Although listed as a "gripping historical thriller and rousing love story", I would not call the story gripping nor rousing and not a love story. Gave a lot of historical info that was nicely written into the story but I was amazed at all the freedoms that Blandine had as a single Dutch female in that time period of 1660s. The descriptions of how the the killer and the Indians treated their victims was horrible to read. I enjoyed Edward and did not like her intended at all. Was not aware of the position of orphan master and liked learning about him and his part in the social structure. ( )

I was intrigued from the very first exposure I had to The Orphanmaster by Jean Zimmerman, primarily because I am a New Yorker and totally enamored with the history of my state. That, combined with all the elements I love in a story – mystery, murder, romance – how could I not read this?

I was not disappointed. At all.

The Orphanmaster didn’t grab me right away, however. The first chapter detailing the activities of spies and assassins dispatched across the globe to hunt and murder the men who authorized the execution of Charles I of England, kind of left me cold, but as I read further, it became clear why Zimmerman began the story in this way. Edward Drummond, our hero, is one of those spies and his activities in New Amsterdam and New England are driven by his mission to hunt three regicides who have taken refuge in the New World. It also didn’t hurt that the second chapter contained one of the most frightening scenes I’ve read in a book since Peter Straub’s Ghost Story.

What did immediately capture my attention was the character of Blandine van Couvering, a she-merchant (don’t you love that term?) trader and an orphan who moved easily and confidently through the hard scrabble world of early New York. It is through Blandine that the story gets it red thread – the thing that holds it all together. And what a character! Strong, independent, kind, beautiful (of course), a superb housekeeper, a skilled negotiator – a woman making her way in a man’s world. What I appreciated the most about Zimmerman’s treatment of Blandine were the references to the role of women in early Dutch culture. Blandine was not an anomaly. Under Dutch rule, women were allowed to work, to own property, and to choose their own husbands.

Blandine and Edward find themselves smack in the middle of a rash of child killings and disappearances – all of orphans. Blandine’s mentor, Aet Visser, the Orphanmaster of New Amsterdam, is involved, but we don’t know how deeply until well into the story. Zimmerman draws a vivid picture of a man conflicted as we watch Visser tumble into despair. Add to that several other well-drawn characters – Martyn Hendrickson, the handsome, dashing patroon who cannot be tamed, Kitane, a Lenape trapper afflicted with a horrifying mental illness, and Lightning, a terrifying half-breed – and you have all the elements of a thriller.

There are a number of gruesome scenes in this story that could and should repulse the reader. This is, in an odd way, a 17th century Silence of the Lambs, but Zimmerman uses the horrifying actions of the killers to create a suspenseful, nail-biting story that had me guessing to the end. There are a lot of elements at work here besides the child killings, but all the loose ends are tied up in a frenzied ending that left me wanting more from this author. I was also pleasantly surprised to find Blandine and Edward ending their days in Honeoye, a lovely area quite near where I live.

It’s been awhile since I had trouble putting a book down, so I appreciated the combination of riveting story and skillful telling. Highly recommended. ( )

This who done it is not for the faint of heart. One needs a strong constitution and a stronger stomach to get through this book. I don't recommend unless one is a huge fan of historical mysteries. I did enjoy the descriptions of early New Amsterdam. ( )

New Amsterdam is a dutch colony in the early settlement of the United States, in which the land is as bountiful as it is dangerous. Bladine van Couvering is a young she-merchant hashing out a living in such a place - selling, trading, and outfitting adventurous settlers in the New World. Just as she is about to leave town to do some trading in another town she is approached by two women who tell her a child is missing, an orphan. This isn't the first child to go missing, and if it isn't bad enough already the circumstances are gruesome. The locals fear a Native American demon known as the Witika, and...

Okay, I have to stop with the summary. There is a LOT going on here. It's a dense, slow-paced book where the plot takes a backseat to the setting and characterization. Normally, I prefer that, but The Orphanmaster really bogged down for me about halfway through. It takes a long time for the plot to come together, and even when it did the pacing was all off. I also found events a bit too coincidental during the resolution of the novel.

It sounds like a lot of bad things, but there was a lot I liked as well. I think the author did an amazing job with the characters and setting, Bladine is pretty awesome and the colonial politics aspect of the story are done really well. Pretty much every thing about the book is good, except the pacing of the plot, which really bring the book down, unfortunately. ( )

“Il libro ideale per chi ama il romanzo storico quando si tinge di giallo”. Times
Una delle migliori frasi per descrivere questo romanzo. Jean Zimmerman ha la capacità di catapultarti in un mondo passato, descrivendo in maniera dettagliata e minuziosa la vita quotidiana nella Nuova Amsterdam del diciassettesimo secolo. Accuratezza storica, una donna forte e indipendente, un amore che non ha nulla a che fare con il romanticismo cortese e una scia di delitti a sfondo mistico.
Cos’altro potete chiedere?
( )