No Fun in the Fens — Mike Ryan

In volume 3 of the Cootch Connolly Mysteries, the game is afoot when turn-of-the century Boston Probation Officer Cootch Connolly discovers two of his clients murdered. Adding to his worries, the famous art collector and socialite Isabella Stewart Gardner's home has been robbed of priceless paintings and she appeals to Cootch and his brother, police Inspector Finn McCool Connolly, to recover them. Investigating the Gardner Mansion, Cootch is taken with Isabella's captivating niece, Lucy Winters, and a relationship develops as Cootch scours the dark alleys of Beantown in his quest for answers. A confrontation with a vengeful cop in Haymarket Square and an attack on the banks of the Muddy River lead Cootch to a drowned peddler floating in Boston Harbor and fired groundskeeper hanging from a tree. In a race against time, Cootch must foil the conspirators before they wreck his wedding, and his life!