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Timothy Wilde #3
Das Feuer der Freiheit
Historischer Thriller
1848. In New York geht ein Feuerteufel um. Oder ist es womöglich eine Teufelin? Der ausbeuterische Unternehmer Robert Symmes lässt Näherinnen unter unerträglichen Bedingungen arbeiten. Hat eine von ihnen seine Fabrik in Brand gesetzt? Oder war es die Frauenrechtlerin Sally Woods – die sich höchst verdächtig benimmt? Timothy Wilde, Polizist wider Willen, bekommt es bei seinem neuen Fall mit Rache, Mord und Erpressung zu tun.
528 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 12, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 370 reviews
April 1, 2026
(B) 72% | More than Satisfactory
Notes: Secondary characters are mere objects of outrage or pity, vital insofar as they act out a narrative of moral correctness.
Notes: Secondary characters are mere objects of outrage or pity, vital insofar as they act out a narrative of moral correctness.
April 5, 2015
I got an ARC! A dubious honor when the result was my heart in my throat for the entirety of the 450 pages. I care way too much about too many of these people who put their darling little lives into too much danger. About midway through I was bargaining with my own feelings. Like "ok, Bird can go, Mercy can go, the bakery can burn down, I will deal but if ANYTHING happens to VAL I will incite a mighty riot."
Like all good mysteries, I managed to keep up with the twists and turns, sometimes foolishly thinking I was ahead of the mystery. FOOLISH I SAY. There are twist to be had without coming out of left field, a very rewarding read, even with the elevated blood pressure.
Like all good mysteries, I managed to keep up with the twists and turns, sometimes foolishly thinking I was ahead of the mystery. FOOLISH I SAY. There are twist to be had without coming out of left field, a very rewarding read, even with the elevated blood pressure.
September 10, 2016
The third installment of the Timothy Wilde series flounders a bit in its execution, and the overall tension in the series seems to continually decline as the stakes feel lower and lower with each new book.
The Fatal Flame is as well researched and eloquently written as it's predecessors, but the book concerns itself with too many subplots: the book has to do with the mystery of an arsonist, but it's also about Timothy's love life; it's about politics and concerns itself with an election; it focuses on Timothy's relationship with his brother; it's also a story about women's rights. And poverty. And racism. And rape. It's no small feat to work all of these topics into one book, but the result is the absence of a primary plot line that's developed enough to hold the reader captive.
On the upside, the author's character descriptions are as magnificent as always:
Her faced was pie-round and pasty, with flaking lips and royal violet semicircles under her eyes that reminded me of Val after a positively operatic morphine spree. She was too tall to be a child, too lost to be a woman full grown. Starving to death as she was, dressed in rags and filth, the poor wretch looked as if she were already decomposing.
A snowy beard and a grey top hat completed the benevolent picture. But he was only a pantomime of a prosperous businessman. McGlynn owned a thin gash of a mouth and the stare of a born slave trader, the outline of a flask marred his jacket, and his nails where they gripped the pasteboard sign were dark with grit.
And the author peppers in lovely descriptions that beg to be read multiple times:
She laughed, then subsided into the quiet we favor -- a quiet like lazy lemon-hued Sunday mornings and balmy August firefly nights.
She kissed me, and I breathed in the warm bready scent of her before catching the back of her head with my fingertips and chasing the hint of brown sugar I always suspect lurks on the underside of her tongue.
The Fatal Flame is a nice addition to the series, nothing more, nothing less.
The Fatal Flame is as well researched and eloquently written as it's predecessors, but the book concerns itself with too many subplots: the book has to do with the mystery of an arsonist, but it's also about Timothy's love life; it's about politics and concerns itself with an election; it focuses on Timothy's relationship with his brother; it's also a story about women's rights. And poverty. And racism. And rape. It's no small feat to work all of these topics into one book, but the result is the absence of a primary plot line that's developed enough to hold the reader captive.
On the upside, the author's character descriptions are as magnificent as always:
Her faced was pie-round and pasty, with flaking lips and royal violet semicircles under her eyes that reminded me of Val after a positively operatic morphine spree. She was too tall to be a child, too lost to be a woman full grown. Starving to death as she was, dressed in rags and filth, the poor wretch looked as if she were already decomposing.
A snowy beard and a grey top hat completed the benevolent picture. But he was only a pantomime of a prosperous businessman. McGlynn owned a thin gash of a mouth and the stare of a born slave trader, the outline of a flask marred his jacket, and his nails where they gripped the pasteboard sign were dark with grit.
And the author peppers in lovely descriptions that beg to be read multiple times:
She laughed, then subsided into the quiet we favor -- a quiet like lazy lemon-hued Sunday mornings and balmy August firefly nights.
She kissed me, and I breathed in the warm bready scent of her before catching the back of her head with my fingertips and chasing the hint of brown sugar I always suspect lurks on the underside of her tongue.
The Fatal Flame is a nice addition to the series, nothing more, nothing less.
March 4, 2015
If The Fatal Flame turns out to be the final installment in the Timothy Wilde series (and I have on good report that it is), Lyndsay Faye has saved the best for last and delivered a dynamic, enormously satisfying conclusion. If you’ve read Gods of Gotham and Seven for a Secret, you’re going to want to run to get The Fatal Flame (out 5/12/15). If you haven’t, and you’re a fan of literary mysteries, historical fiction or just well-written hero stories that immerse you in another world, then what the hell have you been doing? Go get Gods of Gotham immediately! You’ll have plenty of time to enjoy it and Seven for a Secret before you can get to The Fatal Flame.
As with the first two Timothy Wilde installments, Faye crafts a complex, propulsive central mystery that keeps you guessing until the final reveal. Even as the “who” (the arsonist or arsonists who committed the titular “fatal flame”) comes into focus, the “why” is a rewarding surprise. Faye again crafts a twisty, well-paced mystery and, most importantly, plays fair with the reader. While the turns are unexpected, Faye never cheats: the clues and motivations are slyly seeded throughout and pay off when “copper star” Timothy Wilde puts them together for us.
These are more than just good mysteries, however. Lyndsay Faye’s Wilde Trilogy transcends genre in two ways: in the elegance and impact of its historical setting and in the emotional richness of its world-building.
When describing Faye’s work to the unfamiliar, I always make the point that she is a master of elegantly weaving rich historical detail and context into the story. She avoids the easy and all-too-familiar crutch of having Captain Exposition enter a scene to explain the background context and its significance in order to explain a character’s actions.
Faye paints such an evocative picture of 1840’s New York City that we’re able to understand and feel the human-scale consequences of the culture and institutions that comprise the era. We get to understand what it means to be a woman at that time, where life options are essentially binary: marry or struggle not to starve to death. In previous books, Faye has focused on the plight of the Irish immigrant and the “freed” African American in that time. Works of historical fiction frequently have characters that play out and/or stand in as archetypes and symbols of a conflict of the period. Faye creates fully-fleshed characters that act within and outside the culture’s framework. These characters are humans, not symbols. This allows for complexity and results, in Faye’s hands, in true emotional payoffs.
Throughout the three books, Faye populates the world of Timothy Wilde with complex, authentic, human-sized characters. The cumulative effect of this work pays off mightily in The Fatal Flame. Because each recurring character has been painted throughout the series with nuance and depth and love, there are genuine, affecting emotional stakes on the line. There were a half-dozen times or more in Flame where I caught myself tense and worried for the fates of different characters.
