Monday, December 21, 2015

Lauren Reviews These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly
Published: October 2015 by Random House Delacorte
Source: eARC
Rating: 4 Stars

Jo Montfort is beautiful and rich, and soon - like all the girls in her class - she’ll graduate from finishing school and be married off to a wealthy bachelor. Which is the last thing she wants. Jo secretly dreams of becoming a writer - a newspaper reporter like the trailblazing Nellie Bly.

Wild aspirations aside, Jo’s life seems perfect until tragedy strikes: her father is found dead. Charles Montfort accidentally shot himself while cleaning his revolver. One of New York City’s wealthiest men, he owned a newspaper and was partner in a massive shipping firm, and Jo knows he was far too smart to clean a loaded gun.


The more Jo uncovers about her father’s death, the more her suspicions grow. There are too many secrets. And they all seem to be buried in plain sight. Then she meets Eddie - a young, brash, infuriatingly handsome reporter at her father’s newspaper - and it becomes all too clear how much she stands to lose if she keeps searching for the truth. Only now it might be too late to stop.


The past never stays buried forever. Life is dirtier than Jo Montfort could ever have imagined, and the truth is the dirtiest part of all.


Another historical fiction book that furthered my love for the genre. Jo Montfort is a young lady in waiting when her father dies. She immediately doubts her father's death was a suicide and starts to lead a double life. One where she walks the streets at night investigating the possible murder of her father and another where she acknowledges her social status and acts accordingly - like a young lady who looks pretty, has a delicate mind, and is well-mannered. 

Eddie, a man she meets at the newspaper her father used to own, becomes her partner in the investigation of her father and her father's company secrets. Jo ends up doing and seeing things that rich young ladies of that time period would be shunned and cast out for if her actions were exposed. Jo throws caution to the wind, deciding the truth is worth any consequence. 

I loved following Jo's journey and her perseverance throughout was incredible. She could have her entire future ruined every single time she snuck out at night and yet she still risked it. She was a true journalist during a time when woman were thought of as small-minded and weak. 

If you're looking for a good historical fiction with a large dose of mystery, this one is for you. 

5 comments:

  1. This sounds like a great mystery! Wonderful review.

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  2. This book really sounds great! I really enjoy historical fictions and I think this book should be worth a try. A great review too :)

    Nita@ www.book-choose.com

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  3. I've been dying to grab a copy of this book. It sounds so exciting for a historical/mystery novel. Wonderful review. :) ~Kairee-Anne

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  4. Hello? Definitely could have been on my list. Oh, and I got the Illustrated Harry Potter for my daughter, but let's face it, it's for me too.

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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  5. I love a good mystery/conspiracy. Sounds like a very interesting book.

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