Oh Danny Boy

I had never been a reader of mystery books until I encountered the first Molly Murphy novel. My fascination with Victorian New York and Ireland made the book appeal to me, and Rhys Bowen's wonderful writing style has kept me reading each book since the first one. I enjoyed Oh Danny Boy every bit as much as the others in the series. Bowen continues to impress with her wonderful depictions of turn of the century New York City, really making the period and city come alive. The plot drew me along and kept me guessing, and the characters are as endearing as ever. Even though I could guess the choices Molly would make, I still worried about her as I read the book. And though one resolution to her story in this book could be described as an easy out, it was actually what I thought to be the most logical choice, given Molly's rather hectic and often dangerous life. I also loved to see Molly's interactions with Sid, Gus, and Ryan, and am still hooked by Daniel and Molly's relationship. (In fact, flawed character though he is, I think I've developed something of a crush on Daniel Sullivan.) After this one, I can't wait to see what Bowen has in store for her characters in the future, and I hope to see much more of Molly. But then, that's what I think after every Rhys Bowen book.

Again Rhys Bowen has written an intriguing and well plotted gaslight mystery. Besides the suspenseful plot, Bowen keeps us up to date on Molly's personal life. This episode was an especially good one. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Molly Murphy is frustrated with her life in New York City. Being a detective isn't going well and she is having a hard time paying the bills. Plus, after her last encounter with police captain Daniel Sullivan, she wants nothing more to do with him. She's seriously considering moving out west and becoming a schoolteacher, much to her friends' dismay. Then she finds out rather dramatically that Daniel has been arrested and is being held in the notorious Tombs prison. He's been accused of accepting a bribe, and the new police commissioner just happened to be on the scene to witness it. Of course, the charge is laughable. Daniel is one of the few people on the police force who would never accept a bribe. With most of the force turned against him, his only hope of proving his innocence is Molly. She reluctantly takes the case. After several false starts, Molly begins to suspect that it might be related to one of two cases he was working at the time. The first involves a doped horse at the racetrack on Coney Island. The second is far more dangerous and involves a serial killer murdering prostitutes in the East Side. Either case is sure to put Molly in grave danger. Will she find the proof she needs? Will she live to free Daniel? As if this weren't enough, Molly is having some health problems. And Daniel's ex-fiancee shows up requesting a favor from Molly. What's Arabella up to? My biggest frustration with these books has been the fact that Molly sometimes seems to stumble on the answer with little more then luck. I couldn't help but laugh as Molly herself discusses this fact several times over the course of the book. This is easily the best entry in the series. Several storylines weave together to form a logical conclusion. I only pieced everything together a couple pages before Molly did, and she did an excellent job of piecing things together herself. Even friends Sid and Gus get into the act. As always these neighbors provide some wonderful comic and tender moments. They continue to show their love for Molly, and it easily endears them to the reader. The other characters in the novel are well drawn as well. New characters like Gentlemen Jack and Sabella Goodwin not only provide the needed story points, but also help recreate Molly's world. The scenes with the Arabella are especially good; I wouldn't mind seeing her character again. The city itself plays a large roll in the story. Rhys Bowen brings the New York City of 1902 to vivid life. The sights, sounds, and smells made me feel like I was in the muggy summer weather right along side Molly. This series has only gotten stronger with each entry. Don't hesitate to pick up this great book to be transported to another time and place.

Cozy writer Rhys Bowen takes us back to turn-of-the-century New York, where a vicious serial killer dubbed the East Side Ripper is loose, but amateur sleuth Molly Murphy has more important things to worry about. Captain Daniel Sullivan has landed himself in jail. He admits to breaking the law --- a teeny, little inconsequential law: arranging a prizefight. Everyone loves a prizefight, including many members of the NYPD. So why is Daniel in the Tombs? Maybe it was the bribe the new police commissioner witnessed being passed to him. And it wasn't just any bribe either. This one led to the death of a New York City police officer. Now even the tight brotherhood of cops is against Daniel. He has nowhere to turn other than Molly, his recent paramour and an admittedly fine investigator. However, Molly is not feeling too friendly toward him right about now, considering his freshly discovered engagement to society deb Arabella Norton. A woman scorned and all... But for deeply personal reasons, Molly relents and agrees to look into it. In her efforts to exonerate Captain Sullivan, Molly chases all over the Big Apple in the summer of 1902, braving scorching temperatures and dodging a rampant typhoid epidemic --- and the East Side Killer, who Molly decides may warrant a closer probe. While the police believe that the killer is targeting ladies of the evening, Molly is not so sure about that. Fortunately, her investigation follows a different angle than the official inquiry --- fortunately, since it has to be conducted with the utmost discretion. Cops aren't too crazy about outsiders meddling in their business. Tiptoeing around the entire NYPD, unsure of whom to trust, Molly has her work cut out for her. And to further complicate things, she finds access to Daniel blocked at every turn. How can she possibly clear his name if she can't get information to and from him? Real-life Sabella Goodwin, police matron, steps into Rhys Bowen's fictional world to assist Molly Murphy. Equally unflagging, the spunky and resolute Sabella soon steps squarely on somebody's toes and winds up clinging to life by a slim thread following a brutal attack, leaving Molly once again on her own to search the dark alleys and dangerous streets of the city. Along come neighbors Sid and Gus, a pair of women with hearts full of adventure, cheerfully offering to lend a hand. While Molly is off tracking Sabella Goodwin's clues to the identity of the East Side Ripper, Sid and Gus head merrily out on the trail of a missing young woman. Meanwhile, how is any of this helping Daniel? None of them could have foreseen that their paths would take them all out to Coney Island. At least some of the answers appear to be hidden at the popular theme park teeming with swelling crowds, swooning women and roller coasters. Reminiscent of Jessica Fletcher from the "Murder, She Wrote" television series, Molly Murphy may just be Jessica's historical counterpart. OH DANNY BOY is not exactly nail-biting susp

It is the beginning of the twentieth century and Irish immigrant Molly Murphy is one of the first female detectives working in New York City. It has not been easy for Molly to adjust to her new country especially since she discovers her beau NYPD Captain Daniel Sullivan was engaged to blueblood Arabelle Norton at the same time he was seeing her. Daniel is trying to get in touch with Molly by phone and visits to her abode, but she has successfully dodged his efforts. She is able to avoid him until a constable literally drags her to see Daniel, who is in the Tombs because he was arrested for accepting a bribe from a mobster in front of the police commissioner amongst others. The envelop he received was supposed to contain a list of underworld figures who want to sponsor an illegal activity, a prize fight, but instead held money. He needs Molly to prove he has been set up probably either to remove him from an investigation he was working on which includes doping a horse or that of the East Side Ripper serial killer. Molly knows the danger, but for personal reasons must help OH DANNY BOY. Rhys Bowen has created one of the most ferociously spunky heroines to grace the pages of a historical mystery series. Molly feels strongly that women can do anything men can do, sometimes better and demands equal rights and liberties at a time when females cannot vote. Although she is deeply hurt by Daniel's betrayal, she still cares for the "rat" and willingly risks her life in some dangerous neighborhoods to prove he is innocent. The clues to the police cases and Daniel's frame is laid out cleverly so that the audience can piece it together, but is not obvious and that makes for a pleasing puzzler inside a look back to a major immigration wave era. Harriet Klausner