Murder on Astor Place: A Gaslight Mystery

Sarah Brandt and Frank Malloy are excellent characters with strong personalities. I am hooked to this series, a page turner.

In the 1st book in the Gaslight Mystery series, readers find themselves transported back in time to the early 1900's. Sarah Brandt, a widow who makes a living in New York as a midwife, came from a privileged background and now finds herself helping all economic classes deliver their babies. One evening while delivering a baby at a rooming house, Sarah notices a young woman that she mistakes for an old friend from school. When she goes back to check on the new mother and baby, she discovers that the young woman had been murdered. She also discovers that the victim was the younger sister of her friend from school. The family is quite wealthy and powerful, and Sarah finds it odd that the victim would be staying in such a neighborhood. Determining to look into the murder, Sarah finds herself at odds with the police sergeant in charge of the case, Frank Malloy. After she provides several pertinent clues to him, Malloy grudgingly allows Sarah to help. And when Malloy is thrown off the case at the request of his corrupt police department, Sarah must take on a killer without becoming the latest victim. I had put off reading this series for several years even though it came highly recommended to me. Normally, I do not read many "historical" cozies, except the Mrs. Jeffries series (which is no comparison to this fascinating series). But these books kept catching my eye, and finally, I gave in and picked up this book. I loved it, and am annoyed with myself for waiting so long to delve into this superb series! I couldn't put the book down, and loved the vivid setting and fascinating characters. The ending to the mystery was haunting, and I could not stop thinking about it for several days. Overall, I felt like I had stepped back into time, to an intriguing period in American history, and cannot wait to visit turn-of-the-century New York City with Sarah again! The characters were just as wonderful as the mystery was compelling, and I look forward to reading this series for years to come. The next book in this series is "Murder on St. Mark's Place". Enjoy!

I enjoy period mysteries, usually because they have cleaner writing, if not always cleaner plots. Ms. thompson does a more than adequate job of writing, and yes she is developing her period mystery around two character which seem somewhat familiar...but I didn't think of the Anne Perry novels. We seem to be getting quite a few of these types of mysteries which are set in the late 1800's in large cities; one author write about my hometown, Pittsburgh, another writes about San Francisco. The difference lies in the character development and the quality of writing of the author. I think I will wait and see how this particular author decides to be different before I cast judgement whether to continue to read her. I enjoyed this one and think others who like period mysteries will too. Karen L. Sadler Science Education, University of Pittsburgh, [email protected]

If you like historical mysteries (Anne Perry, etc.), you'll be delighted with this book, that takes place in New York City at the turn-of-the-century. Sara Brandt is a midwife who involves herself in solving the murder of a young, beautiful, wealthy girl, who is found murdered in a less-than-savory boarding house. Descriptions of the class distinctions, the Police Department, and the Medical Profession of Old New York make you thankful we live in more enlightened times. A great read - I highly recommend it!

This is a new historical "amateur sleuth with a hook" book that has real potential as a series. If you read Anne Perry, this is the closest anyone has come to the antagonistic yet attracted relationship in the early Inspector Monk books that I've seen. It's set in turn-of-the-century New York and deals with a midwife and a police detective. The police of that time were horribly corrupt - it's just the way business was done - and our hero works within the rules of his world. The murder story was not as interesting as the glimpses into the society of the time, but the author gives you a well-rounded view of both the top and bottom segments of New York. If the author is able to maintain the detective's conflicted nature in future books, this could be a long-term winner for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book after reading Carr's The Alienist and The Angel of Darkness. It is noticeably shorter, but maintains all the details and intricacies of a well-crafted plot. The characters are vivid and sometimes lovable.