Customer Reviews

Murder on Mulberry Bend

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This is the fifth book in the Gaslight Mystery series by this author. Once again, it features the two main characters in the series, midwife Sarah Brandt and Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy. Those who follow the series know that Sarah is the daughter of one of the prominent Knickerbocker families of New York City, and Frank is a member of the New York City Police Department. Set in the very late eighteen-nineties, around the turn of the twentieth century, the book is rife with period details, and the actions of most of the characters are governed by the social mores and politics of the times.

After her husband Tom was murdered, Sarah Brandt, having turned her back on her former life as a socialite, has chosen to work as a midwife and lead an independent life, much to the consternation of her wealthy and socially prominent family. Frank Malloy works in the corrupt New York City Police Department, which is undergoing reforms under the leadership of Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt. Frank, too, is widowed, his wife having died giving birth to their only child, Brian, who was born deaf. Sarah and Frank have recently gotten to know each other through a series of murders that have taken place in which they have both collaborated in finding the murderers.

In this book, Sarah finds herself volunteering her time to work at the Prodigal Son Mission on Mulberry Bend, which is a refuge for young women who would otherwise find themselves living on the streets and surviving by whatever means necessary. When one of the girls is discovered dead on the streets of New York City, Sarah will not rest till justice is done.

To ensure that, she seeks the assistance of Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy, who agrees to investigate, if only to keep Sarah from doing it herself single-handedly. The investigation takes a number of twists and turns, and Sarah is, indeed, involved in solving the case, an involvement that threatens to take an altogether deadly turn where Sarah is involved.

This is a well-written series, and the characters are well-developed. The backdrop of their lives is the scene against which the mysteries are played out. Consequently, the mysteries serve as a vehicle for further expounding on the lives of the primary, and many of the secondary, characters in the book. Those who enjoy reading historical fiction and mysteries will find that this series perfectly melds these two genres.

This is one of my favorite mystery series that is currently being published. While the mysteries themselves are interesting (although the culprit in this particular book was easier to figure out than usual), the relationships between the recurring characters is what makes me look forward to reading each book. The main characters, midwife Sarah Brandt and policeman Frank Malloy, are both likeable and the banter between them is fun without being obnoxious and adds some romance and lightness to the darker side of the books.

And there is indeed a dark side to this book. In addition to the murder of a young lady, there are vivid descriptions of what it was like to live in turn-of-the-century New York, particularly if you were an immigrant and/or poor. The lives of the immigrants was not a pleasant one and I have to wonder if the life in New York was better than what they had escaped.

There is also a big clue to the unsolved murder of Sarah Brandt's husband from three years previous and that clue is not going to lead to much happiness for anyone if it plays out the way it looks to be headed. Really looking forward to the next book, Murder on Marble Row.

19th Century New York City, with its desperate poverty, dazzling excesses, corrupt administrations, and flood of immigrants has long been fertile ground for crime fiction. Like Caleb Carr and Jack Finney, Victoria Thompson is one of the few writers to successfully utilize and represent this world without imposing our 21st Century values on it.

Murder on Mulberry Bend, specifically, best captures this fascinating cityscape. The unlikely team of midwife Sarah Brandt and Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy is a pleasure to watch interact. The tensions between them--romantic and professional--really come to a crisis point here. The murder mystery element of the book is what we've come to expect from Ms. Thompson: twisting, suspenseful, and completely satisfying. But this story gives us an added bonus: we get a very compelling hint as to who may have murdered Sarah's beloved husband, Tom. Read it and enjoy!

The time is the turn-of-the-century. Sarah Brandt, a New York midwife, accompanies her friend Richard Dennis to The Prodigal Son Mission. He wants to find out more about the work his late wife Helen did there. Sarah donates clothing to the mission.

Sergeant Frank Malloy is called to the scene of a dead woman in City Hall Park. He recognizes the hat as Sarah's and is convinced she is dead. He is quite relieved to find it was not her and agrees to investigate the death. Sarah is able to identify the woman as Emilia, a girl she met at the mission.

Sarah is so impressed with the work of the mission that she decides to volunteer her time and agrees to help host a dinner at her parents' house to raise money for the mission. She is also looking into Emilia's death. Frank has forbidden her to do this, but it doesn't seem to stop her.

Emilia's family is no help. Sarah begins to get an uneasy feeling at the mission. Could one of the girls killed Emilia out of jealousy? Could someone in Emilia's former life have caused her death? The Catholic church refuses to bury her due to her past. So many questions but as Sarah gets closer to the truth, she is put into danger just as Frank feared.

