Odette’s: A Quality Men’s Club
4.5 Feather review from Heather Barksdale
“The historical setting is interesting, but the characters really make the tale. Jessamyn and Sarah are both endearing and detailed characters who drew me in and kept me wanting to know more about them. Their backgrounds and relationships take center stage and add to the depth and interest associated with their characters. I also enjoyed the development of many of the ancillary characters including Tulip and Bart. The not-so-likeable characters were truly disgusting and hateful- exactly what I want a bad guy to be.”
Read Kimberly Haas’s article in Seacoast Currents
Perfect Summer Reads: Durham Author Debut Novel Set in Historic Portsmouth
Read Denise Wheeler’s Story in Foster’s
Durham Author Writes New Mystery Novel Inspired by Durham History
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Recent Reviews
Plot: Finnegan’s novel is well plotted, action packed, and furiously paced. The storyline is smooth and uncluttered, despite multiple mysteries and characters.
Prose: Finnegan’s prose is strong and poetic throughout the novel. She effortlessly places readers alongside her heroines. Finnegan’s inventive language, particularly when referring to sexual matters, feels fresh and witty.
Originality: Readers will most likely not have read a book set in the 1800s and featuring a protagonist who is a former sex worker-turned-detective. It’s a surprising concept and one that is extremely well executed.
Character/Execution: Readers will root for the numerous great leads in this novel. Jessamyn, Sarah, and Maryanne are all strong, well-developed characters who help bring the story to resolution. Convincing villains and strong secondary characters round out the cast.
Reader Reviews
“This excellent novel captures the low life of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, during the decade before the American Civil War. The author vividly lays out a complex plot of murder, prostitution, and corruption in an American port city long noted for its rich colonial architecture and romantic history. Here we learn of how the American slave system continued to extend its tentacles into a free state, that even there escaped slaves were not safe from apprehension by a ruthless slave catcher. Here we hear language never seen in accounts of the time, but definitely uttered not just by the down and out, but by “respectable” men…”
“Odette’s is a bawdy tale involving murder, prostitution, the cruelties of slavery, small-town hypocrisy, and yellow journalism. It should be a dark story, but Bridget Finnegan tells it with compassion for her protagonists and a colorful sense of humor. It’s an enjoyable ride through seacoast New Hampshire in the 1850s.”
“Odette’s is a bawdy tale involving murder, prostitution, the cruelties of slavery, small-town hypocrisy, and yellow journalism. It should be a dark story, but Bridget Finnegan tells it with compassion for her protagonists and a colorful sense of humor. It’s an enjoyable ride through seacoast New Hampshire in the 1850s.”
Lake: A Loony Winnipesaukee Duck Tale
From the Union Leader
Durham Author and Illustrator Releases Book Set on Lake Winnipesaukee
Doc MacDoodle’s Color Therapy for Grown-Ups: Animals
“I love, love this charming, whimsical coloring book. Doc MacDoodle’s Animals offers hours of diversion. Bridget Finnegan is an excellent designer, and her drawings are so much fun to color. There’s something here for everyone. I’m looking forward to her next offering!” — MK
“The best thing about this book is that several of the pictures made me laugh out loud when I saw them. That’s stress relief right there!” — ML
AWARDS
Finalist for a Reader Views Literary Award 2016
Honorable mention from the New England Book Festival 2016
Finalist for a National Indie Excellence Award 2016
Accepted into the NH Creative Club 2017 Juried Show
33 Amazing Women…and One Over Educated Gorilla
“I bought one for myself and then bought more for my nieces and important women in my life. The illustrations are fantastic and the content is educational, witty, and fun! I use markers and appreciate the page layout that minimizes bleed-through. Highly recommended.” —KD
AWARDS
Honorable mention from the New York Book Festival 2017
Accepted into the NH Creative Club 2017 Juried Show
