A Deadly Fortune: Book Review and Giveaway

Review at a Glance

• Title: A Deadly Fortune
• My Rating: 4.5
• Genre: Historical Fiction
• Format: eARC*
• Publication Date: January 5, 2020
• Author: Stacie Murphy

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A Deadly Fortune Book Blurb

A historical mystery in the vein of The Alienist, in which a young woman in Gilded Age New York must use a special talent to unravel a deadly conspiracy.

Amelia Matthew has done the all-but-impossible, especially for an orphan in Gilded Age New York City. Along with her foster brother Jonas, she has parleyed her modest psychic talent into a safe and comfortable life. But safety and comfort vanish when a head injury leaves Amelia with a dramatically-expanded gift. After she publicly channels an angry spirit, she finds herself imprisoned in the notorious insane asylum on Blackwell’s Island. As Jonas searches for a way to free her, Amelia struggles to control her disturbing new abilities and survive a place where cruelty and despair threaten her sanity.

Andrew Cavanaugh is familiar with despair. In the wake of a devastating loss, he abandons a promising medical career—and his place in Philadelphia society—to devote himself to the study and treatment of mental disease. Miss Amelia Matthew is just another patient—until she channels a spirit in front of him and proves her gift is real.

When a distraught mother comes to Andrew searching for her missing daughter—a daughter she believes is being hidden at the asylum—he turns to Amelia. Together, they uncover evidence of a deadly conspiracy, and then it’s no longer just Amelia’s sanity and freedom at stake. Amelia must master her gift and use it to catch a killer—or risk becoming the next victim.

Giveaway

A Deadly Fortune REVIEW

As a quick reminder, here is my rating structure:

• 1 star: Did not finish
• 2 Stars: Finished but I do not recommend
• 3 Stars: Liked but could use some improvements
• 4 Stars: Loved this book!
• 5 Stars: Rare. The unput-down-able, binge read obsession.

My Thoughts About A Deadly Fortune

Some historical fiction packs a gut punch by just describing the setting. The echoes of real stories from the past that reverberate in every sentence. I could hear the voices of the women who suffered at Blackwell Island throughout A Deadly Fortune and that emotional fueled my reading experience.

I loved the paranormal twist Stacie Murphy put into the book. I’ve read a great deal of historical fiction, but with the psychic power of Amelia, everything gets a slightly different spin. You get the story of women in the hospital, how terrible the treatments were, the rights violation that occurred on a daily basis, but then Amelia will have these psychic moments that bring an eerie tone to those scenes.

Andrew’s back story also made for a really compelling subplot giving A Deadly Fortune some more depth. It’s definitely not your run of the mill historical fiction.

The relationship did not take over the book or the narrative, but played a role in the background. I loved how underplayed that aspect was, so hopefully there will be more books with these characters so that we get to explore that aspect more.

not a fan of…

I can see how some people could say it was a little wordy at times, which slowed down the plot a little. In its defense, I think Stacie Murphy was trying to describe the times and conditions of the asylum for women. Trying to convey the bleak conditions and unfair system takes some words. If you can appreciate that, you won’t have any problems.

Thanks so much to Karen Stacie Murphy, Pegasus Crime, and HFVBT for my copy of A Deadly Fortune in exchange for an honest review.