Brooklyn Secrets: An Erica Donato Mystery (Erica Donato Mysteries, 3) Paperback – December 1, 2015

You might think that a tale revolving around old letters and stained glass windows (in a cemetery, no less) would be peaceful and leisurely. Well, not in Brooklyn. There's beauty, yes, and some dust, but little peace for Erica Donato, who's got a dissertation to finish, a part-time job that's just been complicated by a pompous academic, a teenage daughter (need I say more?), and unpleasant dramas ripping through her neighborhood and personal life. There's a lot to enjoy here about the evolution of Brooklyn up to the current day, and how this enormous, diverse borough keeps being shaped and remade by the people who decide to make it their home.I loved the way the issue of grieving was addressed. Sometimes, in soft-boiled mysteries, the deaths of characters seem not to be anything more than plot points, excuses for the story to begin. Erica's own grief over the loss of her daughter's father years ago is triggered by the loss of a family friend, another father and husband. The way she negotiates her own memories with her daughter, and tries to reach out to a family whose grief she understands too well is handled very sensitively and realistically, I think, which added depth to the story and a parallel line of contemporary family drama to the ones suspected in the past. Come for the mystery, stay for the history!

Well written book, with plenty of back-history of Brooklyn and this cemetery featured in Brooklyn Graves. The plot involves a PhD candidate in Art History, widow Erica Donato, trying to find out why her friend and part-time cemetery guard was killed at the cemetery. She is also sifting out clues to what happened to a noted Brooklyn family many years ago and why a Tiffany window from their mausoleum is missing, as well as other Tiffany windows from other cemeteries.The plot comes together neatly at the end. This book is a swift read and very enjoyable.

Second book in the series. Great New York stories that delve into the history of the city with fictional stories but with that great sense of authenticity. I’ll be reading the third.

I love Triss Stein's work. She creates a cozy mystery with a interesting academic in training lead character, gives the authentic flavor of Brooklyn's diverse neighborhoods and throws in a bit of real Brooklyn history, too. What more can you ask!

I enjoyed the interesting story, especially being able to learn more about Brooklyn's history. I thought the author did a great job drawing out this reader into trying to figure out the whodunit. As a mother, I can really appreciate the challenges of being a working mother which are so artfully portrayed.

"Brooklyn Graves" is the second book in a series that has all of the features a reader could want: mystery, adventure, history, and an intelligent and compelling protagonist. This book leads Erica Donato to the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn where a crime has taken place. While investigating the crime, Erica learns about the Tiffany windows that adorn the mausoleum and the history that brought them to this unusual setting. Both books in this series have vivid descriptions of Brooklyn neighborhoods that enhance the plot, and I am eagerly looking forward to reading about Erica's next adventure.

A terrific addition to the Erica Donato series! Ms. Stein expertly weaves a fascinating history of an iconic Brooklyn neighborhood with two intriguing mysteries. The parallels between the experience of the poor Jewish immigrant community in the early part of the 20th century with the African-American community in Brownsville today are expertly drawn. The characters are all sympathetically portrayed. Ms. Stein uses her experience in the Stone Avenue library to paint a fascinating portrait of Brownsville past and present.

I really enjoyed revisiting the character of Erica Donato and her historical research with a side of sleuthing. I find it fascinating to learn about the history of Brooklyn in the guise of a detective story. If Ms. Stein ever chooses to write historical fiction, or even just a history book, I suspect it would be as interesting and engaging as her crime stories.

This was a very enjoyable book - and i managed to read it over one weekend as i was quite entranced with wanting to mare about the Tiffany angle to the book. I have also read the previous book Brooklyn Bones and enyoyed it almost as much as this one.I good yarn that is believable, about everyday life and death and murder - the description of Brooklyn makes me want to book a flight and visit the Green-wood cemetery to see for myself

I have been really lucky in my choices of books I have read so far in January of 2016. Including Brooklyn Secrets. Triss Stein has kept up her terrific work in this third book of her series. If you are looking for a fast fast-paced mystery--this isn't it. This is a remarkable look at Brooklyn, at it's history and how the author sees it now. I felt like I was invited to visit, and was viewing it through her (Triss Stein's) eyes. I could actually touch, smell and see Brooklyn.Erica Donato is a wonderful, strong and very sympathetic character. As a urban history grad student I loved following her through all her research, the push she had to find all the answers. I also loved the way she made new and interesting friends, spent time with them, learnt from them and offered them help when needed. Erica is also a great (single) mom with a very interesting and accomplished 15 year old daughter who brings a lot of color to the story.I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to read a slightly different mystery and who would enjoy learning something about Brooklyn, now and it's history.