Forevermore (Pat O’Malley Mysteries)
by Jim Musgrave
“Musgrave mixes accurate history with a spell-binding plot to create an amazing who-done-it! Watch for more Pat O’Malley Mysteries.”
In post Civil War New York City, Detective Pat O’Malley is living inside Poe’s Cottage in the Bronx. O’Malley is haunted by Poe one night, and the detective finds a strange note. As a result, O’Malley decides to prove that Edgar Allan Poe did not die in Baltimore from an alcoholic binge but was, instead, murdered. O’Malley quickly becomes embroiled in a “cold case” that thrusts him into the lair of one of the most sinister and ruthless killers in 1865 New York City.
Jim Musgrave’s “Forevermore” is a quick read in four acts that will keep your mind razor sharp trying to solve the mystery of Poe’s murder. Pat O’Malley must first find out how to become intimate with females before he can discover the final clue in this puzzle of wits, murder and romance.
Most historians uphold that literary legend Edgar Allan Poe died from complications to his crippling alcoholism. But private detective Pat O’Malley believes otherwise. He believes that Poe was actually a victim of murder. In Forevermore, O’Malley sets forth on a mission of danger and romance to uncover the truth behind the demise of his old friend and one of America’s most important authors.
In most mystery novels, the quality of the story as a whole is largely dependent on the quality of the character telling it. Luckily, Forevermore has a great narrator and protagonist in the form of Pat O’Malley. O’Malley is a truly developed and surprisingly complex character. He is likable, and not a generic womanizer. In fact, many of his tragic life experiences have left him with a sort of phobia of women. Surmounting this phobia becomes a paramount plot point which makes solving the case of Poe’s murder seem not just like a job, but also a journey of critical personal importance.
O’Malley is not the only character to enjoy in this novel, though. Author Jim Musgrave has concocted an excellent cast of supporting characters including some great interpretations of historical figures like William Wallace and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Becky Charming, the prostitute and closest confidante of O’Malley, is perhaps the most interesting of them all as a woman who perfectly balances sensuality with motherly wisdom and an almost aristocratic refinement.
This is a quick and entertaining read with some very good characters and very good attention to historical details. Here’s hoping that it’s the first in many more Pat O’Malley Mysteries!