Three-quarters of the way through the book, I was struck with the realization of just how many characters in this world that was I deeply invested in—Bird Daly, Elena Boehm, Jacob Piest, Gentleman Jim Playfair, Valentine Wilde (of course), even the fantastically, singularly awful Silkie Marsh. I liken this deep bench of richly and precisely drawn characters to Mad Men. It’s appropriately synchronous, I suppose, that The Fatal Flame, seemingly the final chapter of the Timothy Wilde story, hits shelves the same week as Mad Men’s series finale.
The Fatal Flame is a terrific read and a tremendously satisfying conclusion to Timothy Wilde’s story. Despite the 30-degree weather, spring must have been in full bloom because my eyes watered throughout the last few pages. Flame’s final page is one of the loveliest endings to a book I can remember and thrills me to think what Lyndsay Faye has in store for us next. Whatever it is, I’ll be there.
As with the first two Timothy Wilde installments, Faye crafts a complex, propulsive central mystery that keeps you guessing until the final reveal. Even as the “who” (the arsonist or arsonists who committed the titular “fatal flame”) comes into focus, the “why” is a rewarding surprise. Faye again crafts a twisty, well-paced mystery and, most importantly, plays fair with the reader. While the turns are unexpected, Faye never cheats: the clues and motivations are slyly seeded throughout and pay off when “copper star” Timothy Wilde puts them together for us.
These are more than just good mysteries, however. Lyndsay Faye’s Wilde Trilogy transcends genre in two ways: in the elegance and impact of its historical setting and in the emotional richness of its world-building.
When describing Faye’s work to the unfamiliar, I always make the point that she is a master of elegantly weaving rich historical detail and context into the story. She avoids the easy and all-too-familiar crutch of having Captain Exposition enter a scene to explain the background context and its significance in order to explain a character’s actions.
Faye paints such an evocative picture of 1840’s New York City that we’re able to understand and feel the human-scale consequences of the culture and institutions that comprise the era. We get to understand what it means to be a woman at that time, where life options are essentially binary: marry or struggle not to starve to death. In previous books, Faye has focused on the plight of the Irish immigrant and the “freed” African American in that time. Works of historical fiction frequently have characters that play out and/or stand in as archetypes and symbols of a conflict of the period. Faye creates fully-fleshed characters that act within and outside the culture’s framework. These characters are humans, not symbols. This allows for complexity and results, in Faye’s hands, in true emotional payoffs.
Throughout the three books, Faye populates the world of Timothy Wilde with complex, authentic, human-sized characters. The cumulative effect of this work pays off mightily in The Fatal Flame. Because each recurring character has been painted throughout the series with nuance and depth and love, there are genuine, affecting emotional stakes on the line. There were a half-dozen times or more in Flame where I caught myself tense and worried for the fates of different characters.
Three-quarters of the way through the book, I was struck with the realization of just how many characters in this world that was I deeply invested in—Bird Daly, Elena Boehm, Jacob Piest, Gentleman Jim Playfair, Valentine Wilde (of course), even the fantastically, singularly awful Silkie Marsh. I liken this deep bench of richly and precisely drawn characters to Mad Men. It’s appropriately synchronous, I suppose, that The Fatal Flame, seemingly the final chapter of the Timothy Wilde story, hits shelves the same week as Mad Men’s series finale.
The Fatal Flame is a terrific read and a tremendously satisfying conclusion to Timothy Wilde’s story. Despite the 30-degree weather, spring must have been in full bloom because my eyes watered throughout the last few pages. Flame’s final page is one of the loveliest endings to a book I can remember and thrills me to think what Lyndsay Faye has in store for us next. Whatever it is, I’ll be there.
April 16, 2016
The Timothy Wilde trilogy concludes with The Fatal Flame and I can’t help but feel a little sad because I’m going to miss the world and it’s characters.
Timothy seemed very distracted in this book, which made the mystery feel a little less cohesive that the previous two.
Gender and politics make up the main crux of the story. We get to see the terrible mistreatment of immigrants - particularly women, the unfair conditions under which female factory workers must work, and the exploitation of poor women who have nothing to sell but themselves. At times it was very hard to read and especially sad when you realize that a lot of the abuse still goes on today.
The characters in this story felt a little far away. We don’t get to see as much of Bird, or even Mercy who shows up unexpectedly, I was particularly sad that Valentine was too busy campaigning for a city office. There was still plenty of bickering, but we also see the brothers finally admit - well Tim to admit that he doesn’t hate his bother as much as he likes to think.
Overall, this was good finish to the series, but neither sequel was as good as Gods of Gotham. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the series and would highly recommend it to anyone who likes history and mysteries.
Timothy seemed very distracted in this book, which made the mystery feel a little less cohesive that the previous two.
Gender and politics make up the main crux of the story. We get to see the terrible mistreatment of immigrants - particularly women, the unfair conditions under which female factory workers must work, and the exploitation of poor women who have nothing to sell but themselves. At times it was very hard to read and especially sad when you realize that a lot of the abuse still goes on today.
The characters in this story felt a little far away. We don’t get to see as much of Bird, or even Mercy who shows up unexpectedly, I was particularly sad that Valentine was too busy campaigning for a city office. There was still plenty of bickering, but we also see the brothers finally admit - well Tim to admit that he doesn’t hate his bother as much as he likes to think.
Overall, this was good finish to the series, but neither sequel was as good as Gods of Gotham. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the series and would highly recommend it to anyone who likes history and mysteries.
November 16, 2015
This is the third book in the Timothy Wilde series by Lyndsay Faye. Out of the three, this was my least favorite. (The second one was by far my most favorite.) Even though this one wasn't my favorite, I still liked it. I'm a fan of this author's writing. She is very eloquent at times. Her descriptions, and even the vocabulary, is wonderful to read. I also liked the characters. The brothers are so well drawn. I love how they are ready to kill each other one minute and in the next they are showing fondness. This relationship is well done.
I guess there were a couple of things that I disliked. It was mostly with the story line. It was a little political which is definitely not my thing. Also, things were often kind of conveniently dropped into their laps to help them get to the bottom of the mystery. I'm not a fan of that....at all.
Overall, this was 3 stars and I liked the way some of the loose ends were tied up with this last book in the trilogy.
I guess there were a couple of things that I disliked. It was mostly with the story line. It was a little political which is definitely not my thing. Also, things were often kind of conveniently dropped into their laps to help them get to the bottom of the mystery. I'm not a fan of that....at all.
Overall, this was 3 stars and I liked the way some of the loose ends were tied up with this last book in the trilogy.
October 12, 2024
Feeling a bit heartsick that the series is over! I fell a little in love with Timothy Wilde myself, and I'm really going to miss his investigations.
As I feared, The Fatal Flame wasn't my favorite in the trilogy. Any developments that bring it all to an end were never going to make me happy. At least all three books had different foci. The Gods of Gotham was about religious and national persecution. Seven for a Secret was about slavery and abolitionism. Knowing this would be her last volume, Lyndsay Faye threw everything else she could into it: women's rights (working, wages, owning property, eschewing marriage/children, etc.), arsonists, gay bashing, lost loves, getting older, redemption, police brutality and abuse of power... and a huge part was about NYC politics since one of the MCs, Valentine Wilde, decides to run against the corrupt current alderman. If it sounds a bit messy, that's because it was. Fewer subjects would've made this a snappier read.
