Buy new:
-43% $11.45
$3.99 delivery May 10 - 14
Ships from: Shakespeare Book House
Sold by: Shakespeare Book House
$11.45 with 43 percent savings
List Price: $19.99

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
$3.99 delivery May 10 - 14. Details
Or fastest delivery May 9 - 13. Details
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$11.45 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$11.45
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Shakespeare Book House
Ships from
Shakespeare Book House
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$8.83
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
Item in Very Good Condition. VHS in Very Good Condition. Toy in Very Good Condition. Disc in Very Good Condition and free of scratches. CD in Very Good Condition and free of scratches. Game in Very Good Condition. Software in Very Good Condition with no scratches on disc. Book in Very Good Condition. Item in Very Good Condition. VHS in Very Good Condition. Toy in Very Good Condition. Disc in Very Good Condition and free of scratches. CD in Very Good Condition and free of scratches. Game in Very Good Condition. Software in Very Good Condition with no scratches on disc. Book in Very Good Condition. See less
FREE delivery Saturday, May 11 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Friday, May 10. Order within 3 hrs 21 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$11.45 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$11.45
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Stefanie Pintoff
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

In the Shadow of Gotham (Detective Simon Ziele, 1) Paperback – May 11, 2010

by Stefanie Pintoff (Author)
3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 181 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$11.45","priceAmount":11.45,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"11","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"45","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"Uaybggp848TgCRmmKyxLYJslM8ABFRmqNAnA7H6Gy5w920zy7pZJsRU9vVaA1Yo0C%2Feff7PbqP6OqxNU2isBkY1pBedBXYdYIxu1OQsIgDtKA83SG5IXzYfVIt3Eylx7jwPxT39BCJ%2BXsBUaaJX5dJbxuXafw4qJS2YJPVZqlcjQtYacJJCMyRqyEezdvMWz","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$8.83","priceAmount":8.83,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"8","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"83","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"Uaybggp848TgCRmmKyxLYJslM8ABFRmqdAVFk0OwyR5uSPUAYvxiFNXgJneS%2B4toTYaJi4hx66kuJTHSyffvnfdE0qMjWrmDWrxui8Mk8R3ab5MySESpwbML7cvtCiDG7oO9qF7oUsIeHqFWfDBwNzfiW8bNmZ4rVVPJbf7ocxYXakYVam2jlr2Mdlp6lMcY","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Dobson, New York, 1905.

Detective Simon Ziele lost his fiancée in the General Slocum ferry disaster―a thousand perished on that summer day in 1904 when an onboard fire burned the boat down in the waters of the East River. Still reeling from the tragedy, Ziele transferred to a police department north of New York, to escape the city and all the memories it conjured.

But only a few months into his new life in a quiet country town, he's faced with the most shocking homicide of his career to date: Young Sarah Wingate has been brutally murdered in her own bedroom in the middle of an otherwise calm and quiet winter afternoon. After just one day of investigation, Simon's contacted by Columbia University's noted criminologist Alistair Sinclair, who offers a startling claim about one of his patients, Michael Fromley―that the facts of the murder bear an uncanny resemblance to Fromley's deranged mutterings.

But what would have led Fromley, with his history of violent behavior and brutal fantasies, to seek out Sarah, a notable mathematics student and a proper young lady who has little in common with his previous targets? Is Fromley really a murderer, or is someone mimicking him?

This is what Simon Ziele must find out, with the help of the brilliant but self-interested Alistair Sinclair―before the killer strikes again.

With this taut, atmospheric, and original story of a haunted man who must search for a killer while on the run from his own demons, Stefanie Pintoff's In the Shadow of Gotham marks the debut of an outstanding new talent, the inaugural winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America Best First Crime Novel Competition.

In the Shadow of Gotham is the winner of the 2010 Edgar Award for Best First Novel.

Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 3
    Detective Simon Ziele
  2. Print length
    385 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    May 11, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.89 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0312628129
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0312628123
  8. See all details
Next page
Layla
"Layla" by Colleen Hoover for $7.19
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover comes a novel that explores life after tragedy and the enduring spirit of love. | Learn more

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Will remind many of Caleb Carr at his best.” ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The author has inevitably been compared to Caleb Carr. . . . She does an outstanding job of blending historical detail with engaging characters and a suspenseful plot.” ―The Denver Post

“Pintoff excavates a rich vein of early criminology. . . . She also delivers a gripping detective story.” ―Booklist

“Nicely contrasts academic theorizing with the reality of police detection set against the backdrop of a vividly depicted turn-of-the-century Gotham. Recommend to readers who enjoy historicals of this period, such as Caleb Carr's The Alienist and Ann Stamos's Bitter Tide.” ―Library Journal (starred review)

About the Author

Stefanie Pintoff is the author of A Curtain Falls, In the Shadow of Gotham, and Secret of the White Rose. In the Shadow of Gotham is the winner of the 2010 Edgar Award for Best First Novel and the Washington Irving Book Prize, and she has earned nominations for the Agatha, Anthony and Macavity Awards. She is also a graduate of Columbia University Law School and has a Ph.D. in literature from New York University. Now a full-time writer, she lives with her husband and daughter on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Minotaur Books; First Edition (May 11, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 385 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0312628129
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312628123
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.89 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 181 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Stefanie Pintoff

Stefanie Pintoff

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Stefanie Pintoff is the Edgar® award-winning author of five novels. Her writing has also earned nominations for the Barry, Anthony, Agatha, and Macavity awards. She lives on Manhattan's Upper West Side, where she is at work on her next thriller.

Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars
3.7 out of 5
181 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

J. Shetrone
4.0 out of 5 stars Satisfying start to a new series
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2011
Verified Purchase
I saw Pintoff's books recommended in an article by Jason Pinter, and knew immediately that I had to add them to my wish list. This was an entertaining depiction of turn-of-the-century investigation, where one often had to rely more upon luck than physical evidence. Not only do we see the earliest days of forensics, where even fingerprinting is brand new, but we see the beginnings of the use of criminology. It's a time period I find particularly interesting to read about; a world caught somewhere between the past and the present.

I liked Simon Ziele. He was a little bit of a fish out of water in the rural town we meet him in, but really comes into his own once he is let loose upon the city again. He's fragile in a way; not just physically, but emotionally. The ferry disaster that took the life of his fiancé has affected him in ways he would rather not reveal. You want to root for him to not only have success professionally, but to find happiness personally.

As for the mystery, it spins its wheels a bit at times until Ziele turns to the techniques he finds tried and true. Despite the study of criminology being central to the story, it's not the star in the end. The reveal didn't completely surprise me, but parts of it did.

A good historical mystery always pleases me, so I look forward to reading more of Pintoff's series.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Lewis Shaffer
5.0 out of 5 stars You won't want to put it down!
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2009
Verified Purchase
I highly recommend In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefanie Pintoff. Ms. Pintoff hooks the reader from the first sentence. My only complaint is that once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down and as a result didn't get my usual sleep for a few nights. But it was worth it. Simon Ziele is a fascinating character - a man with secrets, having both physical and emotional pain who is enmeshed in his work as a suburban police officer. Ms. Pintoff put a lot of work into researching the book and as a result the reader, in addition to getting to read a well developed mystery, love story, and psychological novel also gets to learn about New York City in 1905. For example, one gets to learn interesting facts about New York, such as tidbits about Tammany Hall, Grand Central Station, Columbia University, and the General Slocum ferry tragedy.

Without giving away any of the details, the characters and the story are all very believable, and the mystery is well crafted. The book satisfies and at the same time it leaves you wanting more. And fortunately, if what one reads on the Internet is to be relied upon, we may get to enjoy Simon Ziele in sequels.

Treat yourself to a real find - get this book.
88 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Ray J. Palen Jr.
3.0 out of 5 stars Good atmospheric historical piece --- but this is no "Alienist".
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2010
Verified Purchase
Stefanie Pintoff's debut novel has charmed critics and garnered several awards. I read it with great anticipation of discovering another voice in the crowded field of crime fiction that would show me something 'new'.

