Into the Suffering City

Starred review from April 15, 2020
This book is recommended by BlueInk Review, a fee-based review service devoted exclusively to self-published books. Booklist is happy to partner with BlueInk to bring you the best self-published titles for adults and youth. Stars reflect the decisions of BlueInk reviewers and editors.This engrossing mystery set in 1909 Baltimore begins when a prostitute is killed and a detective agency representing the chief suspect, a mayoral candidate, hires pathologist Sarah Kennecott to observe the victim's autopsy. Generally deemed brilliant but peculiar due to her difficulties communicating her feelings and interpreting others' emotions, Sarah exhibits autistic characteristics that are not understood in her era. Lambasted by the police commissioner as a spastic little freak, she remains determined to pursue the evidence. Meanwhile, Jack Harden, an army veteran and private eye with a large gambling debt and PTSD, is also investigating the crime. Soon, Sarah and Jack team up. As they close in on the truth, their vulnerabilities threaten to derail the investigation. LeFurgy seamlessly weaves culture, history, and mystery into this novel's surprising twists and complex characters. As Sarah and Jack travel among Baltimore's gritty warehouses and gilded mansions, the author highlights the contrasts of a city that sits at the border of North and South, a place where corruption greases the city's political wheels and racism persists. With its clear prose, intricate plotting, and likable protagonists, this could easily inspire a series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)