I am not at all happy with how things ended with Tim, Mercy and Miss Boehm. I wanted more closure with Valentine and Jim, and I wanted to actually watch Bird and fall in love, but it all happens off-page! I suppose Lyndsay Faye knew those stories would require more books, and she was simply finished.
This is a series I'll re-read one day. Very much recommended.
As I feared, The Fatal Flame wasn't my favorite in the trilogy. Any developments that bring it all to an end were never going to make me happy. At least all three books had different foci. The Gods of Gotham was about religious and national persecution. Seven for a Secret was about slavery and abolitionism. Knowing this would be her last volume, Lyndsay Faye threw everything else she could into it: women's rights (working, wages, owning property, eschewing marriage/children, etc.), arsonists, gay bashing, lost loves, getting older, redemption, police brutality and abuse of power... and a huge part was about NYC politics since one of the MCs, Valentine Wilde, decides to run against the corrupt current alderman. If it sounds a bit messy, that's because it was. Fewer subjects would've made this a snappier read.
I am not at all happy with how things ended with Tim, Mercy and Miss Boehm. I wanted more closure with Valentine and Jim, and I wanted to actually watch Bird and fall in love, but it all happens off-page! I suppose Lyndsay Faye knew those stories would require more books, and she was simply finished.
This is a series I'll re-read one day. Very much recommended.
January 1, 2018
Trigger warnings: fire, murder, nineteenth century approaches to mental health care, torture.
What Lyndsay Faye does consistently well is capture the gritty underbelly of historical society. She's clearly done a HUGE amount of research into the language, the tensions, the food, the medical practices, and the politics of the time, and she manages to seamlessly weave all of it into a story that's compelling and tense and action-packed.
I've thoroughly enjoyed this series and the diversity that it brings with it. The characters are wonderful, there are plenty of moral grey zones, and they all feel incredibly human. The mystery is gripping, and the whole thing was thoroughly enjoyable. I still think the second book in the trilogy is my favourite, but this one wasn't far behind.
What Lyndsay Faye does consistently well is capture the gritty underbelly of historical society. She's clearly done a HUGE amount of research into the language, the tensions, the food, the medical practices, and the politics of the time, and she manages to seamlessly weave all of it into a story that's compelling and tense and action-packed.
I've thoroughly enjoyed this series and the diversity that it brings with it. The characters are wonderful, there are plenty of moral grey zones, and they all feel incredibly human. The mystery is gripping, and the whole thing was thoroughly enjoyable. I still think the second book in the trilogy is my favourite, but this one wasn't far behind.
June 3, 2020
All three books in the series are 4*'s.
Ms Faye is becoming a favorite.
Ms Faye is becoming a favorite.
February 27, 2016
4.5 Sterne für einen fesselnden Trilogie Abschluss!
Zum Inhalt
1848 - Eine Zeit des Umbruchs in der Stadt New York. Seien es die politischen Unstimmigkeiten, dem Aufkommen der Frauenrechtsbewegung oder die katastrophalen Verhältnisse in der Arbeiterklasse.
Timothy Wilde gerät natürlich wieder mitten zwischen die Fronten, als der amtierende Stadtrat Robert Symmes die Polizei um Hilfe bittet: Eine radikale Frauenrechtlerin droht, seine Fabriken in Brand zu setzen und beschimpft ihn als Ausbeuter und Menschenverachter.
Gleichzeitig kollidiert Timothys Bruder Valentine mit den politischen Machtspielen und so hat der beherzte Cop wider Willen alle Hände voll zu tun, um eine Eskalation zu verhindern, deren Ausmaße die Zukunft der ganzen Stadt verändern könnte ...
Meine Meinung
Ich bin wieder begeistert! Schon von den ersten beiden Bänden, die insgesamt sehr ungewöhnlich sind und mich tief eintauchen lassen in die Lebensumstände des damaligen New York. Vor allem wenn man bedenkt, dass diese Zeit gerade mal 150 Jahre her ist!
Schon der --- Schreibstil --- hat mich mit seiner Atmosphäre sofort wieder eingenommen: Lyndsay Faye beschreibt jede Szene mit sehr viel Feingefühl und breitet das historische New York lebendig und bildhaft vor einem aus. Der Protagonist Timothy Wilde erzählt seine Geschichte aus der Ich-Perspektive und hat mich intensiv an seinen Gedanken teilhaben lassen.
Der Stil ist sehr ungewöhnlich, wobei ich mich jedes Mal recht schnell zurecht finde. Die Sprache ist wunderbar angepasst und enthält sogar immer wieder Wörter aus dem "Flash", der geheimen Gaunersprache aus der damaligen Zeit. Meistens ist die Bedeutung aus den gegebenen Umständen ersichtlich, man kann aber auch hinten im Buch im Glossar nachschlagen.
Trotz fesselnder Thematik kann man nicht so schnell durch die Seiten fliegen, einfach weil es wirklich anspruchsvoll geschrieben ist und viele Metaphern enthält, die man auf sich wirken lassen muss. Allerdings gab es auch kleine Absätze, die ich nicht verstanden hab, gerade in den Dialogen - das hielt sich aber sehr in Grenzen.
--- Die Charaktere --- Ich werde sie vermissen! Allen voran natürlich Timothy und sein Bruder Valentine sind so wunderbar gegensätzlich, aber zusammengeschweißt durch ihre Vergangenheit und damit gezwungen, trotz starker Konflikte zusammen zu halten.
Beide sind Getriebene, die keine Ruhe finden und immer auf der Suche nach einem inneren Gleichgewicht sind, das ihnen auf den unruhigen Straßen von New York verwehrt wird - noch dazu in einer Zeit, in der Ehre und Vertrauen zwar großgeschrieben, aber in der an jeder Ecke gemauschelt wurde, wo es nur ging.
Bird Daly, das junge Mädchen mit dem schrecklichen Schicksal aus Band 1 spielt noch immer eine große Rolle für Timothy, genauso die verhasste Bordellbesitzerin Silky Marsh, deren Rolle in den Machenschaften schwer einzuschätzen ist. Aber auch Jakob Piest, Timothys langjähriger Freund und Polizeikollege und Elena Boehm, die Bäckerin, bei der er Unterschlupf gefunden hat, haben einen wichtigen Platz in seinem Leben eingenommen.
Alles sehr prägnante und originelle Figuren, die ein passendes, wenn auch überraschendes "Ende" gefunden haben!
--- Die Handlung --- hat mich wieder von der ersten Seite an in den Bann gezogen. Viele kleine Hinweise haben mir alles aus der Vorgeschichte in Erinnerung gerufen und ich war sofort wieder drin. Es gibt hier keine klare Richtung eines Krimis oder eines actionreichen Abenteuers, sondern die besondere Verbindung aus politischen Intrigen, den Konflikten der Figuren, der korrupten Machtspiele und dem gestrandeten Sammelsurium dieser Stadt in allen Farben und Eindrücken.
Die Situationen der ungewollten Zuwanderer aus Irland, den schlimmen Arbeitsbedingungen vor allem auch für die Frauen, den obdachlosen Säufern oder der leichten Mädchen, die keine Chance auf ein besseres Leben haben werden eindrucksvoll und lebensnah beschrieben.
