Murder in the Bowery (A Gaslight Mystery)

This book was fairly typical of this series. Nothing new or mind blowing. I wasn’t entirely sure who the killer(s) were until near the end but it wasn’t a huge surprise when it was revealed.

I did not love that the author went back to a previously used motive that was fairly unsettling last time. I know there are only so many reasons to murder someone but, without spoilers, this one has been done by her before and is not what one would necessarily expect in a Viictorian era mystery.

I also was not sure how I felt about “justice” in this book. I know that in many of these books the bad guys can’t just be turned over to the police. That is part of the point of this series. Still, I didn’t really feel like justice was served by how things ended.

I also feel a little “meh” about the overall story arc at this point. I am excited that Frank got his agency but much of the series overreaching story arc is neatly tied up with a bow. I certainly didn’t feel the sense of “I need the next book right NOW” that I have at other times in this series. Sarah does have a new pet project which is opening a hospital but for me it just doesn’t have the same stakes as the story arc up until this point.

In the earlier books in the series there was a secondary plot of will Sarah and Frank get together, who is Catherine, what will happen to Brian. All of those things are pretty much through. Hoping that the author can add some new exciting story arcs because otherwise this series will move from one of my favorites to just a decent mystery series.

Still, I recommend reading this series. It is one of my favorites. Start at book one though.

I've been following the "Gaslight Mysteries" from Victoria Thompson for several years. From the start I liked both the setting (New York City in the 1890s, capturing society from the tenements to the Knickerbockers) and the characters -- particularly the two protagonists, midwife Sarah Brandt and detective Frank Malloy, who grow and change as the series progresses. The murder mysteries always give a peek into "what life was like," then, whether it was riding the elevated trains, knowing the proper time for a "society" call, attitudes towards recent immigrants, or an orphan's options for survival.

By the point of this novel, the couple (and friends) have established their own detective agency. A client comes in, aiming to hire Frank Malloy to find the young man's brother, after the two orphans were separated. Only things don't turn out the way they seem, and Malloy soon finds himself trying to determine who killed not one but two people. (Obviously, I'm doing my best to avoid spoilers, despite the fact that the book blurb gives away more than that.)

I confess that from a mystery point of view, this tale is not particularly satisfying. The clues are dumped in front of the reader with a loud CLANG, the sort that makes you think, "Hey character, didn't you notice she said _this_?!" Also, the characters spend just a little too much time repeating conversations to one another. For instance, Frank has a conversation, then he comes home and tells Sarah what the suspect told him -- in detail, rather than, "He told Sarah what happened." Sometimes it's a bit much.

Nonetheless I enjoyed the book. I cheerfully read it all the way through and will not hesitate to pick up the next one in the series. That's because I've become rather attached to the characters -- in part because they grow and change and do things like learn to apologize or accept someone whom they'd rejected a few novels back. I also like the window into history, because Thompson excels at bringing the city to life.

This isn't a big important book that you'll remember forever. It's the historical novel equivalent of a well-made TV movie. And there's nothing wrong with that.

If you liked the earlier books in the series, I think you'll like this one too. If you're new... well definitely do NOT start with this one. It's far better to start with the Murder on Astor Place -- and lots of fun, too.

I totally LOVED Murder in the Bowery by Victoria Thompson. This was my first read by this author and I have added her to my favorite author list. The book is #20 in the Gaslight Mystery Series. I believe it can be read as a stand-alone since the author does a good job introducing all of the characters and I was able to pick right up and understand what was going on. There were a few times the author mentioned a certain character had been involved in other mysteries in the series but it wasn’t something that you needed to know to enjoy this one.

This is a historical mystery set in 1899 in New York City. The main characters are Frank Malloy, a private detective. His wife, Sarah, a former midwife. Frank’s partner in the detective agency, Gino Donatelli, and Maeve Smith, nursemaid for the Malloy children. All four of these characters work together to solve the mystery. I loved the characters in this dialogue-rich book.

The story starts with a man hiring Frank to find a newsboy that he claims is his younger brother. He says they were separated about six years ago when they were sent to Minnesota on an Orphan Train but the man thinks his brother is now back in New York City. Once Frank begins investigating, he soon realizes there is much more to the mystery. This is a fast-paced read that held my interest throughout. I loved the author’s note at the end where she shares what characters were real and what events in the book were true historical events.

