Publishers Weekly
06/19/2017
Set in Manhattan in 1907, Overholt’s engrossing sequel to A Deadly Affection finds psychiatrist Genevieve Summerford watching a July 4th boat race when the body of a young woman is pulled from the East River. The victim is later identified as Lucia Siavo, an immigrant from Naples who planned to join her fiancé in America. By chance, Genevieve learns that a woman with a similar background, Teresa Casoria, recently disappeared just after arriving on U.S. soil. Certain that it can’t be coincidence, she hopes that Teresa can still be saved. A police unit dedicated to crimes within the Italian community and the residents of a refuge for fallen women point her toward Italian criminal networks. Meanwhile, Genevieve’s romance with Simon Shaw, once her affluent family’s stablehand but now a Tammany district captain, remains fraught. Though Genevieve’s professional expertise is less central in this installment, Overholt delivers satisfying plot twists, and her themes of immigration-fueled tensions and crimes against women are well researched and timely. Agent: Victoria Cappello, Bent Agency. (Aug.)
From the Publisher
"...Overholt delivers satisfying plot twists, and her themes of immigration-fueled tensions and crimes against women are well researched and timely." — Publishers Weekly
"Overholt's second...is an impressive, wonderful read and a great continuation for the first book...powerful writing is combined with hardcore emotion and a serious mystery, creating a book that is very hard to put down." — RT Book Reviews
"This book is absorbing on many levels, starting with the research into the life of immigrants in early 20th-century New York. This is revealed strategically so it never distracts the reader. It has a complex plot peopled with characters that have depth, humor and essential believability. It has an understated romance that lightens the mood. But its most unique aspect is the understanding of human emotions and the behaviors they engender. The writer exposes the wounds suffered by the women kidnapped into white slavery that go far deeper and are much more lasting than the physical. A book to enjoy, but also to make one think. A keeper." — Historical Novels Review
"The second installment in the Dr. Genevieve Summerford Mystery series is just as delightful as the first. Overholt continues to write historical mysteries that resonate into 21st century." — Cedar Rapids Gazette
"Our resourceful shrink dives into the case in a story that features plenty of absorbing period research and...a puzzle to hold the reader’s interest. " — The Toronto Star
"A Promise of Ruin offers readers a tantalizing dish of murder, mystery, romance, and humor served with a dark history that’s as relevant today as it was in early 20th century New York City. Ms. Overholt infuses historical detail into her work with a deft master’s touch. Fans of A Deadly Affection will welcome this addition to psychiatrist Dr. Genevieve Summerford’s canon." — V.S. Alexander, author of The Magdalen Girls
"Set against the historical backdrop of a city teeming with immigrants, Overholt's second reveals the evils of a heinous trade that still goes on today. " — Kirkus Reviews
Library Journal
08/01/2017
Overholt's second gritty, atmospheric historical (following A Deadly Affection) has psychologist Summerfield searching for a young Italian immigrant who disappeared upon arrival in New York. A solid choice for readers who savor rich historical detail about politics and crime, tenement life, and the sex trafficking of the early 1900s.—LH
Kirkus Reviews
2017-06-06
A psychiatrist's inquiries bring her up against the white slave trade.Dr. Genevieve Summerford has already broken many boundaries by becoming a physician in early 20th-century New York (A Deadly Affection, 2012). Her wealthy parents are still not reconciled to her ongoing friendship with their former stableboy, Simon Shaw, now a Tammany captain who uses his position to do good in some of Manhattan's poorest neighborhoods. Genevieve, who's in love with Simon and hopes he returns her love, spends time helping with his boys' club, and as the book opens, she's watching his team row in a race on the East River. Simon's boat is forced to drop out of the contest when the dead body of a young Italian woman dressed only in a coat and her underwear is spotted under a pier and they have to help drag her to shore. Genevieve becomes caught up in the investigation when a girl at the scene begs her to ask the police to find Teresa Casoria, a friend of hers who came from Italy to get married, got off the ship, and vanished. It turns out that the dead woman, Lucia Siavo, also came to New York to get married, which makes Genevieve worry about Teresa's fate. She meets Teresa's fiance, Antonio Fabroni, who tells her he was late getting to the pier, and Teresa wasn't there when he arrived. Someone else more punctual is evidently meeting young women off the boat, kidnapping them, and forcing them into prostitution. Though it's not easy getting information from the fearful, closemouthed immigrants, Genevieve finds an ally in a brave young woman who stands outside brothels illegally passing out contraceptives. Genevieve's investigation clearly puts her in danger despite her high social position, but she presses on, learning a great deal about her own inner demons, her feelings for Simon, and man's inhumanity to woman before the complicated case is finally resolved. Set against the historical backdrop of a city teeming with immigrants, Overholt's second reveals the evils of a heinous trade that still goes on today.
