One of my heroes in journalism is Nellie Bly, who was the
first investigative journalist and faked insanity in order
to be locked up in a New York "madhouse" for women. Through
her reporting, society discovered how these forgotten,
wronged women were being treated, and improvements were
made. THOUGH THIS BE MADNESS looks at New Orleans during a
similar period and asks why a doctor was so keen to have
his wife committed for insanity. Pinkerton agent Lilly Long
is sent from Chicago with another agent, Cade McShane, to
pretend to be domestic staff and take jobs in the doctor's
household.
The matriarch LaRee Fontenot, who has lost a family member
recently, resents that Doctor Ducharne treated his wife
with laudanum after the loss of her baby, then had her
committed. Could the man possibly just be after the family
money? He seems keen to throw a party -- with all the
additional work for the staff that it entails. More than
once Lilly has so much work on her hands that it's almost
impossible to find time to sleuth. I was wryly amused by
the fact that a gentlewoman who is expecting, is treated
with care and instructed to watch her diet, while a married
servant who is also pregnant is expected to get on with
heavy work regardless.
Lilly and Cade, who worked together previously and grated
on each other's nerves, have to pretend to be a married
Irish couple, with a young lad of the streets, Robbie, in
the role of Cade's brother. Sometimes they work well
together but Lilly's stubbornness and desire to get her own
assignments leads her to act first and consult later. She
is again a strong character, who stops to ask herself what
Allan Pinkerton would do in this situation, and she plays
on the perceived inadequacy of women when trying to gain
admittance to the asylum. Cade is more interested in
discovering whether the doctor is a secret gambler.
I like that the party celebrates Easter as we get to see
some traditions of the time, like red-painted hard-boiled
eggs on the lunch table. Naturally this contrasts with
hearty New Orleans fare like gumbo and jambalaya, all new
to Lilly. Voodoo is also added to the mix while the wealthy
family visits their plantation home. For a tale of
contrasts and misfortunes, as well as a look at hard work,
give THOUGH THIS BE MADNESS a try. The book stands well
alone but if you enjoy this one you will certainly love AN
UNTIMELY FROST, the first book in the Lilly Long series.
Penny Richards has made a long career from writing and has
also run a historic home B&B business with her family. She
spins a fine web of historical mystery.
Shakespearean actress turned Pinkerton detective Lilly
Long and her reluctant partner, Cade McShane, travel to New
Orleans to save a young widow from a fate worse than death…
1881, Chicago. Assigned to her second case as a
Pinkerton, Lilly still needs to prove herself—both as a
novice detective and as a woman in a man’s world. Ordered to
once again work with Lilly, Cade needs to redeem himself for
conduct unbecoming to a Pinkerton—a grief-driven drunken
brawl. As if their forced partnership wasn’t bad enough, the
agents must pose as husband and wife servants in the
troubled household of a wealthy New Orleans family. An
acting challenge if ever there was one…
The elderly matriarch of the Fortenot family is convinced
her grandson’s former widow has been unjustly committed to
an insane asylum by her second husband. She believes the man
is attempting to wrest the family fortune away from his new
wife. Soon, behind the beautiful façade of the Fortenot
mansion, the detectives uncover secrets, betrayal, voodoo
curses—and murder. Even as Lilly and Cade chafe against
their roles, they must work together to expose the true
villain of this tragedy before the hapless widow faces her
final curtain call.
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