I would recommend this book to those who love historical mysteries. After reading this I ordered the first three books in the series. I am now a Victoria Thompson fan!! I am giving this one 5 STARS *****

Thank you Victoria Thompson, Berkley Books and Penguin’s First-to-Read program for providing me with a digital copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

"Murder in the Bowery" departs from Thompson's usual depictions of Sarah Brandt (now Mrs. Frank Malloy) and dectective Frank Malloy. This novel does not have the edge of Thompson's earlier Gaslight Mysteries. The ending is unsatisfactory, as another reviewer has noted. Frank is upstanding and moral in the earlier mysteries. In this one, he leaves the fate of the murderers in the hands of a notorious Bowery gangster. Well, the fact that Frank is now independently wealthy seems to serve as notice to the reader that the series is going to depart from everyday reality.

In addition, the copy editor must have been somnolent. Thompson's characters take turns mouthing the practically meaningless phrase "or something." This phrase adds little to the sentiments they are expressing. Its appearance grows more and more annoying as it is said by most of the book's main characters with increasing frequency throughout the book. The "search inside" feature at the store revealed that in a novel with less than 290 pages of text, there were 61 instances or "or something"!

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

Murder in the Bowery is the Victoria Thompson’s 20th novel in her Gaslight Mystery series, and it is fresh and fabulous. Her historical research history is thorough, especially the manner in which she includes real events. Her eye for detail adds rich colors and shadows to the sweeping landscape of 1899 New York City.

Frank and Gino are ready and waiting for a new client in Frank’s PI agency. Will Bert is a well-spoken young man who is looking for his younger brother Freddie. He claims that they were separated as a result of going west on the Orphan Train several years earlier. Will inherited the shop and holdings of the man he had worked for and wanted to take his brother to Minnesota to share his good fortune. It sounds like a straightforward case, but to find a 13-year old boy who may or may not have returned to NYC after leaving his adoptive family sounded quite literally like a needle in a haystack.

Frank had empathy for Will; he and Gino checked various sources as they looked for Freddie. The more they search, something doesn’t add up so they decide that when they do find Freddie, they will not tell Will where to find him – that they would let Freddie know where Will was staying so he could choose. After all, Will had no place for them to find him, and life – and trust – was different in the Bowery, where Freddie was familiar with a gangster, Black Jack Robinson, yet was hiding from his regular places. Will was surprised they found him so quickly, seemed to recognize Black Jack’s name, yet would come back the next afternoon to see if there was an update. The next day, however, Freddie had been found dead, and the body of a well-dressed young woman had been found near where he was a couple days earlier. Certain that the murders were connected based on the method of murder, Frank and Gino put forth their best work to not only find the young woman’s family but to find who murdered Freddie. What a surprise they had for Will the next time he arrived at their office for an update….

If I needed the help of private detectives, these would be the type of guys I would want on my side! Frank had been a police detective and Gino a young police officer with before opening the office. Even though, with the inheritance that surprised Frank, he and his bride would not have to work, Frank is diligent, not one to sit around; he looks at both the details and the big picture. Gino was a young man with good instincts who continues to learn from Frank and is a most excellent partner for him. Frank’s bride, Sarah, worked as a midwife, and their nursemaid, Maeve and Gino are heading towards being a couple. Sarah, Maeve, and even Sarah’s mother (who has secretly enjoyed the roles she played) provide helpful suggestions and sometimes participate in the men’s work when needed. Each of the characters are finely detailed, even those who may have minor or temporary roles.

Even though I am a comparatively recent fan, I love this historical cozy mystery series! And thankfully, each novel in the series can be read as a standalone as the author fills in the blanks about the regular characters. This mystery intensifies with every clue, every person, which makes it that much more interesting. The historical element, the characters, and the challenge of the multi-faceted mystery make it a five-star novel for me. We see a slice of life for those in the bowery in contrast to those who have huge homes and servants, and everyone in between. We also see people with various physical and emotional challenges, from Frank’s son, who is deaf, to those who endured incestuous family relations, and young children and teens who are orphaned. While we think progress occurs too quickly in our lifetime, the people at the turn of the 20th century sometimes struggled to get used to telephones and early days of motorcars such as Gino wanted Frank to purchase. Peeling through the layers of deception to try to understand who the bad guy(s)/ gal(s) are is a challenge, and I’m not sure who I am more surprised by – those who are innocent or those who are guilty! Surprise it is, however, and the mysteries are solved leaving no loose ends. I highly recommend Murder in the Bowery, especially to those who enjoy well-written and executed cozy mysteries and historical mysteries from the end of the 19th century.