Die Geschichte wird langsam aufgebaut und trotzdem war ich total gefangen von diesem mitreißenden Fluss an, der mich jedes Mal wieder vorantreibt und mich nicht loslassen lässt.
Besonders die Frauenbewegung zu dieser Zeit steckte ja noch in den Kinderschuhen und über die Ansichten zur damaligen Zeit könnte man lachen, wären sie nicht so real und gravierend gewesen.
Fazit
Ein beeindruckender, fesselnder Abschluss der Trilogie, die mich in den Sumpf der Korruption und des Verbrechens an unterschiedlicher Stelle geführt hat - mitten hinein in das schillernde oder auch düstere Leben New Yorks, welches der Hauptakteur Timothy Wilde mit all seinen Kräften gemeistert hat.
© Aleshanee
Weltenwanderer
Timothy Wilde Mysteries
1 - Der Teufel von New York
2 - Die Entführung der Delia Wright
3 - Das Feuer der Freiheit
Zum Inhalt
1848 - Eine Zeit des Umbruchs in der Stadt New York. Seien es die politischen Unstimmigkeiten, dem Aufkommen der Frauenrechtsbewegung oder die katastrophalen Verhältnisse in der Arbeiterklasse.
Timothy Wilde gerät natürlich wieder mitten zwischen die Fronten, als der amtierende Stadtrat Robert Symmes die Polizei um Hilfe bittet: Eine radikale Frauenrechtlerin droht, seine Fabriken in Brand zu setzen und beschimpft ihn als Ausbeuter und Menschenverachter.
Gleichzeitig kollidiert Timothys Bruder Valentine mit den politischen Machtspielen und so hat der beherzte Cop wider Willen alle Hände voll zu tun, um eine Eskalation zu verhindern, deren Ausmaße die Zukunft der ganzen Stadt verändern könnte ...
Meine Meinung
Ich bin wieder begeistert! Schon von den ersten beiden Bänden, die insgesamt sehr ungewöhnlich sind und mich tief eintauchen lassen in die Lebensumstände des damaligen New York. Vor allem wenn man bedenkt, dass diese Zeit gerade mal 150 Jahre her ist!
Schon der --- Schreibstil --- hat mich mit seiner Atmosphäre sofort wieder eingenommen: Lyndsay Faye beschreibt jede Szene mit sehr viel Feingefühl und breitet das historische New York lebendig und bildhaft vor einem aus. Der Protagonist Timothy Wilde erzählt seine Geschichte aus der Ich-Perspektive und hat mich intensiv an seinen Gedanken teilhaben lassen.
Der Stil ist sehr ungewöhnlich, wobei ich mich jedes Mal recht schnell zurecht finde. Die Sprache ist wunderbar angepasst und enthält sogar immer wieder Wörter aus dem "Flash", der geheimen Gaunersprache aus der damaligen Zeit. Meistens ist die Bedeutung aus den gegebenen Umständen ersichtlich, man kann aber auch hinten im Buch im Glossar nachschlagen.
Trotz fesselnder Thematik kann man nicht so schnell durch die Seiten fliegen, einfach weil es wirklich anspruchsvoll geschrieben ist und viele Metaphern enthält, die man auf sich wirken lassen muss. Allerdings gab es auch kleine Absätze, die ich nicht verstanden hab, gerade in den Dialogen - das hielt sich aber sehr in Grenzen.
--- Die Charaktere --- Ich werde sie vermissen! Allen voran natürlich Timothy und sein Bruder Valentine sind so wunderbar gegensätzlich, aber zusammengeschweißt durch ihre Vergangenheit und damit gezwungen, trotz starker Konflikte zusammen zu halten.
Beide sind Getriebene, die keine Ruhe finden und immer auf der Suche nach einem inneren Gleichgewicht sind, das ihnen auf den unruhigen Straßen von New York verwehrt wird - noch dazu in einer Zeit, in der Ehre und Vertrauen zwar großgeschrieben, aber in der an jeder Ecke gemauschelt wurde, wo es nur ging.
Bird Daly, das junge Mädchen mit dem schrecklichen Schicksal aus Band 1 spielt noch immer eine große Rolle für Timothy, genauso die verhasste Bordellbesitzerin Silky Marsh, deren Rolle in den Machenschaften schwer einzuschätzen ist. Aber auch Jakob Piest, Timothys langjähriger Freund und Polizeikollege und Elena Boehm, die Bäckerin, bei der er Unterschlupf gefunden hat, haben einen wichtigen Platz in seinem Leben eingenommen.
Alles sehr prägnante und originelle Figuren, die ein passendes, wenn auch überraschendes "Ende" gefunden haben!
--- Die Handlung --- hat mich wieder von der ersten Seite an in den Bann gezogen. Viele kleine Hinweise haben mir alles aus der Vorgeschichte in Erinnerung gerufen und ich war sofort wieder drin. Es gibt hier keine klare Richtung eines Krimis oder eines actionreichen Abenteuers, sondern die besondere Verbindung aus politischen Intrigen, den Konflikten der Figuren, der korrupten Machtspiele und dem gestrandeten Sammelsurium dieser Stadt in allen Farben und Eindrücken.
Die Situationen der ungewollten Zuwanderer aus Irland, den schlimmen Arbeitsbedingungen vor allem auch für die Frauen, den obdachlosen Säufern oder der leichten Mädchen, die keine Chance auf ein besseres Leben haben werden eindrucksvoll und lebensnah beschrieben.
Die Geschichte wird langsam aufgebaut und trotzdem war ich total gefangen von diesem mitreißenden Fluss an, der mich jedes Mal wieder vorantreibt und mich nicht loslassen lässt.
Besonders die Frauenbewegung zu dieser Zeit steckte ja noch in den Kinderschuhen und über die Ansichten zur damaligen Zeit könnte man lachen, wären sie nicht so real und gravierend gewesen.
Fazit
Ein beeindruckender, fesselnder Abschluss der Trilogie, die mich in den Sumpf der Korruption und des Verbrechens an unterschiedlicher Stelle geführt hat - mitten hinein in das schillernde oder auch düstere Leben New Yorks, welches der Hauptakteur Timothy Wilde mit all seinen Kräften gemeistert hat.
© Aleshanee
Weltenwanderer
Timothy Wilde Mysteries
1 - Der Teufel von New York
2 - Die Entführung der Delia Wright
3 - Das Feuer der Freiheit
August 11, 2019
Thank you, Lyndsay Faye, I can definitely tell you that Timothy Wilde was worth getting to know.
October 4, 2020
I savored every word of this book knowing it was the last Wilde book. Knowing it's the last of Faye's work I have left to read. I could have easily plowed through this book in a sitting but I knew it had to be a slow burn (pun intended?).
If I didn't follow her on IG and see several pictures of a very real person, I'd swear Faye had a front seat to life in mid-1800's New York City. Her ability to drop the reader right in the middle of the city is nothing short of masterful.
And her characters? Ugh. Please don't make me pick between the Wilde brothers. I can't do it. I love them both for many different reasons and yet for one very similar reason. They are both so very flawed. Valentine is a well dressed and highly intelligent brute. Timothy is a hopeless romantic. I dare you to listen to Timothy wax about Mercy and not feel anything.
The most disappointing thing about this book? It's very definitely the end. The story of Timothy Wilde was never going to be anything more than a trilogy. I'm not even going to bother clinging to hope.
