Murder on Washington Square: A Gaslight Mystery

Murder on Washington Square by Victoria Thompson is the 4th book in the Gaslight series featuring Victorian era midwife Sarah Brandt and New York Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy. This was absolutely the best book so far in the series. When Sarah's neighbor, Mrs. Ellison's son is charged with the murder of his mistress, Sarah jumps to help prove his innocence, much to Malloy's frustration. Thompson does a terrific job of creating mood and dropping hints about the real murderer's identity without giving the game away. The chemistry between Malloy and Sarah is top-notch. I just love how Thompson has been inching their relationship along. The climax is edge-of-your-seat gripping and what happens afterwards will thrill fans of the series. She even throws in a twist at the very end to make the reader long for the next book. Murder mysteries don't get much better than this.

Victoria Thompson's Gaslight mysteries are one of my favorite series. Sarah is sweet and spunky (in a *good* way, honest!) with a charming sense of humor in addition to her stubborn sense of justice. The romance between this wonderful character and Frank really drives the stories for me, but the mystery is also excellent. This installment in the series deepens all the characters and fleshes out the time period even more lushly than before. If you're a fan of historical mysteries and haven't tried these books yet, you're really missing out.

If you're looking for a good historical murder mystery, set in Victorian New York, that is full of atmosphere and ambiance, and that possesses a strong, intelligent, sensible and likable heroine, look no further. Any one of Victoria Thompson's excellent novels in the Gaslight Mystery series will do. I'm more of an Anglophile, and rather prefer historical mysteries set in England, but I'll admit that I'm hooked on Thompson's Gaslight series. Although the books deal more with the life of the underprivileged, rather than with the life of the decadent rich, all the novels so far have proved to be compelling and addicting reading. And this latest book in the series is every bit as interesting and intriguing a read.Sarah Brandt (a midwife and the detecting heroine in this series) is approached by her neighbour's son, Nelson Ellsworth, for assistance in a delicate matter. Apparently Nelson's delicate and refined young mistress may be carrying his child. Nelson is just not sure, and because he believes Anna (his mistress) may not fully understand what's going on with her body, he wants Sarah to meet and advise Anna. The meeting however goes terribly wrong, with Anna becoming hysterical and accusing Sarah of being an abortionist. However, something about Anna makes Sarah wonder about her truthfulness, esp when she realises that Nelson is perfectly willing to marry Anna, and that it is Anna who is dragging her feet about the whole affair. The next day however brings news that Anna has been brutally murdered in Washington Square. The police zero in on Nelson as the most likely suspect, and suggest that he murdered her because she was about to blackmail him about her pregnancy. Sarah however believes that Nelson is innocent, and that there was something incredibly havey-cavey about Anna and her pregnancy. Determined to prove Nelson's innocence, Sarah inveigles Detective Frank Malloy to help her clear Nelson. Little do the pair anticipate what they will find however, and the depth of human malevolence and despair that they will uncover.I really like this mystery series, and I enjoyed reading "Murder on Washington Square " immensely. The plot was not only an intriguing and fascinating one, but it also kept me guessing as to who Anna's murderer was. And Victoria Thompson did a wonderful job of pacing and structuring the novel so that everything unfolded smoothly and logically. I really liked the character of Sarah Brandt (she's probably my favourite female Victorian sleuth) -- she's intelligent, compassionate, brave and most of all NOT FOOLISH. I cannot recommend this series and "Murder on Washington Square" highly enough. All the books have proved to be tantalizing and fascinating reading, and "Murder on Washington Square" especially so.

I've been an avid follower of the Gaslight mysteries, and was not the least bit disappointed by this newest addition. The combination of an intriguing backdrop of Old New York, a sense for the politics and social restrictions (that our characters happily resist... I love the modern twist) of the time, two captivating main characters and their developing relationship, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, an enigmatic mystery that involves a few simple turns (oh, don't get offended, mystery purists, it still has substance), and straight paths that the author leads you on that mislead the reader into making a few proud conclusions as to the identity of our villain, only to find oneself rather surprised by the conclusion. Quite a delight.The story develops around the savage murder of a woman who, though seemingly innocent, actually lures numerous susceptible suitors for her own financial benefits. Unfortunately, one of her victims is the son of the kindly neighbor our heroine, Sarah Brandt, midwife/widow/tormentor of the local police because she's ACTUALLY worth something despite her demure sex, Mrs. Ellsworth. Nelson is automatically singled out by New York's yellow journalists as the murderer, and thus Sarah sets out to clear an obviously innocent man's tarnished name. To do so, Sarah now must involve herself once again with Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy, her reluctant partner in, well, not crime, but solving such acts, and the two join forces to find our elusive foe. It seems also that as the tension of the need to solve the case increases, another tension heats up, which is a blessing to a reader who's been waiting for a little such evidence. Another delightful aspect comes in the subplot of Malloy's son, Brian, and seeing him progress and his father's love become more undeniable. With the end comes even perhaps a strong hint of our next book's topic, as we all hope to see Dr. Brandt murder solved. All of our afore mentioned ingredients combine to give you a Gothic mystery for all to enjoy! I can't wait for the next!