Member Reviews
Dawn T, Reviewer
Murder on the Last Frontier: A Charlotte Brody Mystery – Book 1 by Cathy Pegau
288 Pages
Publisher: Kensington Books, Kensington
Release Date: November 24, 2015
Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Strong Woman Protagonist, Alaska
It is prohibition and Charlotte Brody left her life in New York for the unknown lands of Cordova, Alaska. Her brother Michael is the local doctor and sometimes coroner and she helps him out by being his part time secretary. Charlotte is writing about women’s lives in Alaska when a local prostitute is murdered behind her boarding house. She begins investigating even after receiving threats to back off. Deputy James Eddington is the local police, and they take a liking to each other.
The story has a steady pace, the characters are developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. Charlotte is just past twenty and wants a redo to her life. She did not want the society life her parents wanted for her. She wants to be a successful newspaper woman. Moving to Alaska gives her a new start and the opportunity to do what she does best. This is the first book in the series. If you like the 1920s, murder mysteries, and some drama thrown in, you will enjoy reading this book.
Julie K, Reviewer
An appropriate title, I was most interested in exploring Alaska in the early years of the 1900's. I visited Alaska a few years ago to work for the summer. Ms. Pegau's tale took me right back there and I could imagine myself visiting in that timeline. I had an additional interest in the time and place as my great-aunt had traveled to Wyoming from Michigan in 1905 to live near her brother who was the Picture Man of Cody Wyoming. Our heroine in the story fled the lower 48 to live near her Doctor brother. She was also hoping to leave behind her secret trauma from the recent past.
It turns out her brother has a few secrets too and with his concerns about his sister's safety he tries to be as overbearing as his father was. No such luck. with Charlotte. This woman has a mind of her own and nerves of steel to go with it. She's not too meek to inform her sibling that there will be no such acceptance of his dominance over her, she's not as naive as he thinks she is.
A beginning romance with the town Deputy alleviates some of the gloom that surrounds the murder of a 'lady of the night'. Charlotte also is offered employment twice, once by the madam of the house of ill-repute and the other by the local newspaper. An easy choice for her as she's been writing for Modern Woman and sending her articles via mail - by ship and train.
A thoroughly modern woman in a historic era answers the question I sometimes ask myself, what would I have done if I'd been born a hundred years earlier? I probably would have followed Charlotte's path.
Barbara R, Reviewer
Murder, secrets and the Alaskan frontier are the main elements in this novel. Charlotte Brody travels to Alaska in 1919 to join her brother, Michael. She goes with the intent of writing an article for THE MODERN WOMAN back in New York. But the real reason is a secret Charlotte has kept even from her brother.
Charlotte find her brother to be engaged to Ruth but he hasn’t told her or her parents. As a medical doctor, he has a small cabin set up as his home and office. He provides health exams for the local ladies of the evening house run by Brigit O’Brien.
Charlotte takes a room at Mrs. Sullivan’s boarding house. One night, she hears voices outside her window but dismisses them until the following morning when a murder is discovered. Jim Eddington is the sheriff and takes up the investigation. Nothing is found to point to anyone in Cordova. But Charlotte thinks differently when she learns Darcy was pregnant.
There are secrets between brother and sister that are causing a rift. They finally talk about them to each other but then there are only more reasons to believe Darcy was murdered.
This was a book I couldn’t put down and it found me reading far into the night. If you love a good murder mystery mixed with other elements, this is a book you should get.