If I didn't follow her on IG and see several pictures of a very real person, I'd swear Faye had a front seat to life in mid-1800's New York City. Her ability to drop the reader right in the middle of the city is nothing short of masterful.
And her characters? Ugh. Please don't make me pick between the Wilde brothers. I can't do it. I love them both for many different reasons and yet for one very similar reason. They are both so very flawed. Valentine is a well dressed and highly intelligent brute. Timothy is a hopeless romantic. I dare you to listen to Timothy wax about Mercy and not feel anything.
The most disappointing thing about this book? It's very definitely the end. The story of Timothy Wilde was never going to be anything more than a trilogy. I'm not even going to bother clinging to hope.
June 1, 2021
A good (if over-long) end to something you don't see every day - a detective series that finishes after only three installments.
June 24, 2015
The Fatal Flame by Lyndsay Faye returns us to the world of 1840's New York City, Five Points, the birth of the Copper Stars and the graft and corruption of Tammany Hall. Young Copper Star Timothy Wilde must investigate the arson of a decrepit tenement building and the issuing death of two women but what he finds as he digs deeper is worse than the burning death of these two young women; far worse.
No one hates fires more than Timothy Wilde. His parents consumed in a blaze. His own face horribly disfigured. So when a corrupt Tammany Hall Politician, Robert Symmes, is threatened by a disgruntled former employee and activist; Timothy is charged with catching the would be arsonist. What he finds out is that the vendetta goes much deeper than the burning down of a building. It has to do with the deplorable conditions the seamstress and her co-workers struggle under and the use of force to keep them in line. To make matters worse, Tim's brother Valentine, himself deeply political, decides to campaign against Symmes. As Tim digs he finds that Symmes is suspected of crimes much darker than he could imagine. To come to the truth, Tim must align himself with an enemy he cannot trust, the Madame Silkie Marsh.
"...A corner of her mouth curved ironically. 'Do you know, I readily admit that you are a man who can string words together, Mr. Wilde. Though it is likely the only quality you possess other than a profound knack for barging in where you are unwanted.'
'Just why are you palavering with me, then?'
'Because I want you to barge in where you are wanted for once in your petty little life,'she hissed, showing the bile beneath the elegance.
'You're trying to convince me to protect you,' I realized.
'No, I know you'll protect me' She gestured at the brothel we were fast approaching, its sedate exterior belying the perverse events that had occurred within. 'You won't want to protect me, as uncomfortable as that fact might be when placed alongside your tiresome notions of chivalry. But protect me you will, nevertheless.'
'Whyso?'
'Because you'll be protecting fourteen other girls, Mr. Wilde..."
Wilde must content with enemies too powerful for him alone and also with the return of the woman he loves but can never attain, Mercy Underhill. He must decide what is fact and what is fantasy as the next arson is set to happen.
Lyndsay Faye creates a New York, in a window of time that is as rife with corruption and grit and lawlessness that it would make Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York look pale in comparison. In Timothy Wilde she has created a flawed hero who's sense of right and wrong is tested by the city, the time, and most of all by those he loves.
The Fatal Flame is book three of the Timothy Wilde mysteries and ties together so many of the loose ends that had been left dangling in the first two tales. It is a finale but one hopes that it is not the end of Timothy Wilde and Faye brings us back to this city, this time and this copper star for at least one more run.
Faye also, as she has in her two prior mysteries staring Timothy Wilde, addresses a horrible injustice suffered by the people of this time. The seamstresses who suffered under the yoke of their master's oppression. The rapes suffered by women that too often would go unpunished. Immigrants who were turned into prostitutes by the men and women who they though would befriend them and the machinations of a city government meant to line its own pockets far above and before caring for its people. At a time when the nation was beginning to be torn apart with the upcoming Civil War.
Faye is a terrific writer who has chiseled out a time and mystery series that is as yet unrivaled by others in this field.
A terrific read!
No one hates fires more than Timothy Wilde. His parents consumed in a blaze. His own face horribly disfigured. So when a corrupt Tammany Hall Politician, Robert Symmes, is threatened by a disgruntled former employee and activist; Timothy is charged with catching the would be arsonist. What he finds out is that the vendetta goes much deeper than the burning down of a building. It has to do with the deplorable conditions the seamstress and her co-workers struggle under and the use of force to keep them in line. To make matters worse, Tim's brother Valentine, himself deeply political, decides to campaign against Symmes. As Tim digs he finds that Symmes is suspected of crimes much darker than he could imagine. To come to the truth, Tim must align himself with an enemy he cannot trust, the Madame Silkie Marsh.
"...A corner of her mouth curved ironically. 'Do you know, I readily admit that you are a man who can string words together, Mr. Wilde. Though it is likely the only quality you possess other than a profound knack for barging in where you are unwanted.'
'Just why are you palavering with me, then?'
'Because I want you to barge in where you are wanted for once in your petty little life,'she hissed, showing the bile beneath the elegance.
'You're trying to convince me to protect you,' I realized.
'No, I know you'll protect me' She gestured at the brothel we were fast approaching, its sedate exterior belying the perverse events that had occurred within. 'You won't want to protect me, as uncomfortable as that fact might be when placed alongside your tiresome notions of chivalry. But protect me you will, nevertheless.'
'Whyso?'
'Because you'll be protecting fourteen other girls, Mr. Wilde..."
Wilde must content with enemies too powerful for him alone and also with the return of the woman he loves but can never attain, Mercy Underhill. He must decide what is fact and what is fantasy as the next arson is set to happen.
Lyndsay Faye creates a New York, in a window of time that is as rife with corruption and grit and lawlessness that it would make Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York look pale in comparison. In Timothy Wilde she has created a flawed hero who's sense of right and wrong is tested by the city, the time, and most of all by those he loves.
The Fatal Flame is book three of the Timothy Wilde mysteries and ties together so many of the loose ends that had been left dangling in the first two tales. It is a finale but one hopes that it is not the end of Timothy Wilde and Faye brings us back to this city, this time and this copper star for at least one more run.
Faye also, as she has in her two prior mysteries staring Timothy Wilde, addresses a horrible injustice suffered by the people of this time. The seamstresses who suffered under the yoke of their master's oppression. The rapes suffered by women that too often would go unpunished. Immigrants who were turned into prostitutes by the men and women who they though would befriend them and the machinations of a city government meant to line its own pockets far above and before caring for its people. At a time when the nation was beginning to be torn apart with the upcoming Civil War.
Faye is a terrific writer who has chiseled out a time and mystery series that is as yet unrivaled by others in this field.
A terrific read!
May 5, 2015
I read The Fatal Flame in the midst of my Blue Bloods addiction, Blue Bloods being a rather enjoyable police series set in present day New York City and The Fatal Flame being a historical crime novel set in nineteenth-century New York City and focusing on copper star Timothy Wilde and the newly-formed NYPD. It was rather enjoyable to spend a little time comparing the two and what it really brought to light to me was just how beautifully Lyndsay Faye has researched this series. Not having read a lot of historical fiction there's nothing that I can personally compare it with, but it's just such an incredibly atmospheric read in places that you know Lyndsay has been meticulous in her research as well as being somebody who has a real passion for what she is writing.
