I was very flattered when Berkley Prime Crime asked me to do a Christmas book
for the
Gaslight Mystery Series featuring some of the secondary characters
in the series. The timing was perfect since my protagonists, Frank Malloy and
Sarah Brandt, had just (finally!) gotten married. And yes, itโs been a long
time for readers (17 years!), but only about 2 ยฝ years since they first met. So
they were off on their honeymoon, leaving a fascinating group of friends and
family with nothing much to do.
Deciding who was going to solve the mystery was relatively easy. Fans have
been nagging me to get Maeve and Gino together (yes, I do pay attention to what
youโre nagging me to do!), but theyโre still very young for a serious
relationship. Maeve is about seventeen, while Gino is only about twenty, which
is young to get married, even then, I think. But itโs not too young to solve a
mystery together! So Maeve and Gino were a natural choice to stand in for
Frank and Sarah as the major sleuths. Theyโre still too inexperienced to do it
alone, though, so who should help them? I tried to think who would be the most
unlikely assistant sleuth, so of course I thought of Sarahโs father, who has
managed until now to remain relatively uninvolved in the heavy lifting of
solving the mysteries. That means Mrs. Decker will once again have the
opportunity to pitch in as well.
Maeve, Gino, and Mr. and Mrs. Decker get a little assistance from Mrs. Malloy.
They also manage to get some Christmas decorating done, too. I didnโt even have
to invent a Christmas-sounding street name, because St. Nicolas Avenue was
already there. Gotta love New York!
I thought Iโd miss Frank and Sarah, but I had so much fun writing this book, I
hardly noticed they were gone! I think youโll enjoy watching these two couples
figure out how to use their various skills to work together and find a killer.
When Frank and Sarah return from their honeymoon, theyโre quite surprised to
discover what the four have accomplished in their absence and what they have
planned for the future. I think youโll be as pleased as they are with this
adventure.
Victoria Thompson writes the Agatha and Edgarยฎ Nominated Gaslight
Mystery Series, set in turn-of-the-century New York City featuring midwife
Sarah Brandt. The 18th book in the series is Victoria Thompson writes the
Agatha and Edgarยฎ Nominated Gaslight Mystery Series, set in turn-of-the-century
New York City featuring midwife Sarah Brandt. The 18th book in the series is
Murder on St. Nicholas Avenue. She also contributed to the award winning MANY
GENRES/ONE CRAFT. Victoria teaches in the Seton Hill University MFA program in
writing popular fiction. She lives in Central PA with her husband and a very
spoiled little dog. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Novelists, Inc.
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The author of MURDER ON AMSTERDAM AVENUE returns to nineteenth-century
New York City to find Christmas in the air, a police detective and a midwife
with love in their hearts, and a wealthy newlywed with blood on her handsโฆ
Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy and Sarah Brandt are not the only ones who have
recently tied the knot. Family friend Mrs. OโNeill was delighted when her
daughter Una wed the seemingly wealthy and charming Randolph Pollock. She
didnโt wonder why such an affluent man would want to marry a poor Irish girl,
no matter how pretty she was. But now Mrs. OโNeill has a problem.
Pollockโs servants have found their employer bludgeoned to death with Una
cradling his body. Rendered mute by the horror of her husbandโs death, Una
cannot explain what happened, so the police have charged her with murder and
locked her away in the Tombs to await trial.
Mrs. OโNeill would like Frank to investigate the case and save Una, yet with
Frank and Sarah still on their honeymoon, itโs up to the other members of their
newly formed household to do some detective work. But solving the mystery
behind Pollockโs death means first discovering the truth about who he really
isโฆ
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