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    In the Shadow of Gotham
    In the Shadow of Gotham
    In the Shadow of Gotham
    Ebook369 pages6 hours

    In the Shadow of Gotham

    By Stefanie Pintoff

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    In the Shadow of Gotham is the winner of the 2010 Edgar Award for Best First Novel.

    Dobson, New York, 1905.

    Detective Simon Ziele lost his fiancée in the General Slocum ferry disaster—a thousand perished on that summer day in 1904 when an onboard fire burned the boat down in the waters of the East River. Still reeling from the tragedy, Ziele transferred to a police department north of New York, to escape the city and all the memories it conjured.

    But only a few months into his new life in a quiet country town, he's faced with the most shocking homicide of his career to date: Young Sarah Wingate has been brutally murdered in her own bedroom in the middle of an otherwise calm and quiet winter afternoon. After just one day of investigation, Simon's contacted by Columbia University's noted criminologist Alistair Sinclair, who offers a startling claim about one of his patients, Michael Fromley—that the facts of the murder bear an uncanny resemblance to Fromley's deranged mutterings.

    But what would have led Fromley, with his history of violent behavior and brutal fantasies, to seek out Sarah, a notable mathematics student and a proper young lady who has little in common with his previous targets? Is Fromley really a murderer, or is someone mimicking him?

    This is what Simon Ziele must find out, with the help of the brilliant but self-interested Alistair Sinclair—before the killer strikes again.

    With this taut, atmospheric, and original story of a haunted man who must search for a killer while on the run from his own demons, Stefanie Pintoff's In the Shadow of Gotham marks the debut of an outstanding new talent, the inaugural winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America Best First Crime Novel Competition.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateApr 28, 2009
    ISBN9781429937337
    In the Shadow of Gotham

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    Reviews for In the Shadow of Gotham

    3.5/5

    203 ratings28 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this historical mystery, just not as much as I wanted to. The mystery,, itself, was fine. The narrator, a NYC police detective now working with a police force just north of the big city, catches a case involving a brutal murder of a young woman that brings him back to his old haunting grounds, as well as having him cross paths with a criminologist, Alastair Sinclair, who wants to assist in the investigation. Det. Simon Ziele lost his fiancee in the 1904 General Slocum ferry disaster and is still dealing with his grief a year later. Sinclair believes the criminal he's been studying with his research staff at Columbia University is the killer Ziele is hunting. Of course, nothing is ever that easy, and this book didn't win its author an Edgar Award for nothing. With Ziele revealing as much of the story as the reader needs to know at any point, the likely culprit seems to change whenever new info is uncovered. I wasn't correct in all my suppositions -- I entertained far more possible resolutions to the killing than the author did -- but the solution to the case wasn't much of a surprise. I also liked the characters. But Pintoff's prose is matter-of-fact simple and doesn't evoke the time and place as well as other historical mystery writers have done. It is a fast read, however, and I have the next two on their way to me.
    • 2/5
      so full of anachronisms. It's supposed to be 1905, not 2005. It's also really obviously a first novel, but it's not a bad premise. Just wish the execution had been better.

      disability tag - one bad guy uses a cane, but we don't discover this until the scene where we learn he's evil. Another bad guy is apparently grotesque in appearance and has addiction withdrawal symptoms.

      gender-politics - all the young pretty women get fridged. All the positively described older/successful women are prostitutes or spinsters. All the hard-working and/or respectable women are coldly unfriendly or overtly neurotic.

      I'm annoyed because I really wanted to like this -- it's such a rich setting -- but there's so little characterization that it was hard to get involved with any of the characters. I wanted to worry for them, but they were mostly that unengaging. There are apparently more books in the same 'verse, and I'm curious whether they get better.
    • 4/5
      A completely enjoyable read by a new author. In the Shadow of Gotham is detective mystery novel that takes place in NYC at the very beginning of the 20th century. Detective Ziele partners up with a professor of criminology to find the person who killed a brilliant female math student. As far as detective novels go, it's not original or innovative, but it's extremely well-written and while I correctly identified the perpetrator near the beginning, Pintoff kept things mysterious enough that I always had two or three other possibilities in my head. I look forward to seeing what the author writes next.
    • 3/5
      I like the setting, NY City and I like the early criminalist characterization. Something seems to drag the story down. Worth the read especially after reading her new book. The continuity from this book to the new one is important.
    • 4/5
      Excellent historical fiction mystery set in New York in 1905. Looking forward to reading the next installment in this series, once the Kindle price comes down.
    • 4/5
      I like historical fiction and I like this time period (late 1890's to early 1900's). The mystery is pretty tight and has a few twists that I wasn't expecting. However, there was much of this book that reminded me very strongly of The Alienist by Caleb Carr (including the time period) and so I kept thinking it was too much of a copy. The scientist who wants to study criminal behavior, someone from the "outside", here a cop but in The Alienist a reporter, and a vicious killer who kills just because he can.

