Read Louisa and the Crystal Gazer Online
Authors: Anna Maclean
Louisa and the Crystal Gazer
“A historically accurate and entertaining mystery series.”
—The New York Review of Books
PRAISE FOR THE
LOUISA MAY ALCOTT
MYSTERY SERIES
Louisa and the Crystal Gazer
“In
Louisa and the Crystal Gazer
, Louisa continues to grow as a character…. This self-growth and self-awareness help keep the book from becoming simply another historical cozy…. By relying on her own personal strengths and those of family and friends, Louisa has the ability to find the criminal, regardless of the circumstances.”
—Reviewing the Evidence
Louisa and the Country Bachelor
“Louisa May Alcott makes a wonderful narrator, whether observing the foibles of those around her or addressing the reader with gentle humor…. Fans of historical mysteries will find much to enjoy here.”
—The Romance Readers Connection
“Maclean’s latest cozy is entertaining and has a fascinating mystery and a healthy dose of humor. The author’s attention to historical detail adds realism and depth to this page-turner.”
—Romantic Times
“The generous mix of oddly assorted characters and the village setting make this a pleasantly diverting outing. Fans of Alcott and period mysteries in general will enjoy it.”
—
The Historical Novels Review
“Anna Maclean has created an entertaining period piece around Louisa May Alcott and her adventures as an amateur sleuth before she becomes a well-known author…. Those readers who enjoy mysteries set in the past, like the Irene Adler series, will want to add this series to the list of their must reads.”
—Roundtable Reviews
Louisa and the Missing Heiress
“This thrilling mystery reads like one of Alcott’s own ‘blood-and-thunder’ tales. The colorful characters and long-held secrets will keep you guessing until the final page.”
—Kelly O’Connor McNees, author of
The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott
“An adventure fit for Louisa May Alcott. A fine tribute to a legendary heroine.”
—Laura Joh Rowland, author of the Adventures of Charlotte Brontë series
“Your favorite author takes on a life of her own and proves to be a smart, courageous sleuth.”
—Victoria Thompson, author of the Gaslight Mystery series
“Charming and clever amateur sleuth Louisa May Alcott springs to life.”
—Karen Harper, national bestselling author of
The Queen’s Governess
“Maclean has a wonderful grasp of the history, language, and style of nineteenth-century Boston . . . enough plot twists to keep me entertained until the satisfying conclusion.”
—The Best Reviews
“It was perhaps inevitable that Louisa May Alcott, the pseudonymous author of so many blood-and-thunder tales, would, herself, take up sleuthing. This tale of dark secrets, mysterious men, and heiresses in distress will please any reader who has longed to pursue Jo March’s ‘sensation stories,’ those lucrative tales that allowed Beth to go to the seashore, but of which the good Professor Bhaer so stoutly disapproved. As Jo herself might say, a thumping good read.”
—Joanne Dobson, author of
Death Without Tenure
“This novel reveals that my great-great-aunt had a secret career that none of us knew about. It’s great fun and a page-turner, and it uses the morals and mores of the time and place to delightful effect.”
—John Pratt, heir to the Alcott Estate
“A great debut that’s appropriate for all ages.”
—
Mystery Scene
“Great fun…. Maclean has done a wonderful job of capturing Alcott’s voice and style…. I suspect the real Alcott would have liked it and wished she had written it herself.”
—Women Writers
“Readers will find themselves enthralled with the details of Louisa’s life, family and friends, as well as with the expertly crafted mystery.”
—Romance Readers Connection
“Mystery and suspense abound in this first-person fictional account of Alcott’s amateur sleuthing. This well-crafted debut novel should help garner fans for her series.”
—Romantic Times
“Louisa’s forwardness makes the story very accessible for the average reader of today.”
—The Historical Novels Review
Other Louisa May Alcott Mysteries
Louisa and the Missing Heiress
Louisa and the Country Bachelor
A Louisa May Alcott Mystery
ANNA MACLEAN
AN OBSIDIAN MYSTERY
OBSIDIAN
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Published by Obsidian, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Previously published in a Signet edition.
First Obsidian Printing, February 2012
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Copyright © Jeanne Mackin, 2006
Excerpt from
Louisa and the Missing Heiress
copyright © Jeanne Mackin, 2004
All rights reserved
EISBN: 9781101576144
REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA
Printed in the United States of America
Set in Cochin
Designed by Patrice Sheridan
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
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F
OR ALL THE GENEROUS AND HELPFUL
VOLUNTEERS AT
O
RCHARD
H
OUSE, WHO
HELP PRESERVE
L
OUISA’S LEGACY
Thanks to Ellen Edwards for her support, ideas, and professionalism; to Alison Lurie for her inspiring conversations about Louisa; to Jan Turnquist for her wonderful work at Orchard House; to Steve Poleskie for the patience and love; and to Tiffany Yates for the close reading she gave this work. To quote Louisa, I can never thank you enough for the patient sowing and reaping you have done.
Gentle Reader,
In December of 1855 I found myself in Boston temporarily separated from my beloved family in Walpole, New Hampshire, and facing a Christmas, that most wonderful of seasons, without the comfort of my loved ones.
But drudge a living I must, for I was not yet the rich and famous author I later became. My stories, when they sold, earned little, and so I had sought employment and received an offer from Reverend Ezra Gannett, who wished me to complete an order of a dozen winter shirts for him, all to be finely seamed, buttonholed, and finished with pleats and embroidery.
I was an unenthused seamstress at best, but his payment would allow me to purchase Christmas presents for my family, so I accepted his offer, and a second one besides, for a dozen summer shirts of lighter fabric to be completed by April. These matters are relevant to my story. Trust me.
My dear friend Sylvia Shattuck was also in residence in Boston, fortunately, for more than ever I counted on her steadfast and amusing companionship. Sylvia, however, was in a strange frame of mind, one that set into motion a course of events that would involve us in murder, faithless lovers, and sad deeds of a dark past. Beware of boredom, gentle reader. It can lead one down dangerous paths.
“I miss Father,” she sighed one morning as we took our
walk along the harbor. It was a misty, cold day, and the harbor waves were tipped with frosty white.
“Unfortunately, your father passed away when you were a child,” I answered gently. “You barely knew that long-enduring man, so how do you now claim to miss him?”
It was unlike Sylvia to yearn for any family member, dead or alive, and I had a vague presentiment that she was to introduce yet another faddish custom into my life. Sylvia lived in vogues, and had just relinquished Confucianism, which had not brought the enlightenment she sought. No use to explain to her that philosophers spent years at that task; Sylvia tended to give three months and then move on.