by Ted Feit

Details on how to win a copy of Hush Now, Don’t You Cry at the end of this review.

Finally! Molly Murphy and Capt. Daniel Sullivan get married and are on their honeymoon, only to be interrupted on the second day when Dan is recalled to duty to investigate a tunnel which collapsed during the building of the new subway. To make up for the break, Alderman Brian Hannan, (also the owner of the construction company building the underground) offers Dan use of a guest cottage on his Newport estate, at the same time telling him he wants to discuss something, adding “he may have got it wrong.” Of course, “it” is not revealed.

So, Molly and Dan travel up to Rhode Island, arriving in a heavy downpour that soaks them to the skin as they to walk to the estate. Soon, Hannan’s body is discovered at the foot of a cliff on the edge of the estate and the local police aren’t up to the job. Nor is Dan, who comes down with a life-threatening case of pneumonia. Despite her promises to be a good wife and no longer pursue her investigative instincts, Molly step-by-step gets involved in a couple of mysteries, including Hannan’s death.

Perhaps it is the setting for this novel. Past chapters in the series have taken place in early 20th century New York City and Molly, a feisty Irish immigrant, has given flavor and a certain colorful aura to the stories. In the current installment, the Newport milieu makes the characters and plot more staid, and Molly, herself, seems much more suave and sophisticated than a relatively uneducated new arrival to the United States. Nevertheless, if one approaches this novel as just an old-fashioned mystery, it is quite enjoyable, and recommended.

Check out an interview with Rhys from a past KRL issue.

To enter to win a copy of Hush Now, Don’t Cry, simply email KRL at life@kingsriverlife[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, with the subject line “Hush”, or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen February 9, 2013. U.S. residents only.

Ted & Gloria Feit live in Long Beach, New York, a few miles outside of New York City. For 26 years, Gloria was the manager of a medium-sized litigation firm in lower Manhattan. Her husband, Ted, is an attorney & former stock analyst, publicist & writer/editor for, over the years, several daily, weekly and monthly publications. Having always been avid mystery readers & since they’re now retired, they’re able to indulge their passion. Their reviews appear online as well as in three print publications in the UK & US.