Governess Nell Sweeney has left her shady past behind her,
or so she thinks. When old friend and former lover Dr. Cyril
Greaves brings her the news of her brother's death, Nell is
stunned. Although they've been estranged for years, she
finds the loss of her last surviving sibling to be a shock.
And Nell is even more astounded when she learns that he was
suspected in the murder of a Cape Cod woman.
Jamie Murphy may have had his brushes with the law, but his
history included thefts, not violent crimes. His overtly
criminal acts led to the separation between himself and
Nell. Despite their impoverished childhood, Nell was
determined to better herself and she did, after a long, hard
struggle. While Nell is dealing with the terrible news of
Jamie's death, she's also coping with a possible pregnancy,
which would ruin her hard-earned reputation.
Nell begins to look into her brother's death with the help
of Dr. Greaves, bringing them closer together. With two
suitors, Nell has a secret that keeps her from marrying
either one. Will she be able to figure out a way out of the
bonds that trap her in an uneasy situation? Will she be able
to keep her job—and a relationship with her charge Gracie—if
the truth of her past comes out? And will the man who
possibly has made her pregnant, Will Hewitt, return safely
from war-torn France before Nell is forced to make an
untenable decision?
A BUCKET OF ASHES is the sixth and final Gilded Age mystery,
taking place in post-Civil War Massachusetts. As the finale
of a series, there's a lot of wrapping up of previous loose
ends and less focus on the primary mystery. As a new reader
to the series, I was able to follow the storyline, but I
feel I would have gotten more out of the story had I read
the earlier books. So readers are encouraged to read the
series in order for more reading pleasure. Ms. Ryan has
written an enjoyable conclusion to her historical mystery
series.
Nell's reputation as a model governess is threatened by a
secret from her past-and the possibility that she might be
carrying Will Hewitt's child. But these problems pale with
what she learns: that the body of her only remaining
brother has been discovered- and that he was wanted for
murder.
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