Stefanie PintoffReseñas

a fair first novel. I liked the setting and the idea. The author was so fair in giving clues that there was no mystery.The main detective seemed a bit "whiny" to me , but maybe I was just in an unsympathetic mood

Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend this book to a friend. I felt as if there was no depth of character and a rather lack-luster story line. It is rather easy for the reader to figure out the mystery, and the one surprise twist in the story....really isn't that surprising. I feel as if this author has potential, but I will not go out of my way to pick up one of her books. It wasn't the gripping tale of a historical murder mystery I was hoping it would be. Rated: a light easy read, but ultimately disappointing.

The third historical mystery featuring Det. Simon Ziele is better than the second, making better use of the 1906 New York City setting by tying the anarchist activity of that time into the plot. A judge presiding over the trial of an anarchist, whose bomb killed a child among other victims, is found brutally murdered in his home. Criminology professor Alistair Sinclair, a friend of the judge since they were classmates at Harvard Law School, calls on Simon, now reinstated with the NYPD, to find the killer, despite the case being outside Ziele's jurisdiction. While Ziele risks his career to help, he is increasingly aware that Alistair is keeping secrets from him, while he also must contend with the brother of his deceased fiancee, a young man involved with the anarchists. That both Simon and Alistair have something personal at stake gives the story a bit more tension than the previous book had. I figured out some of the mystery, but not all, and found this a fast, compelling read.

The second book by the author featuring police detective Simon Ziele, set in 1906. The story picks up a few months after the events of the first book, with Ziele brought in by his former NYPD partner to help with the murder of a Broadway actress. The book is a quick read and while I wasn't surprised when the killer was revealed, there were enough plot twists to satisfy me. My main complaint about this and its predecessor, is that NYC of that time period isn't much of a character. The time and place seemed to have been chosen because there are enough similarities to the present day, without all the technology and related complications of our time. Fortunately, that isn't much of a distraction. The characters are likeable and the mystery intriguing, enough to make me want to read the third Ziele book.

I enjoyed this historical mystery, just not as much as I wanted to. The mystery,, itself, was fine. The narrator, a NYC police detective now working with a police force just north of the big city, catches a case involving a brutal murder of a young woman that brings him back to his old haunting grounds, as well as having him cross paths with a criminologist, Alastair Sinclair, who wants to assist in the investigation.

Det. Simon Ziele lost his fiancee in the 1904 General Slocum ferry disaster and is still dealing with his grief a year later. Sinclair believes the criminal he's been studying with his research staff at Columbia University is the killer Ziele is hunting. Of course, nothing is ever that easy, and this book didn't win its author an Edgar Award for nothing. With Ziele revealing as much of the story as the reader needs to know at any point, the likely culprit seems to change whenever new info is uncovered. I wasn't correct in all my suppositions -- I entertained far more possible resolutions to the killing than the author did -- but the solution to the case wasn't much of a surprise. I also liked the characters. But Pintoff's prose is matter-of-fact simple and doesn't evoke the time and place as well as other historical mystery writers have done. It is a fast read, however, and I have the next two on their way to me.

Bad, just plain bad mystery

This series is entertaining. A cross between The Beekeeper's Apprentice and The Alienist.

Thanksgiving, the big parade in New York, in the balloon staging area the police commissioners daughter is kidnapped. Eve Rossi and her renegade team is called on, to find the young girl and to prevent what appears. to be a threat targeted at the commissioner and the parade itself.

First book I ever read by this author was her début novel, [book:In the Shadow of Gotham|6316381], a historical mystery that I loved. This, the second in the Eve Rossi series is a thriller and am very good one as was the first. Loved this group of unorthodox experts, all with very shady pasts but with undeniable talents that the FBI occasionally needs to use. Watching Eli attempt to leg raise like a Rockette while undercover and holding on to the Molly the Mongoose balloon alone was well worth the price of admission. This is a fast paced thriller, with a group of misfits that come together, sometimes unwillingly, to save a young girl. There is a shocker in this one and this group will never be quote the same again.