Alas, the book never rises above 'good' and I predicted the ending well before the final chapters. That being said, it is a fine period piece for those who enjoy reading work from another age. Taking place in 1905, long before modern CSI methods would make crime detection a scientific method, Detective Simon Zeile is faced with a brutal murder in the quiet upstate NY town of Dobson. Of course, this murder resembles the work of a criminal fiend from NYC who had been a case study of the noted criminologist, Alistair Sinclair.

Zeile reluctantly returns to his former NYC territory to join forces with Sinclair and his band of eccentric criminology students --- and all is not as it would seem. A well-crafted, but ultimately mediocre novel that tries to be Caleb Carr's "The Alienist" , but falls far short of that effort.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Scifi reader
4.0 out of 5 stars Overdue review
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2013
Verified Purchase
I read this one a while ago and always intended to review it but am just getting around to it now. My expectations were very high for this piece since it was a major award winner. The writing was crisp and the mystery kept my interest. The protagonist, however, did not. His actions were a bit too predictable and sterile. Almost robotic. I simply had a hard time relating to him and it took out of the story. With that being said, I think most fans of the mystery genre will enjoy this book.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
S. L. Parker
2.0 out of 5 stars Are You Kidding Me?
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2010
Verified Purchase
I grabbed this book when I saw that it had been nominated for an Edgar. Big mistake and shame on the Edgars for actually awarding this author the award for "Best First Novel". What were they thinking? This book was painfully dull, with flat characters that I really didn't care about, and the plot was ordinary, slow and boring.

And now I see the author has written a sequel that I won't be bothering with. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. Save your money and check this one out at the library. I'm giving it a 2 star review because I liked the cover.
12 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Sheila P.
4.0 out of 5 stars This book "perks along"
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2010
Verified Purchase
I enjoy reading books like this at intervals, especially after reading several "exciting" or "suspenseful" books. In the Shadow of Gotham is a pleasant and intriguing mystery that "perks along" with an interesting plot, but not too much excitement, action, and suspense. I find books like this relaxing to read - I don't always want to be on the edge of my seat with the high-impact action of some thrillers. I love the historical component, as I am a history buff. Very good book.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Mary E. Lydic
5.0 out of 5 stars Criminal Detection
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2014
Verified Purchase
This author has done her research well and presents a realistic picture of early 20th century New York.
She keeps the reader guessing and pondering the clues along the story line with Detective Ziele. Fabulous !!
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Insomniac Reads
3.0 out of 5 stars Could Have Been Better
Reviewed in Canada on November 21, 2012
Verified Purchase
It had a black felt mark at the bottom like a library book.

The package had a hole in it and we get a lot of rain.
Report
Tom
2.0 out of 5 stars So-so period detective thriller
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 20, 2011
Verified Purchase
This book was a disappointment to me. Based on its mainly positive reviews I was hoping for a book of the calibre of Caleb Carr's two marvellous thrillers set in turn of the century New York - The Alienist and Angel of Darkness. what I got was a rather plodding thriller, with a dodgy plot, some fairly unconvincing characters, and not very competent detectives. And it is much too long - a good editor would surely be able to cut it by at least 25%.

The main problem was the author's prose style. This I think aspired to the style of the age, as it were, presumably to enhance authenticity - rather formal language, full and rather florid sentences, dialogue consisting of set-piece exchanges, and unvarying pace. The trouble is that the writers of the time - such as Conan Doyle - did it so much better and managed at the same time to keep up a cracking pace. In this book, the pace hardly ever changes and never gets into third gear - plodding is the only word for it. The plot is also rather contrived and it beggars belief that a genuine policeman, even at that time in history, would have been quite so gullible and unable to follow the most obvious routes in the investigation. Other characters dont really come to life, and the ending is unconvincing to put it mildly. The period detail is OK, but it doesn't really come to life because the prose is so leaden.

So I would save your money - spend it instead on Caleb Carr's books. Hopefully, they will eventually come out on kindle.
One person found this helpful
 Report