*3.5
i did like the first part a lot, the second not so much. a lot of bashing of organised workers as manipulated, unintelligent and brutal, excusing again and again all the very nice capitalists who are oh so nice to their workers. bourgois pov if there ever was one. also, the us, and especially its rural parts, just is a setting that i never enjoy in historical fiction, because it always has that extremely patriarchal first-settlers vibe.
the first part however i did enjoy thoroughly, the characters and mystery were nice and the surprise ending great.
what exactly moriarty has to do with anything i don't know.