Will Bert approaches Frank Malloy, asking for assistance in locating his missing brother, Freddie. Will explains that he and his brother Freddie were orphans who lived on New York streets, selling newspapers for survival. They were taken in by the Children’s Aid Society and became part of the Orphan Train to be adopted by families in Minnesota. Will ended up owning a business years later, while Freddie disappeared. Now Will wants to include his brother in his new-found wealth. ... Estelle Longacre, a young socialite, kept company with a dangerous crowd and is found dead in the Bowery. Shortly thereafter, Freddie’s body is found and Frank suspects the two deaths are connected, but finding proof is another matter. Along the way, Frank makes some startling discoveries. ... The suspenseful plot held me captive and, as usual, Gino and Maeve are captivating secondary characters who added depth to this entrancing, fast-paced novel.

Please see my full review on MyShelf.com

"Murder in the Bowery" is a historical mystery set in New York City in July of 1899 during the newsboy's strike. This is the twentieth book in the series. You don't need to read the previous books to understand this one, and this one didn't spoil the whodunit of the previous mysteries. (I've read only 9 of those previous mysteries so far.)

This was a clue-based puzzle mystery. Frank, Gino, and Sarah asked good questions and followed up clues until they all fit together. The mystery involved a lot of twists. I'd say, "I think such-and-such is going on" and, yes, they'd discover that was true. But then new information came up, and I'd think "Maybe so-and-so is actually a better choice for whodunit." So I had an idea of where it was going, but I didn't guess whodunit until every clue was finally exposed.

Interesting historical details about the newsboy's strike and Bowery Street were woven into the story. The main characters were nice people and had realistic reactions to events. Even though I understood their reasoning for not pressing for justice through the normal channels, I was a little bothered that Sarah and Frank not just allowed (knowing what would happen) but essentially asked for what happened to whodunit.

There were no sex scenes or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting historical mystery.

I received this book as a review copy from the publisher.

The regular characters in the series are relatable and likeable, and the steady-paced story flows well, but what I like the most about this book is how well it describes New York City and its inhabitants more than a hundred years ago. From the beginning to the end, the book tells the story of the circumstances relating to the murder of a young woman (how she was killed, by whom, and why) page after page, and unfortunately bringing up a dead decaying body in a trunk throughout the book ruined the enjoyment I got out of reading the story. The book does a wonderful job of describing the environment, culture, and people of New York City at the beginning of the twentieth century so realistically, but mentioning of thousands of homeless young boys abandoned by their parents living and sleeping on the streets, trying to make a living selling newspapers, the multigenerational incest in a family, women who have to sell their bodies to make living, and ruthless gangsters make the book so dark and depressing. I liked the author’s writing style but I wish the book had a more hopeful tone.

The Molloy family, including the extended members, are at work on a new case. Gino and Frank are visited by a young man who hires them to find his little brother. He tells them that he and his brother were sent out to Minnesota on the Orphan Train, and he had gotten lucky working with a man who owned a general store. Now that the man had left him the store, he wanted to share his good fortune with his brother whom he hadn't seen since they were split up years earlier.

Frank and Gino begin work and soon find that there are many more layers than the young man has told them. This story takes place with the backdrop of the newsboys' strike, an actual event that stopped the sale of two very popular papers owned by two very famous men, Hearst and Pulitzer. The Newsboys play a large part in the story and in the solution of the mystery. This one involves a very ugly story in a very ugly family, as well as a good guy dressed in black.

I see a future story with the man in black; at least I hope so. There is also a new venture for Sarah, a maternity hospital for poor girls who have nowhere to go.

"Murder in the Bowery" was my first introduction to Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight Mystery series and I was very pleased. I’m anxious to go back to the start of the very first book and experience how Frank and Sarah’s relationship began. What an enjoyable read!

This book reminded me of the old "Thin Man" movies. In a lot of ways, Frank and Sarah reminded me of Nick and Nora Charles. Different era, but same type of whodunit. Ms. Thompson weaves a good yarn without the sordidness and gratuitous sex that is included in most books nowadays. I also appreciated the history lesson about the newsboys and their difficulties in just surviving day-to-day life.

