P.B. Ryan

Nell Sweeney, a young Irish-born governess in post-Civil War Boston, may not have much, but she does possess both a keen mind and a brave heart. As governess to the wealthy Hewitt family, she finds plenty of opportunities to use both—especially when the seamy side of society shows itself... The lowborn Fallons come to Viola Hewitt with a desperate plea for help. Their wayward daughter, Bridget, a pretty young employee of Hewitt Mills and Dye Works, hasn’t been seen for days. Mrs. Fallon, unwilling to believe that Bridget would just run off without a word, fears that she’s come to a bad end—possibly at the hands of her ex-con lover. Viola, confined to a wheelchair, enlists Nell to locate the missing mill girl. Working with Viola’s black sheep son, Will, Nell uncovers a web of schemes and greed and dark obsession… and what she knows may just be the death of her. Originally published by Berkley Prime Crime.

An alternate cover edition can be found here. Book #1 of P.B. Ryan’s bestselling historical mystery series featuring Boston governess Nell Sweeney and opium-smoking former battle surgeon Will Hewitt. Long thought to have died during the Civil War, Will is arrested for murder, and it's up to Nell to prove his innocence.

Librarian's Note: this is an alternate cover edition - ASIN B003WEAJ2A “The resolution of the central mystery is almost secondary to the revelations about Nell’s past and the way the author ties up all the loose ends of her present situation. Longtime readers will enjoy this aspect immensely; I know I did. This has been a gorgeously written series, populated with unique and unforgettable characters.” —CA Reviews Summers at the Hewitts family’s palatial Cape Cod “cottage” are always bittersweet for governess Nell Sweeney, for it was on the Cape that she lost all but one of her siblings to disease. Then she married Duncan, a ne’er-do-well charmer who abused her and coaxed her into petty crime before being condemned to spend the rest of his life in prison. Her dark past has been a deeply buried secret for years—but soon she’ll learn that it wasn’t buried quite deeply enough. Nell has proven herself an exemplary governess, and she is deeply devoted to little Gracie. But now the possibility that she might be carrying Will Hewitt’s child threatens to destroy everything she’s worked so hard for. Even if she were free to marry, she doubts that Will, a rootless cardsharp and recovering addict, could ever truly settle down. Not that marriage is even an option, since Duncan adamantly refuses to grant her a divorce. When the pregnancy is discovered, she’ll be ruined. Nell is dealt another blow when she finds out that her beloved brother Jamie has been discovered dead in a burned-out farm shed—and that he was wanted for murder. With help from an injured Will and her former mentor, Dr. Greaves, Nell attempts to clear Jamie’s name, a mission that takes her from the criminal underworld to the top ranks of Cape Cod society. Originally published by Berkley Prime Crime

When her friend, an Irish police officer, goes on the lam after being accused of killing a petty criminal in Boston's North End, Nell Sweeney, a governess for a wealthy family, journeys into a dark underworld of crime and corruption to prove his innocence with the help of her employer. Original.

When Wall Street's first "Black Friday" leads to the demise of two acquantances of her employers, governess Nell Sweeney and Dr. Will Hewitt discover that the cause of death was not suicide but murder. Original.

When famous actress Virginia Kimball is brutally murdered and her maid Fiona is accused of the crime, governess Nell Sweeney is called in to prove Fiona's innocence and discovers Virginia's rumored "little red book" that reveals a wealth of suspects. Original.