Thursday, December 5, 2013

Steel City Murder, by Jeff Boarts

George Cooper has not been home from the war long, and he has spent most of his time stateside trying to establish himself as a reporter.  When a beautiful young girl named Ruth is accused of murdering a war hero, George finds himself smack in the middle of the biggest story in Pittsburgh.  He also finds himself falling for the suspect.  But did she really do it?

I have said, in the past, that mysteries were not really my thing.  Guess what?  It is official.  This book has made me a mystery fan.  In his third novel, Jeff Boarts has seamlessly blended the mystery/thriller with a caper and a romance.  The characters of George and Ruth are familiar to fans of Boarts, but this is the story of how they met and fell in love.  I adored seeing this glimpse of their past; the author does a wonderful job of fleshing out their younger selves, while staying consistent with the older version he established in previous books.

I greatly enjoyed the story.  The setting of Pittsburgh in the days leading up to wartime prohibition was just familiar enough to make me feel comfortable, but unique enough to weave a rich story world.  The story is full of chase scenes and action, and I could really imagine it in detail, thanks to the writing.  There is a decent amount of modest romance, a fair dose of humor, and at the very heart of the book, an incredibly well written mystery.  I legitimately was surprised at the end of the story.

So, this is the book that made me a mystery reader.  And I bet it will make you one as well.

I received a review copy courtesy of the author in exchange for my honest review.


If you liked this review, please rate it (and others!) as helpful on my Amazon profile. My Amazon Profile

No comments:

Post a Comment