MUTE WITNESS by Charles O'Brien

MUTE WITNESS by Charles O'Brien
Poisoned Pen Press - May 2001
ISBN: 1890208620 - Hardcover
Historical Mystery

Reviewed by Brenda Weeaks, MyShelf.com
Buy a Copy

Mute Witness is three hundred and twenty five pages of mystery and intrigue, and a tad of romance thrown in for good measure. It takes place in London and Paris just before the French Revolution. The sleuth is Anne Cartier, a vaudeville actress training to be a deaf teacher at two, soon to be famous, deaf schools. Colonel Paul de Saint-Martin of the royal highway patrol is sent by his aunt to find Anne and give her the sad news that her stepfather is dead. He lets Anne help in finding the truth about her stepfather’s death by pairing her up with Georges Charpentier, who goes undercover. It’s a story of politics, trickery, adversity and emotional awakening.

The era itself is captivating and romantic; Mr. O’Brien successfully enriches it with full-bodied characters and a multifaceted mystery of twists and turns. I found Mute Witness to be a lengthy, sound read. It is an impressive story to be read and enjoyed a bit at a time in order to make the experience last.