With a tagline like that, how could you not pick up this mystery? Well, I, for one, picked it up because it is the third book in a series with which I am already in love, and also because it takes two of my favorite pastimes - theater and mysteries - and merges them into a great series of novels! Lilly Long is a former actress who, out of necessity, has become a detective with the Pinkerton Agency in the late 1800s. She has been paired with Cade McShane, a somewhat jaded, tough-as-nails detective who has slowly, over the past two books, been warming to his partner's unique perspective on things. They have solved a couple of difficult cases, but now they are facing one that hits way too close to home for both of them.
Author Penny Richards opens up the doors to McShane's past and personal life in Murder Will Speak, and readers also learn more about Lilly's friend, Nora Nash, who ran off to become a mail-order bride and begin a new life out west. As is the case in most murder mystery books, nothing is ever quite what it seems. When Lilly and McShane are called into the Pinkerton offices, they expect to be given their next case - instead, Lilly is handed a letter from her old friend and is aghast at what she reads. Nora's dreams of a husband and new life are gone, and in their place is a nightmare world of "soiled doves" and tortured children. (And in case you're wondering, a "soiled dove" is a polite way of saying "prostitute"!) It seems Nora was tricked into going out west, where she was immediate sold to a house of ill repute and has been forced into a life of selling her body for the profit of her madam. To make matters worse, she has discovered that the same people who are forcing her into this life are also doing the same for children!Lilly must go and help her friend, but the Pinkerton Agency cannot provide services for free. Lilly is determined to go on her own, unpaid, but Mr. Pinkerton has other plans. Nora sent a small sum of money, which could be used for a short time to fund the trip - if McShane will go with her. And, of course, they will need a cover story to get into Hell's Half Acre, which means utilizing the services of McShane's younger sister - who happens to know all about prostitution!
Long-buried secrets, not only about McShane's family, but also about his relationship with his sister, what happened to his wife all those years ago, and the part his sister played in that death all come to light. Lilly's own faith and resolve are put to the test when they reach Hell's Half Acre, where she discovers that men are not the only ones willing to use women for their own profit. One woman has already been found murdered, and Lilly and McShane discover another has been killed. Someone is desperate to keep "business" as usual in Hell's Half Acre, and they don't take too kindly to strangers sticking their nose where it doesn't belong.
Richards' previous two books were fantastic, perfectly paced, with satisfying conclusions. The story and characterization in this one were definitely on par - up until the conclusion, that is. The resolution to the story and the revelation as to the killer and the mastermind behind the murders was somewhat anticlimactic, with no real discovery, but rather a dramatic capture of a henchman who simply reveals who the killer is. No big revelations, no big stand-off, no big last-minute save. Richards' writing and storytelling was so engaging up to that point, I'm surprise she concluded the story this way.
No word on Amazon or other sites about a next book (which I hope there will be!); however, the author's bio in the back of the book states that she lives in Arizona "where she is hard at work on the next Lilly Long mystery." So, there is hope!
RATING: 7 slices of buttered bread wrapped around peaches out of 10 for writing a murder mystery about prostitutes and child slavery, yet keeping it clean and enjoyable.
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