There are very few mysteries set back in history that I enjoy reading. This series is one. The characters and settings are so real and the lack of conveniences only enhances the story.

I really enjoy the relationship between Frank and Sarah, although I hope in the future that they get together. The tension does add to the story. Her neighbor Mrs. Ellsworth is a great character as well. She really adds character to the story.

I am always amazed by the immense poverty. This book brings a lot of that forward as the mission is a dangerous area of town as is Emilia's parents' apartment. Frank constantly travels through dangerous parts of town looking for Danny to get information.

I highly recommend this book and series.

I agree with the other reviewer - excellent airplane read. It made my flight time "fly by" as well. I enjoy this series, interesting characters.

This book made the flight from Chicago to Seattle a delight. The fifth in the Gaslight Mystery series, has midwife Sarah Brandt and police sargeant Frank Molloy teaming to solve another mystery. Molloy also begins unraveling the murder of Sarah's husband. This book takes you to turn-of-the-century New York City and the mysterious deaths of reformed prostitutes. Sarah is the next target of the maniacal murderer.

Another stunner from Victoria Thompson! Ever since I first picked up "Murder on Astor Place", I haven't been able to get quite my fair share of this series! If you love gothic mysteries with character depth and a heady atmosphere, I think you soon will share my fate as well...

The fifth in the Gaslight Series, this one involves the unusual murder of a former prostitute who at the time of her death was residing in the Prodigal Son Mission (I do agree with Frank, the name is rather hypocritical), a combination of Protestant finishing school and settlement house on Mulberry Bend, located in the slums of Little Italy and nearby the police headquarters. An acquaintance of our heroine, midwife and sometime-detective Sarah Brandt, her murder doesn't sit well with our Sarah, and thus she feels compelled to bring the killer to justice, even if it means dragging her grumbling Detective Sergeant friend, Frank Malloy, along for the ride. And so, our two investigators trek through the tragic and unsavory districts of Old New York, only to discover their murderer to be closer than they had ever thought. Little side-note: if you've read Anne Perry's "The Cater Street Hangman", it may not come as quite a shocker...

Even as intriguing as the mystery itself, okay, perhaps a tiny bit more, is the ever-developing personal trauma of our characters. Be delighted with the progress of Malloy's son, Brian, and watch the internal battles for Sarah between said Malloy and her new friend, Richard Dennis. And for all those wondering about Sarah's late husband's death, there too you'll find heartbreak! Also, I must warn you, the end is extremely maddening, and I'll be on the most painful assortment of pins and needles until the next in the series. Not saying that that takes away any bit from thoroughly enjoying this lovely little tryst!

P.S. - The next in the series, "Murder on Marble Row", is dated for release next June, and will also be coming out in Hardcover. And to the extreme delight of this particular audience, the author has been promised to many more books to come in the series! So need not worry about that wretched event when the Gaslights might be cut short in their youth, and much congrats to Ms. Thompson!

Around 1900, midwife Sarah Brandt escorts Richard Dennis through the lower Manhattan slums to the Prodigal Son Mission where his deceased wife voluntarily worked before dying because he needs to understand why Hazel found solace at this safe place for girls. The wealthy Richard is overwhelmed with what he sees on his "hellish" tour, but at the mission, Mrs. Wells provides kindness to the guilt laden Richard. Sarah gifts clothing for the misfortunate.

Not long afterward, Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy is stunned when he recognizes the ugly hat of a murder victim. He thinks Sarah, who he cares deeply for, is dead. However, the corpse is someone else who later Sarah identifies as Emilia, a person she met at the Prodigal Son Mission. Over Frank's objections, Sarah begins her own inquiries that will place her in danger from a serial killer whose previous homicides have been ignored because the victims were humanity's forgotten.

The fifth Brand gaslight mystery is an engaging amateur sleuth tale though the killer seems somewhat obvious early on even with clever twists and turns to obscure the culprit's identity. The story line is loaded with action and strong characters, but what makes the tale is the vivid description of Manhattan at the turn of the century. Readers feel the awe and fear of Dennis making his first sojourn on the train and into the slums; the audience senses the miracle of the successful surgery performed on the foot of Frank's son (commonplace today). Victoria Thompson writes another delectable historical mystery that will provide plenty of pleasure for her fans and send newcomers seeking the previous "Murder on..." novels.

Harriet Klausner

If you've enjoyed previous books in this series, you will enjoy this one. It is a comfortable and easy book to read, good for leisure time