Book #5 of P.B. Ryan’s celebrated historical mystery series. Governess Nell Sweeney and Dr. Will Hewitt infiltrate the worst neighborhood in Boston to keep Detective Colin Cook from being framed for murder. Originally published by Berkley Prime Crime, a division of Penguin Group, Inc.

Summary: Colin Cook was the only officer in the city’s Detective Bureau not to be found guilty of corruption and to escape being demoted or fired. But now he is a fugitive, wanted for killing a petty criminal in Boston’s North End, and the police believe Nell knows where the Irish cop is hiding. Nell doesn’t know where Colin is, nor does she believe her friend is capable of murder. To prove his innocence, she descends into the seedy and dangerous slums of the North End to look into the matter. Nell isn’t afraid of her fellow immigrants in the neighborhood, but Dr. Will Hewitt has his doubts—and he won’t let her conduct the investigation alone.
Comments: The Hewitts have gone to the Cape for their annual summer retreat, but Nell has remained in Boston to clear Detective Cook’s name. The odious, and disgraced, ex-detective Charles Skinner is sure that Nell is conspiring to keep him hidden, and he has threatened Nell. This doesn’t weaken her resolve to help her friend, but it puts her in danger. Before she gets far in the investigation, Will shows up and offers to help her—and protect her from Skinner. Will has returned from Shanghai, having realized that it’s too easy to give in to temptation. He would rather not lose his hard-won battle against opium addiction, or lose Nell’s regard, by returning to old habits. But nothing has changed for him in Boston, so Will is still in the same predicament he was before—in love with a woman he can’t have. He has two job offers to contemplate while helping Nell clear Cook’s name: take the five year teaching contract at Harvard, or go to France at President Grant’s request. Something has changed, though. Nell has begun to question her devotion to the Catholic Church. Will’s words to her at Gracie’s birthday party, the previous year, have affected her more than he knows—that it would be the Church, not God, turning its back on her if she was excommunicated. For the first time, Nell is willing to pursue a divorce. The ending is even more heart breaking than the previous book.
Favorite Quote:
“You befriended me when I needed a friend, you saved me when I needed a savior. Your presence in my life has shone a light upon my soul that will never be extinguished. For that precious gift, I shall be forever in your debt.”—Will’s note to Nell
Babbling Book Reviews

More praise for Murder in the North End:

“It’s always a good day when a new Nell Sweeney book arrives.” CA Reviews

“Plucky Nell and her helpmate Will are well developed characters who are likeable and smart. The cast of supporting characters in this book is colorful and well drawn, making the book an easy read. All of the books in this series are enjoyable; Murder in the North End is no exception. P.B. Ryan has made a successful transition from romance to mystery novels and I eagerly await the next Gilded Age mystery.” Cozy Library

“Murder in the North End is a light read that you can cozy up to on a cold winter night in your easy chair by the fire...” MyShelf.com

About the Author:

Patricia Ryan, aka P.B. Ryan, has written more than two dozen novels, which have garnered rave reviews and been published in over twenty countries. A RITA winner and four-time nominee, she is also the recipient of two Romantic Times Awards and a Mary Higgins Clark Award nomination for Still Life With Murder, the first book of her historical mystery series featuring Boston governess Nell Sweeney. Pat’s Evil Twin, Pamela Burford, is also a published romance novelist. Visit Pat’s website at patricia-ryan.com.

From # 1 NYT Bestselling Author Barbara Freethy comes an emotional and romantic contemporary novel about love, family and a little bit of magic. Customers who like books by Debbie Macomber, Nora Roberts, and Robyn Carr might enjoy this story.

A HEART IS CALLED HOME...

Famous photojournalist Ryan Hunter has come back to a family torn apart by mistrust and resentment -- to the father who disowned him, to the brother who betrayed him, to the little boy who shares his features. Ryan, the charismatic "bad boy" son, has returned -- stirring up past conflicts like a whirlwind...and throwing Kara Delaney's fragile, passionate heart into turmoil.

...AND LOVE IS WAITING.

Kara has struggled back from a disastrous marriage to build a new life for herself and her little girl -- a peaceful existence now jeopardized by vicious, small town politics, by her daughter's fanciful ghost stories...and by Ryan's return. Now nature's impending fury threatens to expose long-buried secrets. And Kara must join with the enigmatic, misunderstood Ryan -- to discover the truth that will save their families.... and to explore a dangerous, irresistible love as mighty and enduring as the onrushing river.

Reviews...

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"Ryan's Return is a beautiful and touching tale of redemption and second chances for people who believe in neither." Affaire de Coeur Magazine

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If Ryan Shaughnessy had been told that one day he'd marry his best friend, Jessie Reilly—secretly the girl of his dreams—and they'd be expecting twins, he would've said, "pinch me." But even his wildest dreams never included a proposal inspired by the need to rescue Jessie from the sperm bank! Yet as her due date neared, Ryan sensed more than just a hormonal change in Jessie. Dare he hope she saw him not only as the father of her babies, but as a devoted husband, a passionate lover...and undeniably the man of her dreams?