Malpractice

Baltimore or Oliver Redcastle Historical Mysteries #2

by Louise Titchener

Medical mischief is afoot in 19th Century Baltimore! Ex-Pinkerton and ex-Union sharpshooter Oliver Redcastle is hired to find a kidnapped boy. His search takes him to the mean streets of Baltimore in 1884 and the dangerous harbor where many unwary immigrants are sacrificed in the "Oyster Wars." To save a child Oliver must confront grave-robbers, mediums, unscrupulous physicians, a mad scientist and the "ghost of an old love." Before his mission is complete he even has to out- shoot Annie Oakley!

239 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 6, 2006

About the author

Louise was born in Detroit, Michigan, USA. She began to write short stories in high school and continued to write in college. She married a philosophy student, and they moved to Ohio, where she obtained a Masters degree and taught freshman English. Her husband became a Philosophy Professor at the University of Maryland. She and her husband had two children. While staying at home with her son and daughter she began to write in earnest. Those first efforts remain unsold.

The family moved to Maryland, where she joined a literary critique group. There she wrote a collaborative effort with three other women, Ruth Glick, Carolyn Males and Eileen Buckholtz. The result was a romance novel, "Love is Elected", was published by Silhouette Books under the pseudonym Alyssa Howard. The foursome also wrote another novel, Southern Persuasion. The collaborators decided to split into groups of two. Louise wrote in collaboration with Ruth Glick under the pseudonyms Alexis Hill, Alexis Hill Jordan and Tess Marlowe, and in collaboration with Carolyn Males as Clare Richards and Clare Richmond. She also wrote alone under the pseudonyms of Anne Silverlock and Jane Silverwood. She published fantasy and mystery novels under her real name: Louise Titchener. She said: "I'm a story-teller; I'm not a romance writer, mystery writer, or suspense writer per se. I tell all different kinds of stories. I certainly would not recommend writing in so many genres to other writers -- it's not the way to build an audience or a career in today's market."

With their children grown, Louise and her husband decided to move from the Maryland suburbs to Baltimore's inner city so they could enjoy the harbor. Many of Louise's mysteries are set in Baltimore, including her historical series featuring Oliver Redcastle. Louise and her husband have recently migrated to Sarasota, Florida. When Louise isn't writing fiction, she paints, sails, bicycles and kayaks around her new home in Sarasota, Florida.

Reviews

[J.R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A missing boy. Creepy medical experiments. A séance. All this and more is packed into this short novel set in 19th century Baltimore.
Titchener is a practiced writer with some 40 novels to her credit and she doesn’t bog the narrative down with unnecessary detail. But, there is enough to satisfy the discriminating reader and provide the ambiance of a city she obviously loves. I soon identified the real villain, though that didn’t prevent me from wanting to read on. My only regret is that the novel was not longer.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is the19th century Baltimore. A boy has run away. Oliver Redcastle has been hired to find him. Children have been abandon on the streets. Some have been mutilated. Who would do such a thing? Why? A mystery of violence. Grave robbing. The rich. The poor. The bullys. The victims.
I was gifted an Audible version of this book from the author through Story Origin. I loved listening to this narrator present this historic mystery.
The cameos of Mark Train, Annie Oakley and Frank Woolworth were an added bonus.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, which is the first that I have read by this author. I thought that the period was evoked superbly and the plot was original and entertaining, as well as being very exciting.
It took me a while to work out what was going to happen in the end, but even though I had an idea the way that it actually played out was a real surprise. A very good piece of writing.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in one sitting

Book 2 of the Redcastle series did not disappoint. I appreciate how the author interjects famous people and events of the times to create a story of mystery and intrigue.

[Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had my heart racing. Such a lot going on. I figured out the crime early on but enjoyed the twists and turns finding the culprit. I just wish there had been a little more about Bertram.

[Beverly Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Malpractice

This was a good book. I enjoy this series and can not wait to see what Oliver Red castle gets up to next