Bitter Tide by Ann Stamos (Book Review)

Stamos, Ann. Bitter Tide. Waterville, Me.: Five Star, 2009.

Maggie arrives at Ellis Island where witnesses see her shoot the man with whom she traveled to America. Joseph is the supervisor and has more sympathy toward the girl than some of his superiors, and when the body is not found, he stalls her transfer to prison as long as possible while he investigates the situation. The reader sees the political machinery of New York and the Irish political groups in New York at work as Joseph investigates. It's a well-written mystery, but it's not a typical one in many ways. It's also not quite the novel I would have expected from a subsidiary of Gale's Cengage Learning to produce in support of a unit dealing with immigration. It certainly shows some of the problems at Ellis Island caused by political machinery. 3.5 stars.