      I'll try another book by Ms. Pintoff but it might be a while, I need to let this one "gel" a bit to see if I still like it as much later.
    • 2/5
      I think my expectations for this book were too high so my disappointment in it may have been disproportionate. This book was recommended by a book group on Facebook and it won the Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel award. So I fully admit I expected great things.

      It is well written and a quick read. I enjoyed many of the characters and the description of New York circa 1905. However, as a mystery or "whodunnit", it leaves something to be desired. I knew who the killer was the first time the character was introduced. It was made far too obvious by the suspicious and shady behavior exhibited. I kept reading thinking this was a blind, that it was one of the ways the author would lead suspicion in the wrong direction. It was not.

      Another issue I had, and this may simply be the fact that it was set in 1905, was that the detective (Simon) was not nearly suspicious enough for a cop, at least to me. Again, this may have simply been a consequence of the time period and I'm too used to present day cop thinking (at least in fiction).

      If you enjoy historical fiction and don't mind guessing the killer early in the novel, then this is a good read for you. If you want to be kept in suspense and be surprised at the killer's identity, this is not a book for you.
    • 4/5
      Dobson, New York, 1905.Detective Simon Ziele lost his fiancée in the General Slocum ferry disaster—a thousand perished on that summer day in 1904 when an onboard fire burned the boat down in the waters of the East River. Still reeling from the tragedy, Ziele transferred to a police department north of New York, to escape the city and all the memories it conjured.But only a few months into his new life in a quiet country town, he’s faced with the most shocking homicide of his career to date: Young Sarah Wingate has been brutally murdered in her own bedroom in the middle of an otherwise calm and quiet winter afternoon. After just one day of investigation, Simon’s contacted by Columbia University’s noted criminologist Alistair Sinclair, who offers a startling claim about one of his patients, Michael Fromley—that the facts of the murder bear an uncanny resemblance to Fromley’s deranged mutterings.But what would have led Fromley, with his history of violent behavior and brutal fantasies, to seek out Sarah, a notable mathematics student and a proper young lady who has little in common with his previous targets? Is Fromley really a murderer, or is someone mimicking him?This is what Simon Ziele must find out, with the help of the brilliant but self-interested Alistair Sinclair—before the killer strikes again.With this taut, atmospheric, and original story of a haunted man who must search for a killer while on the run from his own demons, Stefanie Pintoff’s In the Shadow of Gotham marks the debut of an outstanding new talent, the inaugural winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America Best First Crime Novel Competition.In the Shadow of Gotham is the winner of the 2010 Edgar Award for Best First Novel.
    • 5/5
      This being a debut novel, it was unbelievable. How wonderful and attention holding it was. I loved Simon the lead detective, Alastair and Isabella his daughter in law. I have become quite a fan of Victorian historical mysteries.Ms. Pintoff did her research well, when she could use actual facts she did and when she had to add to the actual facts she did a wonderful job. I am currently reading the Secret of the White Rose and only just beginning it I know it will be another good one.
    • 5/5
      Engrossing story, lots of characters, captivating.
    • 4/5
      Detective Simon Ziele left New York City for a job in the small town of Dobson after a tragic accident that killed his fiancée and damaged his right arm. However, his investigation into a shocking murder takes him back to New York and into an uneasy alliance with a Columbia University research institute for the study of criminal behavior. The institute's founder has noticed similarities between details of the murder and the violent fantasies of a missing research subject.This is a promising start for a historical mystery series. The turn of the 20th century was an era of modernization of forensic science and criminal investigation. The attitudes and dialogue at times seemed a little too modern for that era, though. Even though my top suspect turned out to be the culprit, I questioned my judgment right up to the point of revelation because no one in the story seemed to notice what I thought were clues. The author did a nice job of introducing characters and situations that,while they helped to resolve this mystery, may cause problems for Ziele in future installments of the series. The teasers have already prompted me to add the next book in the series to my TBR list.
