Murder on Fifth Avenue
A Gaslight Mystery
-
-
4.1 • 15 Ratings
-
-
- $8.99
Publisher Description
From the tenements to the town houses of nineteenth-century New York, midwife Sarah Brandt and Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy never waiver in their mission to aid the innocent and apprehend the guilty. Now, the latest novel in the Edgar®-nominated series finds Sarah and Malloy investigating the murder of a Knickerbocker club member who was made to pay his dues…
Sarah Brandt’s family is one of the oldest in New York City, and her father, Felix Decker, takes his position in society very seriously. He still refuses to resign himself to his daughter being involved with an Irish Catholic police detective. But when a member of his private club—the very exclusive Knickerbocker—is murdered, Decker forms an uneasy alliance with Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy to solve the crime as discreetly as possible.
Malloy soon discovers that despite his social standing, the deceased—Chilton Devries—was no gentleman. In fact, he’s left behind his own unofficial club of sorts, populated by everyone who despised him. As he and Sarah sort through the suspects, it becomes clear to her that her father is evaluating more than the detective’s investigative abilities, and that, on a personal level, there is much more at stake for Malloy than discovering who revoked Devries’ membership—permanently.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
At the outset of Thompson's fine 14th mystery set in late 19th-century New York City (after 2011's Murder on Sisters Row), NYPD Det. Sgt. Frank Malloy receives a summons to Manhattan's exclusive Knickerbocker Club, where member Chilton Devries has been found stabbed to death in a chair. Most of the victim's surviving family members treat the news of his demise with indifference, save Devries's daughter-in-law, who laughs exultantly. While Felix Decker, a high-ranking officer of the Knickerbocker, wants the truth, if the guilty party is a fellow club member, he'll handle things discreetly, permitting an arrest only if the murderer is not from the upper class. As always, the detective is aided by Thompson's most impressive creation, Decker's fiercely independent and capable daughter, Sarah Brandt, who supports herself as a midwife. Newcomers as well as old fans will find this an intelligent and engrossing look at society and its hypocrisy.
Customer Reviews
Murder on fifth avenue
Every book of Victoria Thompson’s has been historically interesting. For a light fun book read any of hers .. but there is a thread running through the gaslight series, perhaps starting at the beginning would be advisable. Enjoy.