Book number sixteen in this nineteenth century New York City
Gaslight Mystery series, MURDER IN MURRAY HILL is
another excellent
entry in the story of midwife Sarah Brandt and police
detective Frank Malloy.
Sarah and Frank are moving closer
to marriage, and while they still have not picked a wedding
date, there was enough forward progression of their slow
romance to satisfy me. Frank just received roughly five
million dollars from the father of Sarah's foundling,
Catherine, to act as Catherine's guardian in the previous
book in the series, Murder in Chelsea. As the current
story opens, Frank finds his job in jeopardy due to his
newly minted millionaire status. His money causes great
friction between him and the other detectives and
policeman, making his work much more difficult. Sarah is
also trying to adjust to what their money will mean for her
career as a midwife. Watching Sarah meet with Frank's
difficult mom and navigate the waters of blending the two
families did a lovely job of showing nuances of life at the
turn of the century. I always appreciate the beautiful
detail that Alexander includes in these mysteries, bringing
the past to life for me.
The mystery in this book seems almost ripped from current
headlines, with a sexual predator and his cronies
kidnapping young women and keeping them as sexual slaves.
After losing his job with the police, Malloy continues his
detective work as a private investigator to find the fiend
preying on young women, and solves the crime with virtually
no assistance from the police department. Sarah assists
Frank in unraveling the mystery, as is usual. Maeve, the
nursemaid for Sarah's adopted daughter Catherine, as well
as her nosy neighbor Mrs. Ellsworth get in on the action in
solving the crime as well. While the mystery is a bit more
graphic and brutal in this book than is typical for the
Gaslight Mystery series, Thompson applies a deft
hand to the
tale. The treatment of this issue is appropriate to the
period, and I never felt pulled out of the story period by
the action or its descriptions.
While MURDER IN MURRAY HILL can be read as a standalone,
for the greatest enjoyment, start from the beginning of
this wonderful series, with Murder on Astor Place. Fans of
Anne Perry will enjoy this cozy and light mystery.
When facing injustice, the residents of nineteenth-
century
New York City’s tenements turn to midwife Sarah Brandt
and
Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy to protect their rights.
Now, as the Edgar® and Agatha Award–nominated series
continues, the two must track down a cruel criminal
preying
on the hopes and dreams of innocent women…
A Gaslight Mystery
Frank Malloy has never known any life other than that of
a
cop, but his newfound inheritance threatens his position
within his department. While trying to keep both his
relationship with Sarah and his fortune under wraps, he’s
assigned to a new case—finding a missing young woman for
her
worried father, Henry Livingston.
It seems the girl had been responding to “lonely hearts”
ads
in the paper for months before she disappeared. Her
father
thinks that she’s eloped with a deceptive stranger, but
Malloy fears the worst, knowing that the grifters who
place
such ads often do much more than simply abscond with
their
victims. But as Sarah and Malloy delve deeper into a
twisted
plot targeting the city’s single women, it’s their
partnership—both professional and private—that winds up
in
the greatest peril…
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy