the poor neighborhood where the boys were always fighting. There were many 1930’s gangs in Brownsville, and there were various ethnic groups in the neighborhood. From Jewish to Blacks to Italians to Irish if memory serves me correctly. Brownsville was much the same today, still very poor, education levels were low. The main difference was that today it was mostly Black.
While conducting her field research in a Brownsville library, Erica becomes acquainted with the employees of the local library. Among these is a girl, Savannah, called Savvie, who is a senior in high school and the apple of the library people’s eye, and her mother’s, too. This is because she is a very smart student who has applied herself diligently and earned her way out of Brownsville to a very prominent college. Things are looking good for Savvie, when a few days later she is beaten close to death and remains in a comma. Her mother, whom it turns out is a distant acquaintance from the past of Erica, moves into action and goes so far as to organize and throw a very successful demonstration rally. One of Savvie’s friends, D’Andre, who worked at the library wants to tell something to Erica after the demonstration, a secret that Savvie kept? D’Andre is found dead.
Was there more to sweet, smart, innocent Savannah that Erica previously thought? Although curious, Erica still has that thesis hanging. She needs to stay on track with this, but then she meets two older women from Brownsville who were young during the 1930’s and they agree to share stores rich with flavor and history. One of the ladies requests that if Erica should happen to run across anything about her brother who was killed back then, that Erica share this information.
Triss Stein has written a story well told here. The Brownsville history combined with the fiction works very well and she is quite detailed about this. Narration of the story is a very important part which is told from Erica’s point of view. This book is quite hard to put down and moves at a pretty fast pace. However, it is not a book driven to this point by continuous violence, gore and multiple crimes. I found this book very enjoyable and would have no problem recommending it to this genre’s readers. I would say a 3.75 stars to round up to a 4-star.
Cam
June 14, 2016
Erica Donato is juggling many things in her life. She works part time, is working on her dissertation and is the single mother of a teenage daughter. Like many thirty something women in her situation she is casually dating a couple of men, but she honestly has too much going on to look for a serious romance.
Her daughter, Chris, is wise and mature beyond her years. She takes school seriously and gives Erica little to worry about. But of course mothers always worry – even when your daughter is almost perfect.
Erica is knee deep in researching Brownsville in the 1930s. She is from Brooklyn herself, so her dissertation research is close to home for her. Criminals ran Brownsville in the 1930s as thugs with and without guns could make people disappear and never be seen again.
She decides to go to the local library to do some field research. The information and connections she made at the library excited her, bringing life to the characters she was reading about in the archives. Erika found the library staff engaging and willing to tell her about Brownsville history as well as Brownsville today.
The discovery that thugs under the new name of gang members still ruled the streets of Brownsville was unsettling. The seriousness hit home with her as she was almost the victim of an attack. One of the young girls in the library was not as lucky. Her encounter landed her in the hospital. Soon another girl is attacked with a much worse outcome.
Erica bonds with the mother of Savanna, the hospitalized young woman. She continues her research, but soon she is looking at pictures, news stories and interviewing people with ties to the past and current crimes. Will the past meet the present? Will she be able to help find a killer? Will she become a target?
The characters were multi-layered and came alive with Stein’s dialog. I liked the fact that Erica didn’t remember to get dinner so she and Chris ate a smorgasbord of leftover takeout to clean out the fridge. Honestly, who hasn’t done that? Chris also took the upper hand when it came to a bit of facebookish cyber stalking. Again, I could absolutely identify. I suspect anyone over 50 has asked a son, daughter or neighbor kid to help them do something on the internet. Secondary characters like the library workers and the scary people Erica encounters popped to life with mannerisms or comments.
Brooklyn Secrets is a fast-paced novel filled with spine-tingling suspense page after page. Stein states in her afterword, “…is a blend of actual history, possible history and complete fiction”. Like your favorite cup of coffee, it is the perfect blend – deliciously smooth with a kick of caffeine to keep you reading just one more chapter. This is the third in the series, but the first one I’ve read. It worked perfectly well as a stand-alone novel. I will go back and read Brooklyn Bones and Brooklyn Graves because I thoroughly enjoyed Stein’s writing style.