It's difficult to summarise what the book is about, especially for those who haven't yet read The Gods of Gotham or Seven for a Secret, something which I would definitely recommend doing if you are planning on picking up this book. Copper star Timothy Wilde once again finds himself caught up in another disturbing mystery. Somebody is setting fires on the streets of 1848 New York City, and Timothy must unravel a knot of revenge, murder and blackmail if he's to find out who is behind it all and stop them before the whole city goes up in flames... All while contending with issues of his own in regards to his personal life. Past events which we read about in the preceding books come to a head in The Fatal Flame and... I obviously cannot reveal anything further.
I often find historical fiction books often teach you about a time that you might not know all that much about, but doing so in an inconspicuous way. I always say they should be used in History classes, it's certainly a more enjoyable way to take information in. I found myself - as with the previous two novels from Lyndsay - getting completely caught up in the story and the world created here, and spent a little time following the conclusion of this series online reading more about this time, and the formation of the NYPD, fascinating stuff in itself. Everything about The Fatal Flame is extremely authentic, especially in the dialogue and language used throughout, perhaps a little too authentic in places as I did find myself rereading some paragraphs.
With the knowledge that The Fatal Flame was probably going to be the final book in this series, I felt that there was real scope for Lyndsay Faye to forgo that happy ever after, and having followed the characters, having my favourites - those I care about, those I like more than others - I really felt the danger that some of them faced, and had no idea just how Lyndsay would ultimately conclude the story. The mystery element throughout really is brilliantly done, and I imagine that a number of readers will not be able to put the puzzle back together. Nothing ever felt predictable, and the closing chapters in particular left me satisfied but at the same time saddened that we might not meet these characters again in the future. Lyndsay Faye is definitely an author to watch, and she has opened my eyes to a genre that in the past I have took not all that much notice of. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for what Lyndsay Faye writes in the future.
It's difficult to summarise what the book is about, especially for those who haven't yet read The Gods of Gotham or Seven for a Secret, something which I would definitely recommend doing if you are planning on picking up this book. Copper star Timothy Wilde once again finds himself caught up in another disturbing mystery. Somebody is setting fires on the streets of 1848 New York City, and Timothy must unravel a knot of revenge, murder and blackmail if he's to find out who is behind it all and stop them before the whole city goes up in flames... All while contending with issues of his own in regards to his personal life. Past events which we read about in the preceding books come to a head in The Fatal Flame and... I obviously cannot reveal anything further.
I often find historical fiction books often teach you about a time that you might not know all that much about, but doing so in an inconspicuous way. I always say they should be used in History classes, it's certainly a more enjoyable way to take information in. I found myself - as with the previous two novels from Lyndsay - getting completely caught up in the story and the world created here, and spent a little time following the conclusion of this series online reading more about this time, and the formation of the NYPD, fascinating stuff in itself. Everything about The Fatal Flame is extremely authentic, especially in the dialogue and language used throughout, perhaps a little too authentic in places as I did find myself rereading some paragraphs.
With the knowledge that The Fatal Flame was probably going to be the final book in this series, I felt that there was real scope for Lyndsay Faye to forgo that happy ever after, and having followed the characters, having my favourites - those I care about, those I like more than others - I really felt the danger that some of them faced, and had no idea just how Lyndsay would ultimately conclude the story. The mystery element throughout really is brilliantly done, and I imagine that a number of readers will not be able to put the puzzle back together. Nothing ever felt predictable, and the closing chapters in particular left me satisfied but at the same time saddened that we might not meet these characters again in the future. Lyndsay Faye is definitely an author to watch, and she has opened my eyes to a genre that in the past I have took not all that much notice of. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for what Lyndsay Faye writes in the future.
December 26, 2016
Every so often my path intersects with a book that is nothing short of wonderful. Happily, I found Lindsay Faye’s “The Fatal Flame” to be one of those books. Here’s why:
Ms. Faye’s style is consistent throughout the entire story. She takes readers back to New York in the 1840’s, its realism enhanced due to the obvious research completed to bring this story to life. This is a mixture of 19th century police tactics, coupled with the feel of a Sherlock Holmes type of mystery and seasoned perfectly with the politics of the day. The author provides another layer of reality with “flash,” a language used by the rogues (and others) inhabiting what some would call the lower rungs of the city’s inhabitants. Ms. Faye provides enough structure to allow readers to decipher flash, allowing us to learn as we go and thus further immersing us into the world of yesterday. Her descriptive passages are extremely enjoyable, and paint vivid pictures throughout. The pacing is steady, although the second half moves faster and races toward a satisfying conclusion.
The main as well as many of the secondary characters are developed, each a separate entity that can easily be identified. What was refreshing was that, unlike many of the heroes in other police/detective stories, Timothy Wilde only has his height (5’ 4”) and a burn scar to bother him, and he has come to terms (of a sort) with both. In other words, neither will greatly affect his ability to be able to solve the mystery nor will they inhibit him physically at a critical juncture of the story.
I discovered part of the way through the book that this was the third in a series. Although previous events are mentioned, Ms. Faye explains enough so that I never questioned what was happening. This book can stand on its own, so readers new to Timothy Wilde could start with this story.
Previously I referred to The Fatal Flame as a Sherlock Holmes type of mystery. Throughout the book, clues are dropped regularly and although there was one instance where the author stretched my belief to a thin line, she did leave clues earlier that might have made it easier for me, if I would have caught them. As it was, there were numerous “aha” moments, and only once did I spot a clue (and even then, I wasn’t sure exactly what it meant. Kudos to Ms. Faye for creating an inventive read.
There are instances of vulgar language throughout the book, although these are not constant nor overworked. When used, vulgarities are generally part of the dialogue.
Overall, this story will keep your interest, with the background providing insights into an era of American history. Definitely a five-star effort.
Ms. Faye’s style is consistent throughout the entire story. She takes readers back to New York in the 1840’s, its realism enhanced due to the obvious research completed to bring this story to life. This is a mixture of 19th century police tactics, coupled with the feel of a Sherlock Holmes type of mystery and seasoned perfectly with the politics of the day. The author provides another layer of reality with “flash,” a language used by the rogues (and others) inhabiting what some would call the lower rungs of the city’s inhabitants. Ms. Faye provides enough structure to allow readers to decipher flash, allowing us to learn as we go and thus further immersing us into the world of yesterday. Her descriptive passages are extremely enjoyable, and paint vivid pictures throughout. The pacing is steady, although the second half moves faster and races toward a satisfying conclusion.
The main as well as many of the secondary characters are developed, each a separate entity that can easily be identified. What was refreshing was that, unlike many of the heroes in other police/detective stories, Timothy Wilde only has his height (5’ 4”) and a burn scar to bother him, and he has come to terms (of a sort) with both. In other words, neither will greatly affect his ability to be able to solve the mystery nor will they inhibit him physically at a critical juncture of the story.
I discovered part of the way through the book that this was the third in a series. Although previous events are mentioned, Ms. Faye explains enough so that I never questioned what was happening. This book can stand on its own, so readers new to Timothy Wilde could start with this story.
Previously I referred to The Fatal Flame as a Sherlock Holmes type of mystery. Throughout the book, clues are dropped regularly and although there was one instance where the author stretched my belief to a thin line, she did leave clues earlier that might have made it easier for me, if I would have caught them. As it was, there were numerous “aha” moments, and only once did I spot a clue (and even then, I wasn’t sure exactly what it meant. Kudos to Ms. Faye for creating an inventive read.