ARC from Netgalley.

A special thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stefanie Pintoff returns following Hostage Taker (Eve Rossi #1) with CITY ON EDGE (Eve Rossi #2) a riveting urban contemporary series, featuring Eve Rossi negotiator FBI agent for an intense suspense roller-coaster crime thriller ride. (love the cover)

As the previous book, the setting is centered around a holiday. Manhattan’s Upper West Side, the night before the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. A national event of historic proportions—not to mention a special family day that kids of all ages enjoy.

Perched high above Central Park West, Eve had an unparalleled view of the city from the penthouse terrace. Straight ahead, the park was a fiery swath of oranges, yellows, and reds. To the right, she could trace the Manhattan skyline down to the One World Trade Center. On her left, the rooftops of Harlem stretched in a wide arc.

Mind over matter, she told herself. Control was just an illusion.

Special Agent Evangeline Rossi (Eve) is head of a secret division of the FBI. Most of the eclectic team is a mix of highly intelligent professionals, criminals, and ex-convicts, a secret squad known as the VIDOCQ Unit. Meet the Team.

Eva, age 34, single, a Caucasian Italian, a perfectionist. She likes to control and does not delegate well. She is a seasoned interrogator and hostage negotiator. Her expertise is in behavioral science and criminal investigative analysis, subspecialties in kinesics and paralinguistics.

Her mother is deceased, and stepfather was a former CIA operative, also recently deceased. She loves crosswords puzzles, a concert pianist, and an avid runner. She is dedicated to her work, to make the place a better place. She possesses great insights into the criminal mind that most agents of her age do not possess.

Three and a half million people crammed onto the streets. Every year, it’s a miracle when nothing happens. The goal was simple: to erect a secure cordon that would be as impenetrable as a medieval fort.

With clever maps and visuals with Classified VIDOCQ file personal tidbits to get the low down on each agent, Pintoff sets the mood in the vibrant city with its set of problems. Lives are at stake. Security is imperative. However, as the balloons are inflated, things take a turn for the worse.

A protest unexpectedly turned violent. Police Commissioner Logan Donovan was brutally attacked on what should have been a day of celebration and Thanksgiving, gets shot. Then his thirteen-year-old daughter, Allie, has been kidnapped.

The search is on and tension is high. However, this may be more than a simple kidnapping. A terrorist threat targeting, the parade? Was the commissioner attacked in retaliation for Stan Smith’s death while in police custody? A threat to public safety? They need to keep the city safe.

With an eclectic group of agents (ex-cons) they all have special skills and criminal records. They put their skills to work for the government or do time in jail. At one point Eve had felt completely unsuited to lead her team of ex-cons and barely reformed thugs. With nothing in common with them. They were talented, unpredictable, and strangely loyal. They were her responsibility.

A ticking time bomb and Eve and the FBI’s Vidocq team brought together a group of ex-cons-men and women with extraordinary talents; who could solve crimes using methods that ordinary agents never could.

The department had been involved in a number of cases, too many unarmed suspects shot by cops. The Commissioner was also widowed now, and the media would be cruel. Her team has been charged with finding Allie and bringing her home, with some other politics going on at the same time.

Not the easiest task. Eve would do her job. She had dealt with plenty of powerhouses over the years. She would do her job, find the child, and make sure Commissioner Logan Donovan kept his distance.

There is more Eve and her team doesn't know—about a weapon planted inside the parade, about Commissioner Donovan’s hidden life, and about the secrets his daughter keeps. Eve must decide which is more dangerous.

Action-filled, an edgy, crime suspense of police brutality, corruption, deceit, and lies. As always, fun catching up with the mix of agents and their varied personality and skill sets, with some thought-provoking decisions for Eve for the next installment!

