'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.
Frank Malloy has never know 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 she's eloped with a deceptive stranger, but Malloy fears the worst, knowing that the grifters who place such ads often do so 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.'
My thoughts:
When I found myself starting to really get interested in historical mysteries, this series was one of the first ones that I found myself reading. It came with a lot of recommendations and I figured that I would give it a shot. Little did I know, when I picked up that first book, that this series would become one of my favorite. This series is right up there amongst my favorite historical mysteries series. It is a treasure to read one of these books and I am always ecstatic to get my hands on Ms. Thompson's latest. I am rarely disappointed with this series and this book is no exception. I will share that I did have some frustrations in the relationship department with this series, but that has since resolved itself.
Sarah and Frank are newly engaged and haven't really put any planning into practice as to their wedding or where they plan to live as a married couple. But with Frank as a police sergeant and Sarah as a midwife, when do they have the time to do any planning? Frank is assigned to a new and disturbing case of a young woman gone missing. While during his investigation he learns that the young lady in question was corresponding with a gentleman she had found in the 'lonely hearts' section of the advertisements in the local paper. He probes a little deeper, with Sarah's help of course, and learns that this correspondent had a history of duping innocent and hopeful young women.
Malloy and Sarah have to delve into the darkest part of the human soul and discover just how sick and twisted some people really are. This book was probably one of the darkest of the series, but I appreciate the author's bravery to try something a little different. I think this book was a great way to help the characters develop and I am anxious to see how this case will affect them in the future. As always, I am waiting the next installment in this series and can't wait to see what is next for two of my favorite characters. Another novel that was exciting and page turning until the very end.
Overall Rating: 5
Title: Murder in Murray Hill
Author: Victoria Thompson
Series: Gaslight Mystery #16
Publisher: Berkley Hardcover
Publication Date: May 6, 2014
Pages: 304
Genre: Historical Mystery
Get It: Amazon; Barnes & Noble
Disclaimer: This book was purchased by myself and I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.