    • 4/5
      I saw Pintoff’s books recommended in an article by Jason Pinter, and knew immediately that I had to add them to my wish list. This was an entertaining depiction of turn-of-the-century investigation, where one often had to rely more upon luck than physical evidence. Not only do we see the earliest days of forensics, where even fingerprinting is brand new, but we see the beginnings of the use of criminology. It’s a time period I find particularly interesting to read about; a world caught somewhere between the past and the present.I liked Simon Ziele. He was a little bit of a fish out of water in the rural town we meet him in, but really comes into his own once he is let loose upon the city again. He’s fragile in a way; not just physically, but emotionally. The ferry disaster that took the life of his fiancé has affected him in ways he would rather not reveal. You want to root for him to not only have success professionally, but to find happiness personally.As for the mystery, it spins its wheels a bit at times until Ziele turns to the techniques he finds tried and true. Despite the study of criminology being central to the story, it’s not the star in the end. The reveal didn’t completely surprise me, but parts of it did.A good historical mystery always pleases me, so I look forward to reading more of Pintoff’s series.
    • 3/5
      Good historical piece.not much of a mystery, but an easy read.
    • 3/5
      Spoilers set to kill.Because everyone compares this with Caleb Carr’s masterful novels, and I couldn’t help thinking of them too when I read the synopsis, I’ll continue with the comparison even though it doesn’t go Pintoff’s way. Even without Carr’s books to refer to as a model of sorts, this novel wouldn’t be a stand-out. Not for me. Maybe it’s because I read a lot of detective fiction, but I fingered the guilty party way ahead of Alistair and Simon. For two guys who are supposed to be really clever and ahead of the curve, they were incapable of looking within their inner circle and they blew it. The signs were very clear in both situation and in behavior. And maybe it’s because my husband’s former boss, also named Horace, eventually was indicted and is now serving a long sentence for embezzlement that I first suspected him. When Fred showed up in the end, seemingly by coincidence, I knew he had to be in on it, too. I wasn’t shocked when he pulled a gun. Creep.Anyway, as far as the characters go I found Simon to be stilted, insecure and a weird candidate for a cop. He spoke strangely and the way the book was narrated just came across as maladroit and stiff. This is supposed to be a street detective fresh from the cesspit that is New York in 1900? No way. He’s way too awkward and unsure of himself. I didn’t buy it. The pining for the dead fiancée was sort of nice at first, hey we’ve got a sensitive guy on our hands, but after a while it just seemed part of the whole wrongness about Simon as a cop. He has no vice, no hang-up, no outlet for his grief over his loss. Made him less human despite the angst.And Alistair is a frigging bore. Always lecturing, always grandstanding. Ugh. Unattractive. At least he wasn’t trying to out-Kriezler Kriezler. He wasn’t weird and inscrutable. He wasn’t eccentric and brilliant. He wasn’t mercurial and Holmesian. Thankfully. He was fording his way into a new field and it rang mostly true; his need to convince person after person that the work was worthwhile, his need to explain theories and techniques, his need to attach himself to a university etc. The foundation though I found to be a bit of a stretch…and the self-funding and all that. Seemed a bit too much too soon if you know what I mean.The bits about contemporary police procedures were interesting, as were the bits about women’s Suffragism and their struggle to win the vote. Those elements were nice and not overly done. But, something was missing. None of it was personal in the way that Carr made it personal. And the emotional pitch wasn’t as acute either; I didn’t really feel tense during my whole reading. No one was desperate. No one was at their wits end, no matter how much Simon opined that he was and I’ll probably give the next installment a miss.
    • 3/5
      I found this book to be just an ok read. I guess I expected a little more "wow" factor, since it won an Edgar award last year for best first novel.Simon Ziele lost his fiancee in the 1904 General Slocum ferry disaster, and fleeing from his painful memories, relocates from NYC to Dobson New York. While solving the case of a young woman murdered in her bedroom, Simon consults with a Columbia University criminologist, Alistair Sinclair. It appears as though Alistair's patient, Michael Fromley is the murderer. But is he, or is it someone else?There were a few things that annoyed me about this book: First, there seemed to be many references to the "telephone" for the story to take place in 1905. Also, I felt as though I never got a real feel for turn of the century New York. Lastly, I was waiting for a twist, a turn, a suprise, but alas, nothing. It's kind of like when you devote a couple of hours to a movie or a tv show thinking that there is going to be this great ending, and nothing happens.