JDCMustReadBooks

Surprisingly good for a first crime novel. The setting of New York after the turn of the last century satisfied my love for historical fiction. Reading about the places I knew while they were in their heyday, ChinaTown, and the Bowery was so much better than the remains of these areas that I knew from my youth. While I could predict who the killer was easily, it was a good way to spend a day off.

If you like mystery series for the insight into the character's lives this isn't the book for you but it was well written and a good story - just a little clinical for my tastes.

At times I enjoyed the mystery, but what I thought was supposed to be the twist wasn't a surprise.

Audiobook. Mystery set at turn of century. Includes anarchists, early profiling. Okay for driving I suppose. But nothing particularly special.

Pintoff's last three novels (which I have read) have been historical mysteries, and I enjoyed them all. Was a little apprehensive and maybe a little disappointed when I read that this one was set in current times, but since I love this author's writing, I though why not give it a try? So very glad I did. This was fast paced, a super charged thriller, tense, suspenseful and thankfully for this reader, the start of a new series.

The Vidocq Unit, headed by Eve Rossi, a hostage negotiator, comes together in response to a crisis situation in St. Patrick's Cathedral. The Cathedral is the true star of this novel, loved reading about the ins and outs of the cathedral, the secret passages, have never been but hope to one day. This is a story where the truth must be uncovered, not only to save the cathedral, which is heavily wired with explosives, but also to save the unknown quantity of the hostages inside. So one by one information is uncovered, pieced together in an attempt to form a picture. What does the Hostage Taker want. What are his motives and first of all who is he?

This lady can write and write well. Fell for this unit of misfits, and look forward to their next case.

ARC from publisher.

A special thank you to Random House/Ballantine and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The HOSTAGE TAKER by Stefanie Pintoff, a new riveting urban contemporary thriller series, featuring Eve Rossi negotiator FBI agent for an intense suspense roller-coaster crime thriller ride.

What starts as a shooting outside of Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan revolves into a dangerous and complex hostage situation. At stake are not only the lives of the hostages but the fate of the most iconic church in the country.

Eve Rossi, is head of a secret division of the FBI. Most of the eclectic team is a mix of highly intelligent professionals, criminals, and ex-convicts, a secret squad known as the VIDOCQ Unit.

On the day of the Christmas Rockefeller Center tree lighting, in New York, a man barricades himself and an unknown number of hostages inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He requests Eve Rossi, who’s on bereavement leave following her stepfather’s death, a former a former CIA operative.

Eve is called back to work; however, the mysterious hostage situation is complex and so many elements are on the line. He wants five individuals brought to the scene to act as "witnesses" to the events. As the terror and intensity heats up, as the clock ticks, getting close to the deadline-- things do not go as planned.

I enjoyed the news breaks by the hour, with new correspondents, and the visual classified VIDOCQ files listing the individual's expertise, age, and criminal record, (along with their strengths and weaknesses), etc. --adding to the drama. The Author's Note was a nice addition with, master-of disguise, Eugene Francois Vidocq.

A fast-paced, suspense, with a strong and compelling protagonist heroine, pulling you into the terrifying drama unfolding with a deadly standoff; dark secrets, and special talents from the team.

My first book by Pintoff, spinning a twisted well-developed crime thriller page-turner– Hope to see more of Eve Rossi!

Fans of Lisa Gardner and Tami Hoag will enjoy this new thriller, HOSTAGE TAKER.

This was a good second book in this series, which is set in 1906, and features a police officer in New York City.

so full of anachronisms. It's supposed to be 1905, not 2005. It's also really obviously a first novel, but it's not a bad premise. Just wish the execution had been better.

disability tag - one bad guy uses a cane, but we don't discover this until the scene where we learn he's evil. Another bad guy is apparently grotesque in appearance and has addiction withdrawal symptoms.

gender-politics - all the young pretty women get fridged. All the positively described older/successful women are prostitutes or spinsters. All the hard-working and/or respectable women are coldly unfriendly or overtly neurotic.