There are instances of vulgar language throughout the book, although these are not constant nor overworked. When used, vulgarities are generally part of the dialogue.
Overall, this story will keep your interest, with the background providing insights into an era of American history. Definitely a five-star effort.
September 24, 2018
The Timothy Wilde trilogy concludes just as expected, considering the talents of the author, Lyndsay Faye. I don’t mean that the plot unfolds just as expected for it is in no way predictable. What I do mean is that the literary tapestry that is revealed here reflects its two predecessor novels even as it explores new territory and consequences.
This book is more than just a mystery, or even a “literary historical mystery”. Certainly the basic plot of Copper Star Timothy Wilde, (a policeman in the very earliest days of that department in 1840’s New York City) and his attempts to get to the bottom of a series of arsons is fun to follow along with, but it is the historical culture that surrounds it that really brings the novel alive for the reader. It's also a love story of sorts, a thriller, and a tale of adventure. The author has a way with words that really lets us understand the characters as well as experience their emotions as if they were our own.
Piled on top of this are the great movements of the day. The Civil War is still on its way but the civil strife caused by differing opinions on slavery and the economic impact of abolishing it is a significant force behind the events of the book. Similarly, the rising feminism movement motivates the characters in different ways. But perhaps the most significant influence on the plot is the stigma against mental health problems. All of these environmental factors are woven into the setting and the world building in such a way that they are almost characters themselves.
The research into these issues coupled with historical characters and the day-to-day life in 1840’s New York is very evident throughout the book. I certainly learned a lot, even though I consider myself sort of an armchair historian and have read a great deal about New York history. But for all of that, it is the characters that really come alive amidst that backdrop that carry the story.
Taken as a whole, this trilogy is a wonderful addition to the historical mystery fiction genre. But don’t read it because of that. Read it because it’s an emotional, impactful read that will stick with you for years.
This book is more than just a mystery, or even a “literary historical mystery”. Certainly the basic plot of Copper Star Timothy Wilde, (a policeman in the very earliest days of that department in 1840’s New York City) and his attempts to get to the bottom of a series of arsons is fun to follow along with, but it is the historical culture that surrounds it that really brings the novel alive for the reader. It's also a love story of sorts, a thriller, and a tale of adventure. The author has a way with words that really lets us understand the characters as well as experience their emotions as if they were our own.
Piled on top of this are the great movements of the day. The Civil War is still on its way but the civil strife caused by differing opinions on slavery and the economic impact of abolishing it is a significant force behind the events of the book. Similarly, the rising feminism movement motivates the characters in different ways. But perhaps the most significant influence on the plot is the stigma against mental health problems. All of these environmental factors are woven into the setting and the world building in such a way that they are almost characters themselves.
The research into these issues coupled with historical characters and the day-to-day life in 1840’s New York is very evident throughout the book. I certainly learned a lot, even though I consider myself sort of an armchair historian and have read a great deal about New York history. But for all of that, it is the characters that really come alive amidst that backdrop that carry the story.
Taken as a whole, this trilogy is a wonderful addition to the historical mystery fiction genre. But don’t read it because of that. Read it because it’s an emotional, impactful read that will stick with you for years.
July 18, 2022
I had this book out from the library so long they charged me for a replacement, and then I ended up buying a used copy anyway (I did return the library book, which was an Interlibrary Loan, whoops). Should have just done that from the beginning! Oh, well. I would have bought it eventually anyway, because this is a really good series and I will be revisiting it some time in the future, and also I have to complete my Lyndsay Faye book collection (gotta catch 'em all? sorry, I'm too old for Pokemon references; I don't understand it).
This is the third and last book in Faye's Timothy Wilde historical mystery series, which follows one of the first detectives on the NY police force in its infancy, during an extremely turbulent time in NYC and in the country. Anti-immigration sentiment is stirring, and the Civil War is brewing as abolitionists and non-abolitionists fight for influence over the city's politics. Literal fires are also being started all over the city, and as someone whose parents died in a fire, and who was disfigured by another later in life, this is a major conflict for our hero. Who is setting the fires, and why?
As always with this series, Faye gives us an interesting mystery paired with main characters who burrow into your heart (the relationship between Timothy and his big brother Val continues to be my favorite), along with a peek into the historical boiling pot that was NYC at this time in history (the 1840s). If you are a historical fiction person who enjoys seeing how the social issues of yesteryear affected people's real everyday lives, and also you like a good mystery, I highly recommend this series.
This is the third and last book in Faye's Timothy Wilde historical mystery series, which follows one of the first detectives on the NY police force in its infancy, during an extremely turbulent time in NYC and in the country. Anti-immigration sentiment is stirring, and the Civil War is brewing as abolitionists and non-abolitionists fight for influence over the city's politics. Literal fires are also being started all over the city, and as someone whose parents died in a fire, and who was disfigured by another later in life, this is a major conflict for our hero. Who is setting the fires, and why?
As always with this series, Faye gives us an interesting mystery paired with main characters who burrow into your heart (the relationship between Timothy and his big brother Val continues to be my favorite), along with a peek into the historical boiling pot that was NYC at this time in history (the 1840s). If you are a historical fiction person who enjoys seeing how the social issues of yesteryear affected people's real everyday lives, and also you like a good mystery, I highly recommend this series.
August 20, 2015
Time is a tyrant, words our last and only weapons.
Better than the second, not as good as the first. The mystery, if not exactly riveting, was well-plotted and seemed realistic to the time period. Timothy Wilde, our bright young copper star, was distracted during this entire book, and he tended to get sentimental and poetic about pretty much everything. At one point, I'm pretty sure he compared the city to the inside of a watermelon. He still sounds like a girl. As with the other books, I found his brother Valentine - whose shortcomings include "narcotics, alcohol, bribery, violence, whoring, gambling, theft, cheating, extortion, sodomy, spying, forgery, lying" - vastly more interesting. That said, there were some great interactions between the characters, especially the brothers, and I was pleased with how the series ended.
March 13, 2015
After reading the first installment in the Wilde Brothers saga - GODS OF GOTHAM - I was hooked. Faye is a master at bringing you into the story she writes; you hear, smell, see, FEEL 1840s New York City. Oh, she also writes a fantastic thriller! FATAL FLAME is the best of the three, in my opinion. Timothy Wilde is a favorite character, I will miss him if this is the last book. FLAME is populated with great characters - some coming back to New York City after fleeing in GODS OF GOTHAM, wonderful dialogue, and fast paced adventure thrills. You know from the start of each book that Faye loves writing and is not going to settle on mediocre. The details she includes and highlights to time, place, atmosphere all make for superior books. She is a master craftsman with the pen.
April 18, 2018
I LOVED this book, grim as it is. It's been several years since I read the first two in the trilogy, but I easily jumped back into 1840s New York. I didn't want to put the book down. Mind you, these books are not for everyone. They are gritty, realistic, and sometimes disturbing, and each book is disturbing in new ways; this one focuses on the start of the fight for women's rights, and the abuses they endure are tragic and infuriating. However, it's also educational.
As a history geek and someone who loves detail, I devoured in every page. Even the dialog is completely immersive in the time period, complete with "flash patter," the street slang of the time.
As a history geek and someone who loves detail, I devoured in every page. Even the dialog is completely immersive in the time period, complete with "flash patter," the street slang of the time.
