Murder on 34th Street
by Mariah Fredericks
Does anybody invoke the spirit of 1930s New York City as well as this author does?
As an editor, I often I’m forced to tell authors some variation of “ get the reader grounded in the scene.” and I am seldom wowed by a description of setting. But in this book, navigating the largest department store in the world (as of 1932) with Miss Grace Verlander, assistant to the personnel manager, made me "Wow!" out loud. Macy’s department store was huge, covering nearly an entire city block, and the statistics that follow are enough to make anybody gasp. They include not only the number of employees but the fact that it takes 270 people just to clean the place.
This setting not only serves to give the reader a sense of how big the place is and how complex, but it also sets up our narrator's job: Grace is assistant to the head of personnel. She solves problems all over this immense building, for its thousands of staff and millions of customers. And she very subtly works in how the Great Depression is affecting shoppers and threatens jobs, even though she avoids mentioning the word depression or indeed much about the external economy or political situation. At least until they become relevant to the unfolding mystery. A promising start, for sure.
I also admire the way, with so many peripheral characters named in those early pages, we always know which ones will be important: they’re the ones she stops for conversations with on her way through the memorable store, those who do and say memorable things; those who stand out from the throngs. The detective, the juggler, the gorgeous perfume counter woman who will be throwing candy canes to children during the Macy’s Santa Claus parade.
Oh, and Santa himself, who has just received a threatening letter he wants Grace to deal with....
All that said, there is quite a lot of set up. It is entertaining, and Miss Verlander voice is lively, consistent, a combination of competence, irreverence, and generally good-natured snark, but this is not a high tension opening. The pace picks up satisfactorily and the sleuthing is smart. The characters all feel very real and their stories go straight to the heart of life in 1932 New York City.
If you want to start this in October as a means of avoiding Halloween saturation, you won't regret the hours spent with Grace. She's also good company for November reading, when you’re just getting your holiday spirit revved up and aren’t completely flattened by the overload of carols and baking and shopping. Highly recommended.
#Netgalley #Minotaur #MiracleOn34thStreet #MakeItMurder #MurderForChristmas #Holidays #Christmas #MiracleOn34thStreet #amreading #bokreview #NewRelease #CandyCanes #MacysParade #SantaClaus #SantaParade #sleuthing #amateurdetective #cops #WindowDressing #nativityscene #NewYorkCity #NYC #KissTheGuy #Family
No comments:
Post a Comment