A Crime of Secrets by Ann Aptaker: Book Review

A Crime of Secrets by Ann Aptaker is a historical crime fiction novel and the first book in Aptaker’s Donner & Longstreet Mystery series.

Aptaker transports the reader back into the vibrant, fast-paced and fast-growing City of New York, in the year 1899.

We are introduced to the criminal investigations of Donner & Longstreet: two women who mirror the dichotomy of New York.

Fin Donner grew up on the docks and was part of the worst of the City’s underbelly, aptly named Hell‘s Kitchen. A fact still noticeable in her rough speech and questionable, though helpful, connections.

Her partner, Devorah Longstreet is a former socialite now shunned from her upper-class world because she not only became lovers with Fin, but chose a woman who dresses in male clothing.

In this book, Donner & Longstreet investigate the murder of a young girl. The investigation gives the reader the chance to follow along on a fascinating tour through the vastly different and varied worlds New York at the cusp of a new century.

Writing

Fin and Dev, come from vastly different backgrounds. Fin hails from the unsavory back alleys, Dev from the highest of the upper classes.

Right from the start and throughout the criminal investigation both navigate their respective worlds. The dichotomy of classes is mirrored in the outward setting. It is an absolute pleasure how well-researched and accurate the writing is. It is well-worded and descriptive. Be it a spring day in New York, the effect of the newly installed electric light, the dire state of a back alley or the police headquarters reeking of fear and corruption – the delights of discovering this world are endless, every page turned offering new insights. It was an Oscar-worthy, technicolour movie.

It’s not only the content, the literary prose itself is luxurious and opulent, sometimes more poetry than mere prose. It captures the essence of the times and mores.

The crime investigation is the conduit to explore the city and its inner workings. Finding clues for a murder is not easy in an era which does not yet have criminal investigation sciences. But the two of them unearth whatever is needed and go above and beyond to solve the case.

I need to mention how accurately Aptaker catches the accents and manner of speech. I could literally hear the rough accents of the dockside workers and Fin and the high-pitched, snooty voices of the upper class. The voices of Fin and Dev are quite different. That is a rare quality in writing.

Pros And My Favourite Parts

The brilliant description of the times, mores, social classes is as fascinating as the actual murder investigation at a time when investigative tools were scarce and the police tainted by corruption. I loved to immerse myself – guided by the brilliant prose of Ann Aptaker – in this period-piece. I loved the nerd-fest of the right terminology, the vernacular of the time which Aptaker unerringly pinpoints and the distinct voices of the characters.

The two main characters, Fin and Dev, who dared to be different when it was by no means acceptable to be a lesbian couple were relatable and incredibly well done: their characters and their mutual attraction drive the story. Rather than describing them by modern terms, Aptaker painstakingly gives us their own view of themselves. Splendid!

Heads Up

There is violence, including police violence, a rather graphic description of murder, fisticuffs, and violence against children.

There is the stark reality of prostitution, human trafficking and drug abuse. All of this is part of the setting. It is not unnecessarily cruel.

The Conclusion

The Crime of Secrets is a gem.

It was an absolute delight to read, explore and savor. Although I couldn’t turn the pages quickly enough, at the same time I had to take my time, reread passages and enjoy the brilliant writing which so vividly captures the times and mores of New York in 1899.

The two women, established lovers, investigators, Fin and Dev, are divided by class, but united by hearts. Their backgrounds serve well to investigate a crime which leads to the doorsteps of the very rich and very poor alike.

The Crime of Secrets is one of my top reads of recent years. Kudos to the author for a great historical period piece, for her incredible research and for delivering a riveting read which let me travel back in time to New York in 1899.

Excerpt from A Crime of Secrets by Ann Aptaker

A brilliant afternoon in New York’s Madison Square Park, a brilliant, sparkling spring afternoon. Water dances on the tiers of the fountain, droplets glitter in the sunlight. Colorful parasols gripped gracefully in the gloved hands of strolling women are suffused with sunshine, the colored light dappling the women’s cheeks. The sun catches, too, the innocent glint in young girls’ eyes, and the not-so-innocent glint in the eyes of roguish men who linger along the paths.

Children’s giggles float like bubbles in the air, rising above the murmurs of promenading lovers and the hushed discussions of men of business.

Baby carriages shimmering with silk ruffles and silver fancywork delicate as their sleeping babies’ dreams are tended by mothers whose flowered hats bob in rhythm with the women’s maternal cooing.

The serenity of the park is but a grace note in the clang and boom of the powerful city that surrounds it, a city growing ever taller ever faster! All around, new buildings rise higher. Horse-drawn carriages are thrust aside by the latest mechanical contraption, the automobile, and by hulking cable cars, their steel wheels grinding noisily along their tracks, thrilling the cars’ passengers but terrifying the remaining equine beasts who still pull hansom cabs and tradesmen’s wagons and the broughams of the leisurely rich. The city is shaking off its old century while it makes a mad grab for the new. …

A breeze blows through Madison Square now, tossing the hems of the women’s dresses above the tops of their high-button shoes, exposing a bit of skin, provoking feigned embarrassment in the women and enthusiastic delight in the men.

Ah, the allure of a woman’s leg, the hint of the pleasures of the flesh. These windblown titillations add bits of drama to an otherwise pleasant afternoon in Madison Square Park, where strolling lovers, playful children, cooing mothers, and local workmen who have come by for a bit of air and sunshine have seen nothing of the vile murder nearby that moments ago took the life of a young girl whose pale blue eyes saw her own blood spew through the air in an arc of death, whose skin felt her warm blood soak her lacy blue dress. She never saw the face or hands of the monster who killed her.

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