... a thoroughly delightful read ... This is a very old-fashioned sort of murder mystery, where most everyone is a suspect and there are the standard red herrings and false leads ... an abiding love for turn-of-the-century America and a profound interest in how the country was changing and growing at that time ... Primarily, though, The Attempted Murder of Teddy Roosevelt is about delighting its audience, and Solomon does a thorough job of doing just that. He breathes life not only into the character of John Hay, but also to a host of other luminaries ranging from Henry Adams to Nellie Bly. Hay is nobody’s idea of a great detective, but he works his way through the labyrinthine plot with verve and purpose. Anyone with any kind of interest in the period and the characters will be glad to immerse themselves in the narrative, and the more casual mystery reader will appreciate the overall sense of suspense and gratification at the resolution.
Solomon raises some plausible doubts about the true cause of the tragedy ... Hay is a congenial protagonist—intelligent, witty, and world-weary ... Solomon fondly recreates the Washington, D.C., of that era ... But there are minuses. In his perambulations, Hay interviews and interrogates everyone from corrupt Sen. Mark Hanna to wealthy financier J.P. Morgan, then ratiocinates at length on the possibilities. This succession of leads and blind alleys gets a little repetitive; one starts to long for someone to just fess up and say they did it. Also in the minus column—the resolution of the mystery. Many suspects with a motive to kill Theodore Roosevelt were famous, with reams of words written about their lives. In considering the possible mastermind, the informed reader will have to weigh the evidence of history against the likelihood of their plotting to murder the President. Still, The Attempted Murder of Teddy Roosevelt is a pleasant gateway to Hay.
Solomon fondly recreates the Washington, D.C., of that era — a raw, half-finished city with a burgeoning government bureaucracy at the center and rough neighborhoods with names like Swampoodle on the margins ... In his perambulations, Hay interviews and interrogates everyone from corrupt Sen. Mark Hanna to wealthy financier J.P. Morgan, then ratiocinates at length on the possibilities. This succession of leads and blind alleys gets a little repetitive; one starts to long for someone to just fess up and say they did it ... Also in the minus column — the resolution of the mystery. Many suspects with a motive to kill Theodore Roosevelt were famous, with reams of words written about their lives. In considering the possible mastermind, the informed reader will have to weigh the evidence of history against the likelihood of their plotting to murder the President ... Still, The Attempted Murder of Teddy Roosevelt is a pleasant gateway to Hay.
... a splendid tale ... Solomon uses the Pittsfield setting with aplomb ... Solomon’s conclusion of this investigation exceeds the boundary of the actual facts. The coroner in Pittsfield had found the 1902 South Street collision to have been an accident. Burt Solomon does not, and his conclusion is much more satisfying to the reader and to President Roosevelt.
Best of all, Hay is a fallible, engaging character with interests in boxing and poetry as well as sleuthing, and his narration brings to life a time and place as it unravels a crime.
Solomon incorporates many historically accurate events, details, and characters into this engaging story, based on an actual incident. Historical mystery fans who relish rich period details will be eager to see Hay again.
Emancipated journalist Nellie Bly, Roosevelt’s close friend and adviser George Cortelyou, and billionaire J.P. Morgan all figure prominently in his investigation, Bly even playing Watson to Hay’s Holmes. It takes a second murder to bring the entire affair into sharp focus ... Historian Solomon’s meticulous details and the real-life figures woven into the narrative make it both informative and entertaining.
