Acting like a proper lady is the least of 17-year-old Josephine Montfort's concerns in These Shallow Graves, a riveting historical mystery-thriller from Jennifer Donnelly (A Northern Light; Revolution).
In 1890s New York City, being a lady is difficult work. One must know proper etiquette and the rules for society. A lady must be especially aware of all the things she's not to do. But Jo Montfort is "suffocating among the potted palms and porcelain" of Gramercy Square. Her lack of freedom makes her dream of becoming a reporter like Nellie Bly seem impossible. Coming to terms with her inevitable arranged marriage seems to be the biggest challenge Jo will ever face... until her father's untimely death. According to the official police reports, Charles Montfort, "rich, well-connected, a pillar of society," accidentally shot himself while cleaning his revolver. Jo knows her father, though. He would never show such carelessness with guns. Certain that there's more to the story, Jo puts her investigative instincts to the test and enlists Eddie Gallagher, a handsome, ambitious, "rumpled and brash" young reporter from the Standard, her father's newspaper, to help. Jo and Eddie's stealthy sleuthwork takes them from the cavernous morgue of Bellevue Hospital to the dangerous docks by South Street to a drunk man on Mulberry Street who mutters, "Shallow graves always give up their dead." As they venture closer to the truth, darkness looms larger and those in the shadows will do whatever it takes to keep their secrets buried.
Donnelly makes 19th-century New York come alive as she explores the criminal underworld, high society and the ugly truths that bind them. Various facets of society are mirrored in memorable side characters: a snooty Grandmama, a meddling butler, a menacing crime lord known as the Tailor ("New York's very own Fagin") and a lovable pickpocket named Fay. Their types may be familiar, but the characters feel fresh and serve real purpose in the taut, intricately crafted narrative. Jo is an admirable heroine, fighting for a voice in a world where "The moment a girl learned how to talk, she was told not to."
These Shallow Graves succeeds as a wonderfully paced thriller, a heart-pounding romance and an unflinching look at the hard choices one young woman must make when society disparages her dreams. --Kyla Paterno, reviewer
Shelf Talker: In Jennifer Donnelly's gripping YA novel, a distraught daughter investigates her high-society father's allegedly accidental death in 1890s New York.