These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly (2015)

In 1890, women are expected to be submissive and humble, while the men have control over anything that deals with decision making. There is no exception for the life of 17-year-old Jo Montfort, who lives in upper class New York City. Growing up, Jo has been surrounded by balls and tea parties, always making sure that she is only involved with people who are in the same class and social circle as her, as well as the knowledge that she is expected to marry friend Bram Aldrich. To anyone else’s eye, her life would seem wonderful, by Jo wants to be a reporter and speak for those who can be spoken for, which is considered to be a ridiculous profession for a woman. As she tries to figure out where she falls in society, the untimely death of her father occurs. Although it was immediately ruled an accident, Jo can’t help but wonder there is more to the truth. Just as her suspicion starts to grow, she meets Eddie Gallagher, a reporter who has his own theories about Jo’s father’s death. As they crawl deeper into the mysteries surrounding the tragedy, Jo is faced with the dilemma to ignore the facts in front of her or accept them, even if they’ll dramatically change her and her family's life forever.

If you’re like me, then you probably don’t like historical fiction. But let me tell you, if you’re going to enjoy and historical fiction book, it’s this one. The culture and society of Jo’s world was done really nicely, so that it wasn’t overbearing, yet you got and overall feel of how her world was. Which brings me to my favorite part: Jo was a feminist for her time. She defied every rule of her society and not only brought interest to her father’s death, but did all the dirty work (including digging up graves) to solve his death. In hand, her journey really brings awareness to the reader of the problems of that time, which are extremely similar to our’s today (such as prostitution, drugs, and oppression). And, in general, These Shallow Graves is an example of a murder mystery done right. In some murder mysteries, you can guess who the murderer is right away, but I honestly didn’t know who the murderer was until the last 30 pages. Of course, that couldn’t’ve been accomplished without a plot that was perfectly constructed so that constantly kept Jo (and the reader) guessing what would happen next because the mystery was so complex. That being said, even though it was complex, the storyline was fairly easy to comprehend and follow.

A chilling read about the darker side of humanity, These Shallow Graves is one that should be delved into without hesitance.

4 Stars