Thank you to the First-to-Read program for sending me a free digital copy of this book. I am happy to give my honest opinion, which is a definite recommendation for some laid back enjoyable reading time!

Wishing All a Happy Reading!!

I really enjoyed this newest book in the gaslight mystery series. Sarah and Frank Malloy are asked to find a young newspaper salesmen on the streets of late 19 century New York because his brother wants to find him in order that he might share some of his good fortune with him. But as they start searching they discover a much darker ulterior motive for finding the boy.. They start delving into some old and grotesque family secrets from a New York society family, and a few bodies start showing up. This was a very enjoyable mystery that touched on the lives of the "newsies" found all over the city in 19 century New York, and also on the orphan trains that moved homeless children around the country to families in the west that wanted to adopt them.

This is a great addition to an excellent series. I love the characters and the setting with all the interesting historical details of the gas light era. For example, in this book I learned about the street life of the "newsies" and their strike in the late nineteenth century. The mystery was also compelling and poignant. Also, Unlike many other long series, Victoria Thompson's gas light series has not grown stale but has consistently maintained its quality.

Murder in the Bowery - A Gaslight Mystery - by Victoria Thompson
Berkley Prime Crime

A mystery with a New York of 120 years ago as a backdrop, how could I resist. Yes, I enjoyed it and the Orphan Train was something I hadn’t heard of so a definite plus there. I thought the depiction of a number of the children hit the mark. This is a well-crafted mystery written well.
If I had to make a criticism, and I always do, I believe it needed more of a sense of place. The Bowery is a place I’m familiar with and odors, the grit and the grime needed to be captured and exploited more to give the location a better sense of place.

Ms. Thompson is an excellent writer with the talent to carefully craft a character, which she does with her detective Frank Molloy. This is her twentieth Gaslight Mystery and I’m sure there will be more, but make me smell the odors in the street, taste the dirt flying on the wind and make me squint in the dim gaslight next time. I’ll be waiting.

A good read. On a scale of 5 - 4,2

Tim Holland

3.5 stars

Private detective Frank Malloy has been hired by Will Bert to search for his newsboy brother, Freddie. While Frank is suspicious of Will's motives, he is able to track down Freddie who unfortunately is dead. Frank has a sinking suspicion that Freddie's murder might also be connected to the disappearance of a young society woman named Estelle Longacre. Frank, along with the help of his partner and wife, make it their mission to bring justice for Freddie.

This was the first time I have read a book in the Gaslight Mystery series and I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed reading it. While the action takes place in 1899, the book had a bit of a modern feel to it. I loved how Sarah is a strong and independent woman and her marriage is an equal partnership which certainly was not the norm back in those days. I liked how the author included the Orphan Train and Newsies into the plot and especially enjoyed reading the author's note at the end of the book. It's always fun to learn something new when reading a book.

My only real criticism of the book is the mystery was somewhat dragged out and predictable. At one point one of the characters in the book mentions that they can't believe they overlooked something. As the reader, I had to agree since I thought it was a fairly obvious clue to pick up on. While the mystery was lacking, the characters themselves more than made up for it and I would definitely check out other books in this series.

Thank you to the First to Read program for sending me a free digital copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was a very interesting and satisfying read! The historical details are accurate but don't weigh down the reader, it helps the reader get lost in this very good historical mystery. Great, interesting and fully-fleshed characters. The Malloys are great sleuths! If you enjoy Anne Perry's Charlotte & Thomas Pitt novels, you will be excited for this series!

I must first say that I have enjoyed Victoria Thompson's Gaslight mysteries from day one. I struggled a bit to get through this last one. For one thing, I thought it jumped around a lot. It didn't hold my interest like her past mysteries. I'm hoping for a little more intrigue going forward.

Applause to the author for another enjoyable read with a complex twisting chain of evidence that kept me guessing until the end. I look forward to the next installment and the adventures of Sarah Brandt and Frank Malloy - and how the new hospital progresses under Maeve's supervision.

I just finished "Murder in the Bowery" and enjoyed every minute. Frank and Sarah Malloy are no longer in need of money but their desire to help others and solve a murder is just to strong to quit. It's brilliantly written and keeps you guessing to the end. I've read all the books in this series and strongly recommend it to all. Thanks Victoria!

A very readable story, somewhat predictable; however, insightful into the time period and society. Worth a look. This was my first Victoria Thompson novel and I am compelled to try the first in the series.