Brooklyn Secrets: An Erica Donato Mystery: 3 (Erica Donato Mysteries, 3) - Softcover

Brooklyn Secrets is a fast-paced novel filled with spine-tingling suspense page after page. Like your favorite cup of coffee, it is the perfect blend deliciously smooth with a kick of caffeine to keep you reading just one more chapter.--Laura Hartman "Writeknit "

In the third Erica Donato mystery, the PhD candidate once again stumbles into trouble in the pursuit of her historical subjects. Visiting the Stone Avenue Library for her research on changes in immigration and crime rates in Brooklyn neighborhoods, Erica meets college-bound Savanna. That night, Savanna is savagely attacked. Watching a press conference about the attack, Erica recognizes the girl's mother from a college class and e-mails her an offer of help. Meanwhile, Erica's own teenage daughter uses the vast reach of social media to find out more about Savanna and the young men Erica believes were bothering her. Erica takes on yet another amateur investigation when one of the 90-year-old women she's interviewing for her dissertation asks her to dig into the disappearance of her union-worker older brother in 1936. Erica has a welcome distraction in her old friend Joe. Although it's clear that these two should move their decades-long friendship to the next level, widowed Erica is reluctant to take the plunge. Brooklyn's rich history comes to life in Stein's wonderful descriptions, and Erica is an engaging tour guide.--Karen Keefe "Booklist "

This is the third book in the series, and each one gives an insightful look at the borough where I grew up. I can vouch for its authenticity, at least to the extent that I recognize the view of its past. The challenge of Erica's research is matched only by the challenge of bringing up a teenage daughter, all of it very well-drawn, as are the characters who populate the novel. I especially loved the two women of about 90 years of age who are a great resource for Erica as she tries to recapture the people and the "hood" of decades earlier, all fascinating and very believable.--Gloria Feit "Goodreads "

Brooklyn Secrets, the third novel in Triss Stein's Erica Donato mystery series, has a lot going for it. It has a likable main character and narrative voice for its redoubtable heroine. It focuses attention on significant contemporary social problems. It has a well-developed plot that weaves together a number of related threads. And its setting in some of the diverse neighborhoods of Brooklyn--the hip and the hood, doesn't hurt either. Triss Stein is a fine story teller with a challenging story to tell, a story that resonates beyond its pages.--Blogcritics

I enjoyed the first two of the Erica Donato Mysteries by Triss Stein. I think of it as the Brooklyn mystery series. When I saw on NetGalley that a third in this series was available for review, I immediately put in my request. Fortunately, the request was approved quickly. So thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press. For those not familiar with the series, Erica is a Brooklyn girl. She was widowed young with a child to raise, went back to school, and is pursuing a Ph.D. in urban history. She lives a rather hectic life balancing the demands of graduate school and single motherhood. This is further complicated by her involvement in a mystery from time to time. My reviews of the first two books are here ( Brooklyn Bones and Brooklyn Graves). If the series interests you but you have not read any books I would suggest reading them in order. In chronological order the books are "Brooklyn Bones," "Brooklyn Graves," and "Brooklyn Secrets" Erica begins looking into changes in Brownsville over time as part of her Ph.D. research. Although she goes into Brownsville looking into change over time, she quickly becomes involved in a a crime in the present. She is also trying to find out how and why someone disappeared in 1930's Brownsville and whether this has anything to do with a Brownsville gang of criminals called Murder Inc. The story moves between past and present as Erica tries to understand parts of each. I enjoyed this book but I enjoyed the first two more. This book will not be released until December. So if you think you might like this Brooklyn mystery series, feel free to start at the beginning.--Retired Guy

It was only after I finished this book that I realised it was the third in the series. I will certainly be reading the previous 2 books. This novel combines 2 of my favourite subjects, history and mystery. I studied American History at University and was fascinated by the topic. There are twists and turns throughout the story. It kept me turning the pages as I was desperate to find out what was going to happen next. I look forward to reading many more books by Triss Stein.--NetGalley

Not only is "Brooklyn Secrets" a murder mystery that will keep you guessing, it gives a real inside look at what Brooklyn was like in the 1930s, and how it has changed over time. The book is about a grad student and single mom named Erica who is researching Brooklyn organized crime that took place in the 1930s, specifically in Brownsville. While doing field research, she weighs what has changed and was has stayed the same about this particular part of the burough. But she finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery when one of the women she interviews is killed. The juicy plot is peppered with real life facts about how Brooklyn, then and now. Get lost in this captivating and informative read.--Metro US

