Title: While the City Sleeps
Author: Elizabeth Camden
Series: Women of Midtown, book 1
Major Themes: Historical Romance, Gilded Age, New York City, Mafia, Mysteries
Synopsis: After accidentally overhearing details of a plot that could lead to many deaths, Katherine turns to Jonathan, a friend and policeman, for help to stop the criminals before they can follow through on their plans.
I’ve been fascinated by Gilded Age novels lately, and when I saw While the City Sleeps coming up, I thought it sounded interesting. Elizabeth Camden is an author I’ve enjoyed to some extent over recent years. I especially enjoy the history she brings into her work; that part intrigues me. While I don’t enjoy the romance side of her novels quite as much, I’m willing to have that in order to get the history. This book had a fairly healthy dose of both, and in the end, while it wasn’t my most favorite read this year, I ended up enjoying it.
Publisher’s description:
Amid the hushed city, two hearts must navigate danger and deception, bound by a love that outshines the stars.
Katherine Schneider’s life as a dentist in 1913 New York is upended when a patient reveals details of a deadly plot while under the influence of laughing gas. As she is plunged into danger, she seeks help from the dashing Lieutenant Jonathan Birch, a police officer she has long admired from afar.
Jonathan has harbored powerful feelings toward Katherine for years but never acted on them, knowing his dark history is something she could never abide. Now, with her safety on the line, he works alongside her through the nights as they unravel the criminal conspiracy that threatens her . . . even as he keeps his deepest secrets hidden at all costs.
My thoughts:
There’s quite a bit going on in While the City Sleeps! Since it’s set on the eve of World War I, I was interested to see how many hints of the war would come through. In the end, there was very little of that—but what it did have was an intriguing glimpse into what Italian family rivalry and the Mafia may have been like back at this time. I haven’t read many books that talk about the Mafia, so this was an interesting look from the perspective of the law. I also found the mentions of Painless Parker and what dentistry was like back in those days fascinating—and it reinforced my opinion that I never want to have anything to do with other people’s teeth!
Personally, I found the romance side of the book slightly annoying. At times, it felt like the book had more feminism in it than I’m comfortable with, and the way these two characters approached their relationship didn’t appear very realistic or necessarily healthy to me (part of their relationship involved them spending a lot of time together by themselves at night).
Aside from that annoyance, I did enjoy most of the story. I was disappointed that it wasn’t really a Christian story (occasionally, characters think about going to church or there’s a mention of going to confession, but that’s it). But getting a glimpse into who might work overnight to keep a city running smoothly was interesting—and not something I’ve spent a lot of time considering before. Add to that the excitement of a mystery, family ties, and a building romance, it made for an engaging read. If you don’t mind a bit of violence in your stories and enjoy historical romance, this could be a great book for you.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.
WARNING: “Thank goodness” is used in ch. 1; “my word” is used in ch. 7; heck is used in ch. 17; “holy cow” is used in ch. 18; “I swear” is used in ch. 25; “thank heavens” is used in ch. 28, 29, and 32, and “good heavens” is used in ch. 32. There is overarching lying throughout most of the book and also in ch. 9 and 20.
Occasionally, there are mentions of characters going to mass, praying to the Virgin Mary, etc. Characters smoke or drink occasionally. Several times, a character thinks about revenge killing his relatives got into. In ch. 10 and several times later on, a character thinks about dressing in a way to show a man what he is missing by not courting her. Also in ch. 10, there is a bit of a description of a man who was blown up by a bomb. In ch. 13, a bird dies. In ch. 14, a person’s life is threatened, a man is holding a showgirl on his lap, and a woman admits to wanting to woo a man who is already married. In ch. 16, a man tells about how his father abused him in his childhood. In ch. 17, a womanizer looks at a woman in the wrong way, there is some kissing, and there’s a mention of a man sneaking into the building a woman lived in each night. In ch. 18, a man holds a woman’s feet on his lap and rubs her ankles, and a woman is attacked and hurt. In ch. 25, a man tells about how his father broke a man’s arm in retaliation. In ch. 26, a man commits some vandalism (approved of by the characters). In ch. 27, someone is killed when a bomb goes off. Several times throughout the book, and especially in ch. 31, there are mentions of someone who cut people’s Achilles tendons. Also in ch. 31, a man’s life is threatened and someone commits suicide. In ch. 32, a man threatens to cut a woman’s throat and someone is shot and killed in self-defense.
Age levels:
Reading Independently—Ages 15 and Above, Adults
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover | Audible Audiobook (unabridged)
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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