    • 3/5
      I found this book to be just an ok read. I guess I expected a little more "wow" factor, since it won an Edgar award last year for best first novel.Simon Ziele lost his fiancee in the 1904 General Slocum ferry disaster, and fleeing from his painful memories, relocates from NYC to Dobson New York. While solving the case of a young woman murdered in her bedroom, Simon consults with a Columbia University criminologist, Alistair Sinclair. It appears as though Alistair's patient, Michael Fromley is the murderer. But is he, or is it someone else?There were a few things that annoyed me about this book: First, there seemed to be many references to the "telephone" for the story to take place in 1905. Also, I felt as though I never got a real feel for turn of the century New York. Lastly, I was waiting for a twist, a turn, a suprise, but alas, nothing. It's kind of like when you devote a couple of hours to a movie or a tv show thinking that there is going to be this great ending, and nothing happens.
    • 3/5
      Somewhat interesting; saw the twist coming early. Not particularly rich in prose. An interesting premise but somewhat superficial execution. Often the male lead character talks in ways that don't sound terribly masculine, and it felt false.
    • 4/5
      In this book featuring Detective Simon Zeale, a murder has occurred in the small town north of New York City where he is now working, having moved there from the larger city’s detective squad. He is soon approached by criminology professor Alistair Sinclair who tells him he knows who the murderer is based on what we would now call the modus operandi. Zeale and Sinclair partner to resolve the crime although there is more death before it is resolved. I read the third book in this series before reading this first installment, and I believe that the author’s skills have improved from this first installment. While I enjoyed this first installment, I had pinpointed the murderer long before Ziele and Sinclair and kept waiting for them to realize who had done the dastardly deed. I will admit that I did not know the motive quite so early, but I had put my finger on the perpetrator. The book is set in 1905, and I enjoyed bits of historical perspective that were integrated into the narrative.
    • 3/5
      This was just okay. Not a bad story line, but very simply written, with no great depth or character development. I looked forward to becoming immersed in the Victorian era, but aside from an occasional reference to a push-cart or other prop, the story could have taken place in any time period (did people really use the telephone that much in 1905?) It certainly didn't have a turn-of- the-century New York feel to it either. I'm annoyed that this was compared to Caleb Carr's excellent writing.
    • 2/5
      While this is a fascinating story, there were several historically questionable references that detracted from the overall story and, I believe, undermined my interest.
    • 4/5
      Great adventure into 1905, the politics and time. A murder involves a local policeman who has left NYC becuase of the Gen'l Slocum disaster. A woman is murdered and he investigates with added help from Alistair Sinclair, of Columbia U., who assists him in early crime detection. He finds help from Sinclair's daughter in law, Isabelle.
    • 4/5
      In 1905 Detective Simon Ziele needs to find the killer of a young woman killed in her own bedroom in broad daylight. His hunt leads him to New York City and to the offices of a criminologist who has as his case study the man who probably was the killer. Working together, against time, it takes Ziele and Sinclair less than 2 weeks to learn the truth.A debut by a winner of the first Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition.
    • 4/5
      Stefanie Pintoff has just won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American Author for In the Shadow of Gotham, and it is a well-deserved win. This historical mystery, set in the very early 20th century, is in many ways about new crime investigation techniques just being born: fingerprinting and profiling, most obviously, but basically the whole idea of a scientific approach to figuring out whodunit. The book is populated with interesting characters, including several strong women in an age when those women who agitated for the right to vote were considered odd, and those who wanted a career downright unnatural. All of these historical elements are folded into a strong plot with a genuine mystery that challenges the reader into beating the detective protagonist to the solution.Detective Simon Ziele has just transferred from the New York Police Department to a