- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S. (Jun 1997)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 042515856X
- ISBN-13: 978-0425158562
- Product Dimensions: 17 x 10.4 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,018,446 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Synopsis
Police detective Milo Kachigan and Helen Sorby, a determined young political activist and social worker, join forces to investigate a mysterious tenement fire that claims the lives of two poor immigrants, only to find their case hindered by turn-of-the-century Pittsburgh's corrupt political machine. Original.
From the Author
Future Books in the Pittsburgh Series
Blood Tracks, the sequel to Steel Ashes, will be coming out in mid-February 1998. The third book in the series, Coal Bones, has just been turned in and should be published by the end of 1998. Each volume in the series focuses on the social turmoil caused by the industries (steel, railroad, electric, coal) which made Pittsburgh so powerful at the turn of the century.
Blood Tracks, the sequel to Steel Ashes, will be coming out in mid-February 1998. The third book in the series, Coal Bones, has just been turned in and should be published by the end of 1998. Each volume in the series focuses on the social turmoil caused by the industries (steel, railroad, electric, coal) which made Pittsburgh so powerful at the turn of the century.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
The first thing I look for in a mystery is a well-crafted character; I find this in the works of the greats: Raymond Chandler, James Lee Burke and Walter Mosley. The second is a believable and absorbing atmosphere; again, one finds these in abundance in the works of these writers.
Karen Rose Cercone is now another author I can add to the list. "Steel Ashes" is a wonderful book, and its sequel is even better. As a professional social worker who works with the poor, it is very gratifying for me to see a heroine who is also a social worker (something she denies in the book's sequel, but is nonetheless) at the very dawn of the social work profession. In the character of Helen Sorby, Cercone has crafted a heroine who is admirable and very real; not a few readers will, I suspect, fall head over heals for her.
The book's context illustrates the injustices of industrialism at the beginning of the twentieth century, reminding us that economic change (with which we are always contending) always brings with it human suffering. By placing the action in a time when few people believed that such suffering should be alleviated by the government (much like our own time), Cercone is able demonstrate the misery that occurs when such inaction is tolerated. These are the kind of injustices that brave reformers like Helen will not tolerate.
Helen's idealism is tempered by the worldly-wise Milo, a policeman who has had to conceal his Armenian heritage in order to become a cop. Milo is, like Helen, a victim of the prejudice of society; but like her, he refuses to be content with whining about it as an excuse for inaction. Even so, the differing responses of the two protagonists -- and their irresistable attraction to each other -- are what give the series its dramatic tension. The fact that then, as now, the book highlights very real and very current social problems is what makes it, like the work of Burke and Mosley and Chandler, more than just another mystery.
Format:Paperback
A delightful first mystery by Cercone on the Steel City and some of its less than wealthy residents at the turn of the century. The mystery was suspenseful but more to my liking, the sparks really flew between Helen Sorby and Milo the police officer. Definitely awaiting the sequel.
Format:Paperback
This was a fantastic book. It was different and fascinating because of the year it took place and what you learned about early Pittsburgh. It was great because of the wonderful characters, and it was fantastic because it was a mystery that kept you guessing until the very end. I would highly recommend this book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Sharp new mystery in a realistic historic setting
As a Pittsburgher, I really appreciated the accuracy and love of the city portrayed throughout the book. Read more
Published on 14 Jan 1998
Interesting, engrossing and well done.
I read this book more than once and continually look for a sequel. The characters are likeable, the dialogue is smart and funny, and a potential romance is suggested between two... Read more
Published on 24 Oct 1997
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