Book Review: These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

Pages: 496

Genre: YA Historical Fiction/Mystery

Pub. Date: October 27, 2015

Source: Publisher for review

Other Books By Author: A Northern Light, 

Revolution, and Deep Blue 

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "Set in gilded age New York, These Shallow Graves follows the story of Josephine Montfort, an American aristocrat. Jo lives a life of old-money ease. Not much is expected of her other than to look good and marry well. But when her father dies due to an accidental gunshot, the gilding on Jo’s world starts to tarnish. With the help of a handsome and brash reporter, and a young medical student who moonlights in the city morgue, Jo uncovers the truth behind her father’s death and learns that if you’re going to bury the past, you’d better bury it deep."

Josephine Montfort has her life planned for her. She's to marry Bram Aldrich, have his babies, and live an easy life as an American aristocrat.  Her world is thrown upside down when her father dies while cleaning his gun. The authorities say it was an accident, but Josephine, or Jo, knows that her father is a sportsman and would never make a mistake that tragic. Something is definitely amiss.  Jo risks her own comfortable future and her reputation to figure out what exactly happened to her father. With the help of a reporter, Eddie Gallagher, she is starting to uncover the truth regarding her family's business. Maybe things aren't as perfect as they seem for her family and as she uncovers more clues, she realizes that it points to the fact that her father was accidental after all.  Jennifer Donnelly's These Shallow Graves combines a great mixture of historical fiction, mystery, romance and spooky elements that make it a perfect read for this time of year.

Jo is the kind of character I love in These Shallow Graves. She's a nonconformist and she's a go-getter. She really determined to figure out what happened to her father and isn't content sitting in someone's parlor discussing mind numbing things while having tea.  Despite her mother and family's disapproval, she is a different kind of girl and the more they try to reign her in, the worse it gets. With the help of her maid, she sneaks out to gather clues about what truly happened to her father and she also meets up with Eddie Gallagher, the reporter who promised to help her.

Jo should love Bram, the guy that everyone says she'll marry; after all, he is pretty much perfect and they have been friends for years, but the more time Jo spends with Eddie, the more she is questioning her path in life.  She works closely with Eddie in These Shallow Graves and in turn, she realizes that she has feelings for him, but how could they possibly have any future together as their worlds are so very different?  My only gripe was their romance. I didn't feel it as much as I was hoping; I expected there to be a bit more chemistry there.

These Shallow Graves is filled will a lot of adventure and a murder mystery that is slowly uncovered. Even though I figured out who the bad guy was close to the beginning, I still enjoyed following Jo's journey through the dangerous streets of New York City.  I thought Donnelly did a great job presenting the Gilded Age as well as the vast differences between the wealthy and the poor.  

Jennifer Donnelly's historical fiction novels are some of my favorites and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. So, if you are looking for an atmospheric murder mystery to curl up with this fall, definitely check out These Shallow Graves.