smaller department in Dobson, just north of the city, in the wake of the loss of his fiancée in a ferry disaster. Simon has some newfangled ideas about criminal investigation, which his boss doesn’t much approve of. But those ideas come in handy when a murder occurs in the quiet town. Sarah Wingate, a visitor to a prominent and wealthy family, was murdered in a particularly brutal fashion, and seemingly without motive. It is a challenge that the small police department, firmly mired in the 19th century, does not seem equipped to solve.But Ziele proceeds with his investigation in ways unexpected by his contemporaries. Most particularly, he joins forces with Alistair Sinclair, a professor at Columbia Law School, who has been studying the psychology or criminal behavior based on the work of Eugene Vidocq in France. Together, they hope to work backwards from the crime to create a profile – though they don’t phrase it that way – of the killer. In fact, Sinclair believes he already knows who committed the crime.It is, of course, much more complicated than that. But the book is a fascinating study in the development of criminal investigation. It is fun for a fan of criminal procedurals like “CSI” and “Criminal Minds” to watch how the procedures now taken almost for granted began in the minds of early psychologists and law enforcement officials to become the science that solves many of today’s crimes.While that is what fascinated me most about this book, there is plenty else here for whatever suits the reader’s fancy. Sinclair is skillfully conceived, a combination of self-interest and scholarly study that seems almost contradictory. Ziele is an interesting man attempting to find his place in society. The victim is a fascinating woman, a mathematician of surprising promise in a time when women and mathematics were considered to be virtual opposites. And I greatly enjoyed Isabella Sinclair, Alistair’s daughter-in-law, a young widow who seems likely to be Ziele’s love interest as a series – and it does appear to be a series, as A Curtain Falls, starring Detective Ziele, is to be released on May 11 – develops.In the Shadow of Gotham is a very promising first novel from Pintoff, a graduate of Columbia University Law School with a Ph.D. in literature from New York University. I can’t wait to read what she comes up with next.
    • 4/5
      New York City Detective Simon Ziele moved to Dobson, New York, searching for a more quiet life after the General Slocum ferry burned and killed over 1,000 people, including his fiancee.His peace is shattered when Simon and his boss, Joe Healy are summoned to Mrs. Virginia Wingate's home. Her neice, Sara, has been brutally murdered.The killing was senseless. Sara had only recently arrived at the Wingates, in order to find a quiet place to study. She was a grad student at Columbia, majoring in mathmatics.Simon is visited by Alistair Sinclair, a professor of law at Columbia. Alistair states that he believes that the killer is Michael Fromley. Alistair is a criminologist and claims that Fromley has killed before. After receiving this information, Alistair and his niece, Isabella, assist Simon in the investigation.Interspersed within the story are historical facts about the times. This adds realism and is an interesting side of the story. An example of this is when Simon goes for a ride in a new Model B motorcar and realizes that this is his first ride in an automobile.The psychological novel is well told and the conclusions are logical however, the finale of the novel was a bit of a stretch.Simon Ziele is an original and refreshing character. He is very analytical and takes advantage of the latest scientific advances, such as the art of fingerprinting to help solve the case.
    • 4/5
      A year ago, Simon Ziele lost his fiancee on the General Slocum ferry disaster. He recently moved to upstate Dobson, NY as assistant to the local Chief of Police, Joe Healy, in the town's 1 (now 2) person police department. Joe's concern is that young Simon is going to force Joe into retirement.When they are called to the Wingate estate, they are unprepared for the grusome scene they encounter, the brutal murder of Sarah Wingate. The next day, Simon receives a note from Alistair Sinclair, Esq, from Columbia University stating that he knows the killer. This is intriguing since there has been no publicity surrounding the murder.It seems that Sinclair is studying murderers with the goal of determining how to rehabilitate them. This begins a tense journey for Simon, Alistair, his daughter-in-law Isabella and his research assistants.In the Shadow of Gotham takes place in 1905, a time when investigative forensics is emerging and when people were beginning to look into the psyche of crirminals. Pintoff's debut novel is suspenseful, tense, exciting. The characters are well fleshed out. The writing is good and descriptive. The struggle between a typical murder investigation and getting into the mind of the murderer are, to some extent, at odds and Pintoff does a great job contrasting Ziele and Sinclair. The clues are there but they are not so blatant that you can guess the ending. In the Shadow of Gotham is well worth the read. Enjoy.