Copyright © 2016 Laura Hartman
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
Her daughter, Chris, is wise and mature beyond her years. She takes school seriously and gives Erica little to worry about. But of course mothers always worry – even when your daughter is almost perfect.
Erica is knee deep in researching Brownsville in the 1930s. She is from Brooklyn herself, so her dissertation research is close to home for her. Criminals ran Brownsville in the 1930s as thugs with and without guns could make people disappear and never be seen again.
She decides to go to the local library to do some field research. The information and connections she made at the library excited her, bringing life to the characters she was reading about in the archives. Erika found the library staff engaging and willing to tell her about Brownsville history as well as Brownsville today.
The discovery that thugs under the new name of gang members still ruled the streets of Brownsville was unsettling. The seriousness hit home with her as she was almost the victim of an attack. One of the young girls in the library was not as lucky. Her encounter landed her in the hospital. Soon another girl is attacked with a much worse outcome.
Erica bonds with the mother of Savanna, the hospitalized young woman. She continues her research, but soon she is looking at pictures, news stories and interviewing people with ties to the past and current crimes. Will the past meet the present? Will she be able to help find a killer? Will she become a target?
The characters were multi-layered and came alive with Stein’s dialog. I liked the fact that Erica didn’t remember to get dinner so she and Chris ate a smorgasbord of leftover takeout to clean out the fridge. Honestly, who hasn’t done that? Chris also took the upper hand when it came to a bit of facebookish cyber stalking. Again, I could absolutely identify. I suspect anyone over 50 has asked a son, daughter or neighbor kid to help them do something on the internet. Secondary characters like the library workers and the scary people Erica encounters popped to life with mannerisms or comments.
Brooklyn Secrets is a fast-paced novel filled with spine-tingling suspense page after page. Stein states in her afterword, “…is a blend of actual history, possible history and complete fiction”. Like your favorite cup of coffee, it is the perfect blend – deliciously smooth with a kick of caffeine to keep you reading just one more chapter. This is the third in the series, but the first one I’ve read. It worked perfectly well as a stand-alone novel. I will go back and read Brooklyn Bones and Brooklyn Graves because I thoroughly enjoyed Stein’s writing style.
Copyright © 2016 Laura Hartman
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
January 6, 2016
I have a particular fondness for mysteries which mix history into their story, especially when it is done seamlessly and made an integral part of the plot. History in this series is a given since the main character is writing a dissertation for her history degree. In this book she is researching the colourful past of Brownsville when she is drawn into a modern day crime. The two world of past and present Brownsville entwine and pull her deeper into the case of one girl beaten and another murdered. Add in two grand dames who have living memories of the period Erica is researching and you have a wonderfully layered and complex story.
I enjoyed the book for the mystery, but even more for the characters Triss Stein draws. She populates her book with people who feel real and who we care about. I highly recommend it to mystery lovers.
January 4, 2016
I would like to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest and open review.
It was only after I finished this book that I realised it was the third in the series. I will certainly be reading the previous 2 books.
This novel combines 2 of my favourite subjects, history and mystery. I studied American History at University and was fascinated by the topic.
There are twists and turns throughout the story. It kept me turning the pages as I was desperate to find out what was going to happen next.
I look forward to reading many more books by Triss Stein.
It was only after I finished this book that I realised it was the third in the series. I will certainly be reading the previous 2 books.
This novel combines 2 of my favourite subjects, history and mystery. I studied American History at University and was fascinated by the topic.
There are twists and turns throughout the story. It kept me turning the pages as I was desperate to find out what was going to happen next.
I look forward to reading many more books by Triss Stein.
September 27, 2017
Same researcher, same doctoral work as occurs in MURDER AT THE BEACH. This time a different murder and a beating near to death of another teen--both scaring Erica to look out for her 15-year-old daughter who seems more grown-up than her mother at times. Then there's Joe--a real boyfriend or just a pretend one?
Erica tires to nail down details for a chapter on crime in Brownsville for her doctoral thesis. She digs deeper into current bad behavior that eventually leads her to answers to questions about earlier victims and perpetrators. If you like history, you'll like this one.