Erica Donato is a single mom living in Brooklyn, New York. She is currently researching 1930's Brownville for her dissertation, surprised that not much has changed over the years. The area is notorious for the home of an organized crime gang known as Murder Inc. The area is poor, rough, and dangerous, all the while producing numerous gangs and up and coming fighters. Erica met Savanna who was working at a library on the bad side of town, and who was planning on going to Wellesley College in the fall. Unfortunately she was beaten and eventually died. Shortly after, a friend of Savanna's was also killed by gang members. But before she died, Savanna told her friend that she had a boyfriend. As she was trying to continue her research as well as look into the deaths of the teens, Erica realized she knew Savannah's mom years ago. Erica contacted her and they renewed their friendship over the loss of Zora's daughter, while Erica continued to search for the killer(s). Brooklyn Secrets by Triss Stein is the third in her powerful series based in Brooklyn, New York. The story of two people from different sides of the street, aka West Side Story, is heartbreaking. Savannah had a promising future and her boyfriend wanted out of the gang life so prevalent in that area. The gritty story of greed, betrayal, is not a fast-paced read. It is a steady even-paced look at the challenges young people had as they strived to survive on the wrong side of the street. The pace picks up as tension increases heading towards the end of the novel and the author graces readers with an unexpected, but satisfying, ending. Strong, well-developed characters and in-depth descriptions of Brooklyn are part of the scenery and make the story come to life.--BellaOnline

This was my first Erica Donato story and it read like a good friend was telling me a story from her life. It was a story that unfolds at a steady pace and you keep reading because you want to know why this happened and how this happened just as if you and a good friend were talking. Erica is working on her disertation when she comes across some information that draws her into another direction besides how the past differs from the present and the social changes on those time periods. As she is reasearching this she gets drawn into 2 seperate mysteries, one of a lost brother and the other an honor student who was brutally beaten. As she is drawn into these mysteries she realizes Brownville of her youth is not the same. I would like to thank the publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ARC.--NetGalley

This is the first Tess Stein mystery I've read and it won't be the last. I wasn't aware that this was the third book in the series until after I finished this one. I purchased the first book of this series last night. While Erica Donato is doing research on her dissertation for her Urban History Ph.D., she finds herself getting more than she bargains for. She's researching crime back in the 1930's in the town of Brownsville which was the home of the infamous Murder, Inc. Mobsters. She finds not much has really changed, the town is still a dangerous place to be. While doing her research, she stumbles on a beautiful library that stands out in this dismal town. She goes in to look around and they offer her a tour, she meets wonderful young girl, Savanna who takes her on the tour and gives her the history of the library. She's quite taken with this young woman, who lets it slip out that she has just been awarded a scholarship to an Ivy league university. Later she hears that Savanna is brutally beaten and sees her mother making a plea on the news for help in solving this awful crime. Erica is sure she's met this woman before. She finally remembers that she had taken a class with her a long time ago at a local university. She decides to reach out to Savanna's mother and they forge an unlikely friendship with a common interest, who hurt Savanna. There was never a dull moment in this book. Poor Erica found herself back in Brownsville, the last place she wanted to be and each time it got more dangerous for her. There were a couple of sub-plots that both tied into that same era in Brownsville. There is a lot of suspense and I found all the characters to be quite likeable. I'm looking forward to reading the first two books in this series and I hope there will be a fourth one.--Goodreads

Erica Donato, Brooklyn girl, urban history grad student and single mom, is researching the 1930s when Brownsville was the home of the notorious organized criminals the newspapers called Murder Inc. She quickly learns that even in rapidly changing Brooklyn, Brownsville remains much as it was. It is still poor, it is still tough, and it still breeds fighters and gangs.Doing field research, Erica stops in at the landmark local library and meets Savanna, a young woman who is the pride of her mother and her bosses, and headed for an elite college and a future. A few days later, Savanna is found beaten and left for dead. Her anguished mother is everywhere, insisting someone knows something. After a massive, angry demonstration, a young girlfriend of Savanna’s is found dead, too. Is there a connection? Did perfect Savanna have a few secrets? Erica’s curious. But she’s focused on the 1930s and has located a few women who are happy to share memories. Two are childhood friends who disagree on much but guard secrets, too—ones kept for a lifetime. Never one to resist looking deeper than her research requires, Erica keeps encountering an apparent derelict white man, a vengeful rejected girlfriend, the role of boxing as a way out of poverty, and fading evidence of long-ago crimes.