    • 4/5
      This is a really good debut novel & it is obvious why it won a "First Crime Novel Award" from the Mystery Writers of America. This book reminded a lot of The Alienist, but also of other books that deal with New York in the same time period; in particular, Banished Children of Eve by Peter Quinn & the classic Low Life by Luc Sante. I was pleased to see that she referenced Sante's work & I went promptly to my bookshelf to put Low Life on my TBR (again) list.This book has the feel of its time period while still managing a modern sensibility. I cared about the characters & about the mystery. There were plenty of clues, but the perpetrator wasn't glaringly obvious & that made the book more fun, too.I especially appreciated her depiction of women in the time period. She presented many different kinds of women living in many different ways & that was nice to see. So often we are given one-dimensional female characters in historical fiction who pursue only one avenue - it's nice to see a multitude of other options on display. Her portrayal of Mamie, the brothel keeper, made me think of Sin in the Second City by Karen Abbot which I also loved. Yes, I really do like this time period.Wonderfully written, complex, atmospheric read. I hope she writes another one.
    • 5/5
      A very impressive debut!!!
    • 5/5
      In self-imposed exile to the sleepy town of Dobson in 1905, mere miles but worlds away from his former life in New York City, Detective Simon Ziele hopes to escape it all: the corruption, the senseless brutality, and most of all, the death of his fiancee in the sinking of the General Slocum. Unfortunately, murder comes to Dobson one quiet winter day with the death of young Sarah Wingate and soon enough Simon finds himself drawn back into the life he swore off.To make matters more vexing, the noted criminologist Alastair Sinclair is soon knocking on Simon's door, claiming to have the solution: a patient of his, Michael Fromley. And Fromley's violent fantasies prove to bear an all-too-eerie resemblance to the death of Sarah Wingate...but can the solution genuinely be so simple?There are several mystery series at present set in the 1895-1905 period in NYC, and hallmarks like Tammany corruption, the NYPD, the shifting roles of women, and the slow growth of modern detective methods are familiar to each. Remarkably, however, each manages to present its own unique take on the time and place. Pintoff in particular makes a strong mark on the genre with this book in several ways. The first is introducing the character of Simon Ziele. As a leading man he has a definite darker streak than many other Gilded Age NYPD leads. His distant past remains enigmatic and shadowy, and the first-person narrative deftly lends itself to his vaguely hinting at some elements and in some cases claiming them to be too disturbing to dwell on. And forced, initially reluctantly, to work with Sinclair and his "witch doctor" methods, he proves himself adaptable to the task by grafting together the new science of criminology with the old school detective methods, becoming one of the new breed of police that arose in the early twentieth century. He's an engaging, complex character who comes to life in a vivid way, dealing with the worst of the proverbial "man's inhumanity to man" while still toting around his share of humbler emotional baggage.Second, the integration of criminology as a fledgling science of the era is a new twist. In a time when mental illness was usually attributed to an inherent flaw of nature and frequently treated by incarceration in a lunatic asylum, lurid and seemingly senseless crimes such as those of Jack the Ripper led some pioneers to try to formally understand and rationalize the processes of the criminal mind. Sinclair, who is passionate about his subject (perhaps, as some observe, to the point of dangerous folly), and more than a tad self-serving but utterly dedicated, makes for a nicely ambiguous partner/foil to the young Simon.Pintoff's depictions of Old New York are strong, and particularly deft in drawing in details of life of the time and integrating them in seamlessly, whether simple things like the decor of a room or the quiet solitude that could be found then in a town barely thirty miles from Manhattan, or larger things like the difficulties of a woman's life as a graduate student of mathematics and the notorious Tammany election of 1905. "In the Shadow of Gotham" is a very strong, well-written mystery, rich in detail and tautly paced, and I hope more entries in a series may follow.

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    In the Shadow of Gotham - Stefanie Pintoff

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