I came across Triss Stein quite by accident, and read a book that was in the middle of her Erica Donato mysteries. I decided I needed to go back to the beginning and read as much as I could of the series. It’s not that I was lost reading that book, but I liked the characters and setting enough to get to know them better

Erica Donato is a young widow with a daughter, Chris. Erica works part-time at a local museum and is getting her Ph.D. in history. They are renovating their home in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn when they find a skeleton in the wall. Is it from when the home was built? Or was it more recent? Was the person murdered?

Chris, especially, is curious to find out who it was and what happened to them. Erica also starts digging, and they soon find themselves in danger from those who want to keep their secrets buried.

Brooklyn Bones does a marvelous job with the Brooklyn setting. I really got a feel for a neighborhood that was changing and evolving, as what was old was becoming new again, and in the process revealing its secrets. The author introduces us to the neighborhood and its characters through this mystery, as Erica talks to them to try to figure out who the skeleton belongs to.

Her digging leads her to Leary, a retired reporter who once wrote about the area. I really enjoyed this character and could imagine a few reporters who I remember from my time growing up in New York who would fit the bill. Likewise, the contractor, Joe, who is helping out a friend with the renovations is someone relatable and likable.

The mystery here was revealed slowly, but I had a pretty good idea of how it was going to turn out. It takes Erica back to the early 1970s at a time when the neighborhood she lives in was dominated by slumlords and young runaways during the late 60s and early 70s. There are enough hints to figure it out, but at the same time I found the way it unfolded to be well done and it kept me riveted.

This is a great summer read. There’s no real violence in the book, just peril. The romance is light although it’s there as Erica tries to juggle everything that’s going on in her life. I found it to be much better than other reluctant female protagonist mysteries that I’ve read.