Erica tires to nail down details for a chapter on crime in Brownsville for her doctoral thesis. She digs deeper into current bad behavior that eventually leads her to answers to questions about earlier victims and perpetrators. If you like history, you'll like this one.
June 1, 2020
In a place as old as Brooklyn, there are bound to be lots of secrets. And some are ones that are hoped to never see the light of day by those involved. Erica Donato, Historian, never lets that stop her from digging and bringing things to light. Along the way she meets the most interesting people! Learning about Brooklyn from Triss Stein is an education for this former Bronx girl!
July 13, 2020
I enjoyed the story, but it definitely could have been longer, with the history of Brownsville fleshed out a little more thoroughly. There is one more book in the series, and I’ll definitely read it.
January 19, 2018
This author has me hooked and I dont want her books to end
May 31, 2019
Audio, fun read.
April 22, 2020
Just not BBC as good as book one in the series which was amazing.
December 23, 2016
From the publisher: Erica Donato, Brooklyn girl, urban history grad student, and single mom, is researching the 1930s when Brownsville was the homeof the notorious organized criminals the newspapers called Murder Inc. She quickly learns that even in rapidly changing Brooklyn, Brownsville remains much as it was. It is still poor, it is stil tough,and it still breeds fighters and gangs. Doing field research, Erica stops in at the landmark local library and meets Savanna, a young woman who is the pride of her mother and her bosses, and is headed for an elite college and a future. A few days later, she is found beaten and left for dead. Her anguished mother is everywhere, insisting someone knows something. After a massive, angry demonstration, a young girlfriend of Savanna’s is found dead too. Is there a connection? Did perfect Savanna have a few secrets? Erica is curious. But she’s focused on the 1930s and has located a few women who are happy to share memories. Two are childhood friends who disagree on much, but guard secrets too—ones kept for a lifetime. Never one to resist looking deeper than her research requires,Erica keeps encountering an apparent derelict white man, a vengeful rejected girlfriend, the role of boxing as a way out of poverty, and fading evidence of long-ago crimes.
This is the third book in the series, and each one gives an insightful look at the borough where I grew up. I can vouch for its authenticity, at least to the extent that I recognize the view of its past. The challenge of Erica’s research is matched only by the challenge of bringing up a teenage daughter, all of it very well-drawn, as are the characters who populate the novel. I especially loved the two women of about 90 years of age who are a great resource for Erica as she tries to recapture the people and the “hood” of decades earlier, all fascinating and very believable.
A small white woman in her thirties, Erica certainly stands out in the streets inhabited almost exclusively by non-whites where she tries to get the information she needs to complete her dissertation “on how Brooklyn neighborhoods change over time and the impact of different kinds of newcomers,” and later to try to find the criminals/killers who rule the area. Savanna is a young woman with a bright future, having gotten a scholarship to a prestigious college, when that life is taken away from her with awful brutality. Absorbing and well-written, the novel is a worthy follow-up to the earlier entries in the series, and is recommended.
This is the third book in the series, and each one gives an insightful look at the borough where I grew up. I can vouch for its authenticity, at least to the extent that I recognize the view of its past. The challenge of Erica’s research is matched only by the challenge of bringing up a teenage daughter, all of it very well-drawn, as are the characters who populate the novel. I especially loved the two women of about 90 years of age who are a great resource for Erica as she tries to recapture the people and the “hood” of decades earlier, all fascinating and very believable.
A small white woman in her thirties, Erica certainly stands out in the streets inhabited almost exclusively by non-whites where she tries to get the information she needs to complete her dissertation “on how Brooklyn neighborhoods change over time and the impact of different kinds of newcomers,” and later to try to find the criminals/killers who rule the area. Savanna is a young woman with a bright future, having gotten a scholarship to a prestigious college, when that life is taken away from her with awful brutality. Absorbing and well-written, the novel is a worthy follow-up to the earlier entries in the series, and is recommended.