I'm annoyed because I really wanted to like this -- it's such a rich setting -- but there's so little characterization that it was hard to get involved with any of the characters. I wanted to worry for them, but they were mostly that unengaging. There are apparently more books in the same 'verse, and I'm curious whether they get better.

There is nothing more frustrating to me as a reader than an interesting idea mangled by an inept writer. I hated so much of this, and yet that kernel of interest kept me going...to a finale worthy of a terrible soap opera.

After the tragic death of his fiancée, Detective Simon Ziele needs to get out of New York City. He joins the police force of a small town north of the metropolis, hoping that the work will be a respite from the suffering he's left behind. But when a well-to-do young woman is brutally murdered -- in her own house, in broad daylight -- Ziele discovers that he can't fully escape the violence and tragedy of his past. He receives the help of a criminal psychologist at Columbia University who believes that one of his own research subjects may be responsible for crime. Ziele is skeptical about the psychologist's methods but accepts his help in hunting for the main suspect. But as they search for the man, Ziele is forced to return to New York City and confront some of the memories of his past.

This book had been sitting on my shelf for years, so I'm very glad I finally took the time to read it! I haven't read many books set in turn-of-the-century America, but it's certainly a fascinating setting for a murder mystery. This book takes full advantage of the setting, frequently mentioning the Tammany Hall political machine and exploring the gap between rich and poor. The mystery itself was fine but not particularly surprising; I didn't guess "whodunit," but I came up with a solution that, frankly, I would have enjoyed more than the actual answer! Nonetheless, I liked Simon Ziele and plan to continue with the series. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of historical mysteries.

The careers of New York City detective Simon Ziele and his former partner, Captain Declan Mulvaney, went in remarkably different directions after the tragic death of Ziele’s fiancée in the 1904 General Slocum ferry disaster. While earmarked for bigger things, Ziele moved north of the city to escape the violence, and Mulvaney dug in deeper, heading up the precinct in the most crime-ridden part of New York.
Yet with all of the resources at Mulvaney’s disposal, a puzzling crime compels him to ask his former partner for help. A chorus girl has been found dead on a Broadway stage dressed as the lead. There is no sign of violence. The coroner would call it a suicide, but then she’d be the second actress to die that way in only days.
Following on the heels of Pintoff’s Edgar Award–winning debut, A Curtain Falls is a moody and evocative tale that follows Ziele as he scours the streets in search of a true fiend.

A difficult one, excellent sense of time and place but …I just don’t like the characters in this series, I didn’t care about any of them. I read Gotham a while back and was forgettable to the point that I didn’t even recognise the characters when they appeared in A Curtain Falls.

I thought the story was weak and tedious, the twists and turns increasingly preposterous, characters boring. I don’t think I will be reading The Secret of the White Rose and please don’t compare to Caleb Carr.

I like the setting, NY City and I like the early criminalist characterization. Something seems to drag the story down. Worth the read especially after reading her new book. The continuity from this book to the new one is important.

Sequel to her Edgar winner . I liked this one much more than the first. Same characters, same setting. Moved along at a faster pace than the first book. New York theater in the early 1900s is very interesting to read about.

Excellent historical fiction mystery set in New York in 1905. Looking forward to reading the next installment in this series, once the Kindle price comes down.

Meh. The story here was not nearly as interesting as In the Shadow of Gotham. Hopefully the third book is better.

I like historical fiction and I like this time period (late 1890's to early 1900's). The mystery is pretty tight and has a few twists that I wasn't expecting. However, there was much of this book that reminded me very strongly of The Alienist by Caleb Carr (including the time period) and so I kept thinking it was too much of a copy. The scientist who wants to study criminal behavior, someone from the "outside", here a cop but in The Alienist a reporter, and a vicious killer who kills just because he can.

I'll try another book by Ms. Pintoff but it might be a while, I need to let this one "gel" a bit to see if I still like it as much later.