THE GUILTY CLIENT

THE GUILTY CLIENT
Author: Roberta Rogow
Copyright June 18, 2009
Deadly Ink
ISBN: 978-0978-74428-18
Hardcover $23.95
ISBN: 978-0978-74427-4
Trade paperback $13.95
232 pages
Mystery
Life for a single woman in New York City in 1870 could not have been easy, especially for a woman who was pleasantly plump and intelligent. Fortunately, Miss Margaret (Peggy) Pettigrew has the support of her uncle who is a lawyer and values Peggy’s skills in his law office.
When you successfully defend a client who is accused of murder, most lawyers do expect do spend a little time after the verdict with the accused, if even for a congratulatory hand shake. When Bertram Delacorte hears that he is not guilty, he literally runs from the courtroom and the lawyer. The next morning, when Bertram’s body is pulled from the river, Uncle Ephraim immediately begins to investigate and utilizes his other two partners and Peggy to discover where Bertram went and why he was killed.
The logical path is to discover who really killed Suzanna Kendall who the police had believed had been killed by Bertram. However, no one seems to make this investigation easy since everyone seems to have their own reasons for not being completely truthful and forthcoming.
The novel is fast-paced with believable and realistic characters. The pacing is perfect with the action in the story. Another hidden gem in this story, is that some real characters were also inserted into the story such as Alexander “Clubber” Williams, William Marcy Tweed, Jr., and Abe Hummer. Also, the New York County Courthouse is still called the Tweed Courthouse and this story is based on the real documentation of the New York City Metropolitan Police Department in the 1870’s and 1880’s.
THE GUILTY CLIENT is the first in a new series featuring the law firm of Pettigrew and Roth by Roberta Rogow. Ms. Rogow has also written a series of four mystery novels which feature Reverend Mr. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, know as Lewis Carroll, and Dr. Arthur Conan Doyle working together as detectives.
This was an enjoyable historical mystery. I particularly valued the correct historical references that would be relevant during this time period. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.
　
　
By: Teri Davis June 30, 2009
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