November 16, 2015
FAILED TO GRAB BY ATTENTION, QUITE LABOURED
While researching the tough Brownsville neighborhood of the 1930s at the local library, Erica meets bright high school senior Savanna Lafayette. When Savanna is found badly beaten a few days later, Erica realizes that she knew Savanna’s mother, Zora, when they were classmates at Brooklyn College and offers to help. Erica and Zora soon must deal with the death of one of Savanna’s young friends. Meanwhile, in the course of Erica’s research into Brownsville’s criminal past and its notorious gangsters, she interviews two elderly women, whose childhood memories lead her on another archival search, involving the role of boxing as a way out of poverty and fading memories of long ago crimes.
As stated above, I couldn't get into this book at all really. If I hadn't been asked to write a review on it, I would probably have given up after about 100 of the 242 pages. I did keep going and it improved marginally enough to merit a second star.
There were several threads in the book that were not very well woven together and the story veered off at tangents away from the main investigation too many times for my liking. It is quite a short book but seemed a fair amount longer as it meandered towards a not particularly inspiring ending.
The author clearly knows her stuff about Brooklyn and its history but I think could have better used this knowledge in spicing up the story significantly. The book is certainly not a turkey but is just below average and was easily forgotten only a few days after I had read it.
Digger95
Breakaway Reviewers received an advanced copy of the book
While researching the tough Brownsville neighborhood of the 1930s at the local library, Erica meets bright high school senior Savanna Lafayette. When Savanna is found badly beaten a few days later, Erica realizes that she knew Savanna’s mother, Zora, when they were classmates at Brooklyn College and offers to help. Erica and Zora soon must deal with the death of one of Savanna’s young friends. Meanwhile, in the course of Erica’s research into Brownsville’s criminal past and its notorious gangsters, she interviews two elderly women, whose childhood memories lead her on another archival search, involving the role of boxing as a way out of poverty and fading memories of long ago crimes.
As stated above, I couldn't get into this book at all really. If I hadn't been asked to write a review on it, I would probably have given up after about 100 of the 242 pages. I did keep going and it improved marginally enough to merit a second star.
There were several threads in the book that were not very well woven together and the story veered off at tangents away from the main investigation too many times for my liking. It is quite a short book but seemed a fair amount longer as it meandered towards a not particularly inspiring ending.
The author clearly knows her stuff about Brooklyn and its history but I think could have better used this knowledge in spicing up the story significantly. The book is certainly not a turkey but is just below average and was easily forgotten only a few days after I had read it.
Digger95
Breakaway Reviewers received an advanced copy of the book
December 7, 2015
Erica Donato is an urban history graduate student, balancing the completion of her dissertation with being a single mom. Her research focuses on 1930s Brownsville, during a period of time when the area was heavy with organized crime. A stop at a library in the area leads Erica to meet a teenager named Savanna, a young woman with a bright future ahead of her. But when Savanna is attacked, Erica wonders if there might be a connection to some young men who accosted her one day when she was leaving the library. And when she realizes he was in a class with Savanna's mother years ago, she finds herself even more connected to the story and the case. Erica Donato is curious and never one to let her knack for research go to waste...
Typically in a murder mystery, the search for the suspect leads us down a path of finding someone who is depraved or sinister. But so many times, crimes are committed as a result of circumstance. Or, in the case of younger criminals, sometimes they just don't know that they have any other choice. This story takes us down that other path--the path where social pressures and the folly of youth can lead people to harm others just as easily as a criminal nature. And those are paths that are much more difficult for us to follow, not only when it comes to figuring out "whodunnit" but also accepting the answer once we find it.
This is the third Erica Donato book, but you don't necessarily need to have read any of the others. I hadn't before reading this, and I had no problems at all following and understanding the story. It's very self-contained.
Typically in a murder mystery, the search for the suspect leads us down a path of finding someone who is depraved or sinister. But so many times, crimes are committed as a result of circumstance. Or, in the case of younger criminals, sometimes they just don't know that they have any other choice. This story takes us down that other path--the path where social pressures and the folly of youth can lead people to harm others just as easily as a criminal nature. And those are paths that are much more difficult for us to follow, not only when it comes to figuring out "whodunnit" but also accepting the answer once we find it.
This is the third Erica Donato book, but you don't necessarily need to have read any of the others. I hadn't before reading this, and I had no problems at all following and understanding the story. It's very self-contained.
