| Brent Monahan's mystery, 'The Jekyl Island | | | | |
| Club' is a great glimpse into the lives of | | | | The most entertaining part of the novel is |
| the incredibly filthy rich in the last years | | | | Monahan's portrayal of Joseph Pulitzer, the |
| of the nineteenth century. The setting is | | | | news tycoon, as aging and nearly blind but |
| Jekyl Island off the coast of Georgia near | | | | still sharp and very witty. I'm not certain |
| Brunswick, which was the playground for the | | | | how precise the depiction is but this |
| ultra-wealthy such as J. P. Morgan and Joseph | | | | Pulitzer adds much to the story, with his |
| Pulitzer, both of whom appear in the novel. | | | | jokes and over-bearing ego. |
| | | | |
| The story opens as a member of the club is | | | | The story does pick up the pace a bit after |
| found murdered and Morgan tries to pressure | | | | one of the club's servants is murdered in |
| the local sheriff, John Le Brun, into | | | | what appears to be a random act of burglary |
| concluding it was an accidental death by a | | | | at a bar on the mainland. The action moves |
| poacher. An open and shut case. Le Brun, | | | | along from that point with the sheriff and |
| not one to be bullied, insists on a thorough | | | | the deputy finding more clues and finally |
| investigation to find the murderer but also | | | | gaining respect among the titans of industry. |
| what the millionaires are hiding on their | | | | |
| exclusive resort. With his somewhat | | | | The conclusion, however, is rather |
| duplicitous deputy Warfield Tidewell, Le Brun | | | | complicated, which is a sharp contrast to the |
| sets out interviewing the members on the | | | | rest of the story. For the first |
| island and, at length, uncovers some very | | | | three-fourths of the book, the sheriff and |
| ugly truths and politically motivated | | | | the deputy find very few clues and even fewer |
| agendas. President McKinley visits the club | | | | are given to the reader when, in the last |
| during the events in the mystery but never | | | | chapters, the bulk of the evidence is found. |
| becomes more than a peripheral character and | | | | The sheriff reveals the solution in a long |
| exits the story without incident. | | | | and meticulous monologue during which the |
| | | | reader is as impatient with him as are Morgan |
| Although the details and facts behind the | | | | and Pulitzer, when they angrily urge him to |
| island and club, its members and the | | | | get to the point. |
| political climate of the time are | | | | |
| historically accurate and wonderfully | | | | It is an entertaining read, despite the lull |
| written, the story tends to drag for much of | | | | in action. The characters are colorful and |
| the book. Since clues to the murder are few | | | | the writing is superb. One can get a great |
| and no one is willing to cooperate, the | | | | lesson in U. S. history if one is paying |
| sheriff and deputy spend most of their time | | | | attention. This certainly was much more |
| interviewing and re-interviewing club | | | | enjoyable than any history text book. |
| members, making little progress. | | | | |