April 6, 2019
I didn't know what to expect with this book. I liked the 1st 2 Timothy Wilde books well enough. It just took me a while to get into both those stories. Probably about 1/3 of the way in before I really got into it. This time, though, I was hooked from the start. Maybe it's because this time it's an audiobook, but I love this from the get-go. It could also be that this is book 3 and the characters have grown through the 1st 2 books.
If one word can describe this book, it would be gritty. 1840's New York is not for the weak. To survive, one has to be wily and smart. Timothy is a New York copper star (police) trying to do his best while contending with dirty politics. He's one of the most interesting characters that's been crafted. He's introspective and smart. Brave enough to follow his convictions yet also haunted with fears and regrets.
I love Lyndsay Faye's writing. It's atmospheric and poetic. I felt like I can smell the air of that era. She weaved a wonderful tale of arson, women's rights, and various social issues.
If one word can describe this book, it would be gritty. 1840's New York is not for the weak. To survive, one has to be wily and smart. Timothy is a New York copper star (police) trying to do his best while contending with dirty politics. He's one of the most interesting characters that's been crafted. He's introspective and smart. Brave enough to follow his convictions yet also haunted with fears and regrets.
I love Lyndsay Faye's writing. It's atmospheric and poetic. I felt like I can smell the air of that era. She weaved a wonderful tale of arson, women's rights, and various social issues.
September 26, 2017
Well - that was a satisfactory ending to this series, but it won't be to everybody's tastes. I like Lyndsay Faye's writing - she gets you right into the times and the characters are well rounded and very likable, if a little predictable - but that's what makes me like them more. Always interesting to step into the past and get a taste of what it could have been like - the living conditions, the political conditions, the humanity, the city of New York in the start of it's glory - it was probably not much different than today - other than perhaps less sewage in the streets. Certainly it was a hotbed of it all and ripe for the inherent horrors that humanity does to others that are perceived to be lesser, or easy targets - in this case, immigrant Irish women.
Great story and highly recommended.
Great story and highly recommended.
May 31, 2015
I would give The Fatal Flame 4.5 stars if I could. Lyndsay Faye tells a complete tale in this novel, but she also brings to a conclusion the three-book saga of Timothy Wilde (young copper star and first detective of New York City's early police force), wrapping up character arcs and plot points in a way that thoroughly satisfies without tying up loose ends in an improbably neat bow.
Like The Gods of Gotham and Seven for a Secret before it, The Fatal Flame carries a gritty, noir-like flavor and never shies away from the darker corners of mid-nineteenth-century Gotham -- or its citizens. All of the novels wrestle in a mature manner with issues of prejudice, inequality, and political corruption. The first also particularly focuses on religious conflict, the second on race, and this one on gender.
What I said about the earlier novels in the trilogy continues to hold true in the third: Faye offers three-dimensional and compelling characters (of various ages and backgrounds and both genders) with complex relationships, a deep sense of time and place, and a compelling mystery. New York City feels like a character in its own right, and the historical quotes that begin each chapter set the tone beautifully. Faye's concluding notes on the research that guided her writing add to my appreciation of what she has accomplished here.
I'm purposefully not mentioning the specific events in the novel, as every reader deserves the chance to discover this on his or her own.
Anyone who has read and enjoyed the first two Timothy Wilde novels should savor this one. I'm sad to see the series concluded, but I'm grateful Faye left her readers on such a powerful note, with a real rather than fairytale ending.
Like The Gods of Gotham and Seven for a Secret before it, The Fatal Flame carries a gritty, noir-like flavor and never shies away from the darker corners of mid-nineteenth-century Gotham -- or its citizens. All of the novels wrestle in a mature manner with issues of prejudice, inequality, and political corruption. The first also particularly focuses on religious conflict, the second on race, and this one on gender.
What I said about the earlier novels in the trilogy continues to hold true in the third: Faye offers three-dimensional and compelling characters (of various ages and backgrounds and both genders) with complex relationships, a deep sense of time and place, and a compelling mystery. New York City feels like a character in its own right, and the historical quotes that begin each chapter set the tone beautifully. Faye's concluding notes on the research that guided her writing add to my appreciation of what she has accomplished here.
I'm purposefully not mentioning the specific events in the novel, as every reader deserves the chance to discover this on his or her own.
Anyone who has read and enjoyed the first two Timothy Wilde novels should savor this one. I'm sad to see the series concluded, but I'm grateful Faye left her readers on such a powerful note, with a real rather than fairytale ending.
January 24, 2025
A searing conclusion to a phenomenal trilogy. It would be too easy to classify these books as historical fiction or mystery, too clean and not nearly enough. Faye’s Timothy Wilde books manage to encompass nearly all of the hard-hitting social issues of the 1840s, to conjure the brutal New York City setting with incredibly visceral detail, and to deliver nuanced and heart-wrenching characterization, all in addition to unravelling bloody crimes. This book’s plot is full of arson and murder, desperate women and frantic copper stars, devastating motives and twists galore. The conclusion was technically satisfying, as the central mystery is finally unveiled, but I will never be satisfied that the series is over, because I have grown to care so deeply about these flawed humans and can hardly bear to think their stories are done.
4.5 stars
4.5 stars
September 15, 2024
I will admit that this is mainly a Five Star rating because I just love this series so much, and that I'm not at all objective in setting it.
But I do genuinely love it, so it's not like I don't think it deserves it. With that said though, I might have found myself struggling at times, even though I thought I would breeze through this, which also could be because of unrelated real-life circumstances and not at all the book. The struggle came mainly from the language, but it's not like I wasn't prepared for the flash talk, it's part of the charm of this, but it's not making easier, necessarily.
I'm sad to see this series end, but I must say that it had a really good ending.
But I do genuinely love it, so it's not like I don't think it deserves it. With that said though, I might have found myself struggling at times, even though I thought I would breeze through this, which also could be because of unrelated real-life circumstances and not at all the book. The struggle came mainly from the language, but it's not like I wasn't prepared for the flash talk, it's part of the charm of this, but it's not making easier, necessarily.
I'm sad to see this series end, but I must say that it had a really good ending.
October 6, 2018
DNF. How can this be the last part of such a glorious series? It is incomprehensible, terribly written and the worse thing - boring. I'm so disappointed because I loved the first two novels so much. What the h**ll happened here? The author had two fantastic characters to work with, suspenseful, unfinished plotlines from the previous novels and the fascinating historical background she knows so well. How did it come to what I'm reading now??
September 12, 2018
No time to write anything extensive but I'll say that I'm certainly going to miss Timothy Wilde and his extended family (by blood and by friendships). I had a little harder time with this last book for some reason, and therefore I think I should re-read it some time in the future. I found myself re-reading some paragraphs to make sure I grasped what was going on. Probably just me because my life is in a bit of a turmoil right now. That being said, I truly admire Lyndsay Faye's turn of phrase and the effort she put into all three Timothy Wilde books to make them authentic. The realism jumped off the pages and I really wish this was not the last book of the series. I highly recommend and would suggest readers start with book one to fully appreciate these wonderful characters.
November 6, 2018
Don't know why I didn't mark this as read a looooong time ago. This was my least favorite of the first three, but still a good read.
May 19, 2019
This is a trilogy that I’ve enjoyed immensely and am sad that it is over. The mystery part and the events in here weren’t as compelling as the first two but it was still good.
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