January 31, 2016
I have been really lucky in my choices of books I have read so far in January of 2016. Including Brooklyn Secrets. Triss Stein has kept up her terrific work in this third book of her series. If you are looking for a fast fast-paced mystery--this isn't it. This is a remarkable look at Brooklyn, at it's history and how the author sees it now. I felt like I was invited to visit, and was viewing it through her (Triss Stein's) eyes. I could actually touch, smell and see Brooklyn.
Erica Donato is a wonderful, strong and very sympathetic character. As a urban history grad student I loved following her through all her research, the push she had to find all the answers. I also loved the way she made new and interesting friends, spent time with them, learnt from them and offered them help when needed. Erica is also a great (single) mom with a very interesting and accomplished 15 year old daughter who brings a lot of color to the story.
I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to read a slightly different mystery and who would enjoy learning something about Brooklyn, now and it's history.
Erica Donato is a wonderful, strong and very sympathetic character. As a urban history grad student I loved following her through all her research, the push she had to find all the answers. I also loved the way she made new and interesting friends, spent time with them, learnt from them and offered them help when needed. Erica is also a great (single) mom with a very interesting and accomplished 15 year old daughter who brings a lot of color to the story.
I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to read a slightly different mystery and who would enjoy learning something about Brooklyn, now and it's history.
February 11, 2017
What a compelling story! The intensity builds as the story progresses. As a girl from Brooklyn I enjoyed the local history. Loved the research, the library and the archives! Triss, You Go Girl!!!
March 24, 2016
Brooklyn Secrets: An Erica Donato Mystery is about who else, Erica Donato. A PhD. student, mother and an amateur sleuth. Brooklyn Secrets is about her research on crime in Brownsville. This search takes her into the seedier sides of Brownsville, with close encounters with people that you don't want to come in contact with. This is also the story of a girl, Savannah, who is brutally attacked and another little girl Deandrea who is killed and the search for who committed these terrible acts.
I found this book to be lackluster in that it was a slower read and I didn't get closure from the characters at the end. This could possibly be leading to another part of the story, but from just reading this book, I was disappointed.
I found this book to be lackluster in that it was a slower read and I didn't get closure from the characters at the end. This could possibly be leading to another part of the story, but from just reading this book, I was disappointed.
January 12, 2016
This was my first book in the Erica Donato Mystery series. I had no problem with following the story, not having read the previous installments. I found this a well-written series where the main character of Erica is a widowed mom of a teenaged daughter who has gone back to college working on her masters in history and she works at a museum. That make her a curious person and she stumbles upon the mystery at the center of the story as she works on her dissertation. The main characters are nicely fleshed out. It was a highly entertaining story.
November 20, 2015
I've read the others in this well done series but I don't think you need to appreciate this latest! Stein does a very good job of matching up problems in old and new Brownsville. You'll get a nice bit of New York history with your mystery. I particularly liked the characters, especially Lil. The mystery/plot itself, however, was a bit predictable, although this did not keep me from enjoying the book. THanks NETGALLEY!
December 16, 2015
[library audiobook, plot summary elsewhere.]
Disclosure, I'm a Brooklyn native and a CUNY faculty. So this story centers on a Brooklyn College graduate, CUNY grad center PhD candidate with family from Brownsville, writing her dissertation. Plus some memorable '40's women intellectuals living in a nursing home narrating the old days. No deductions, read the rest of the series!
Disclosure, I'm a Brooklyn native and a CUNY faculty. So this story centers on a Brooklyn College graduate, CUNY grad center PhD candidate with family from Brownsville, writing her dissertation. Plus some memorable '40's women intellectuals living in a nursing home narrating the old days. No deductions, read the rest of the series!
June 21, 2016
Good read, interesting story with historical references in modern times.
December 6, 2015
I really tried to love this book, but I just couldn't. It seemed very long and drawn out to me. I had to force myself to finish it.
December 18, 2015
Nicely written crime novel combining stories of Brownsville Brooklyn now and in its past illustrating the idea that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
January 27, 2016
Enjoyable book. Probably will not read the first two but will continue forward as they are published.
April 25, 2016
Review to come.
July 4, 2016
Well-written. Read the print copy about this academic with a daughter. Look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews