Customer Reviews

Murder on Washington Square (Gaslight Mystery)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're looking for a good historical murder mystery, set in Victorian New York, that is full of atmosphere and ambiance, and that possesses a strong, intelligent, sensible and likable heroine, look no further. Any one of Victoria Thompson's excellent novels in the Gaslight Mystery series will do. I'm more of an Anglophile, and rather prefer historical mysteries set in England, but I'll admit that I'm hooked on Thompson's Gaslight series. Although the books deal more with the life of the underprivileged, rather than with the life of the decadent rich, all the novels so far have proved to be compelling and addicting reading. And this latest book in the series is every bit as interesting and intriguing a read.

Sarah Brandt (a midwife and the detecting heroine in this series) is approached by her neighbour's son, Nelson Ellsworth, for assistance in a delicate matter. Apparently Nelson's delicate and refined young mistress may be carrying his child. Nelson is just not sure, and because he believes Anna (his mistress) may not fully understand what's going on with her body, he wants Sarah to meet and advise Anna. The meeting however goes terribly wrong, with Anna becoming hysterical and accusing Sarah of being an abortionist. However, something about Anna makes Sarah wonder about her truthfulness, esp when she realises that Nelson is perfectly willing to marry Anna, and that it is Anna who is dragging her feet about the whole affair. The next day however brings news that Anna has been brutally murdered in Washington Square. The police zero in on Nelson as the most likely suspect, and suggest that he murdered her because she was about to blackmail him about her pregnancy. Sarah however believes that Nelson is innocent, and that there was something incredibly havey-cavey about Anna and her pregnancy. Determined to prove Nelson's innocence, Sarah inveigles Detective Frank Malloy to help her clear Nelson. Little do the pair anticipate what they will find however, and the depth of human malevolence and despair that they will uncover.

I really like this mystery series, and I enjoyed reading "Murder on Washington Square " immensely. The plot was not only an intriguing and fascinating one, but it also kept me guessing as to who Anna's murderer was. And Victoria Thompson did a wonderful job of pacing and structuring the novel so that everything unfolded smoothly and logically. I really liked the character of Sarah Brandt (she's probably my favourite female Victorian sleuth) -- she's intelligent, compassionate, brave and most of all NOT FOOLISH. I cannot recommend this series and "Murder on Washington Square" highly enough. All the books have proved to be tantalizing and fascinating reading, and "Murder on Washington Square" especially so.

This is the fourth in the Gaslight Mystery series and is on a par with the earlier books. Sarah Brandt's neighbor's son is accused of murder and she, of course, must help find the real murderer to help her neighbor. The mystery in this one is easier to solve than previous mysteries and there were times that I could not understand why neither Sarah nor her policeman friend Frank Malloy could not see what I thought was obvious. The reason that they don't may have to be the time period in which these mysteries take place - the culprit is hiding himself in a manner that was unthinkable.
There is some movement in the personal side of Sarah and Frank's relationship as well, which I found as interesting as the mystery itself. I am looking forward to the next in the series.

I've been an avid follower of the Gaslight mysteries, and was not the least bit disappointed by this newest addition. The combination of an intriguing backdrop of Old New York, a sense for the politics and social restrictions (that our characters happily resist... I love the modern twist) of the time, two captivating main characters and their developing relationship, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, an enigmatic mystery that involves a few simple turns (oh, don't get offended, mystery purists, it still has substance), and straight paths that the author leads you on that mislead the reader into making a few proud conclusions as to the identity of our villain, only to find oneself rather surprised by the conclusion. Quite a delight.

The story develops around the savage murder of a woman who, though seemingly innocent, actually lures numerous susceptible suitors for her own financial benefits. Unfortunately, one of her victims is the son of the kindly neighbor our heroine, Sarah Brandt, midwife/widow/tormentor of the local police because she's ACTUALLY worth something despite her demure sex, Mrs. Ellsworth. Nelson is automatically singled out by New York's yellow journalists as the murderer, and thus Sarah sets out to clear an obviously innocent man's tarnished name. To do so, Sarah now must involve herself once again with Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy, her reluctant partner in, well, not crime, but solving such acts, and the two join forces to find our elusive foe. It seems also that as the tension of the need to solve the case increases, another tension heats up, which is a blessing to a reader who's been waiting for a little such evidence. Another delightful aspect comes in the subplot of Malloy's son, Brian, and seeing him progress and his father's love become more undeniable. With the end comes even perhaps a strong hint of our next book's topic, as we all hope to see Dr. Brandt murder solved.

All of our afore mentioned ingredients combine to give you a Gothic mystery for all to enjoy! I can't wait for the next!

Murder on Washington Square by Victoria Thompson is the 4th book in the Gaslight series featuring Victorian era midwife Sarah Brandt and New York Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy. This was absolutely the best book so far in the series. When Sarah's neighbor, Mrs. Ellison's son is charged with the murder of his mistress, Sarah jumps to help prove his innocence, much to Malloy's frustration. Thompson does a terrific job of creating mood and dropping hints about the real murderer's identity without giving the game away. The chemistry between Malloy and Sarah is top-notch. I just love how Thompson has been inching their relationship along. The climax is edge-of-your-seat gripping and what happens afterwards will thrill fans of the series. She even throws in a twist at the very end to make the reader long for the next book. Murder mysteries don't get much better than this.

Another charming turn-of-the (last) century mystery from Victoria Thompson. This is the perfect book to read for light diversion - it's not deep, mysterious and depressing (think P D James), but it does provide some fun reading. I honestly don't know how accurate her portrayal of this time period is, but it rings true when you read it. For the most part, the main characters are well developed and the dialog is good. I believe we may be seeing the emergence of some additional secondary characters in this book, which would be good. In fact, one of the old standby secondary characters - Sarah's neighbor - and her son take center stage, as the son is accused of the murder of a woman of doubtful character. I'll be honest - I figured out "who done it" before the end, and even suspected the "surprise twist". However, as always, I enjoy the banter and growing relationship between Sarah and Frank and find the time period irresistible. Oh yes - Sarah and Frank...Thompson is going to drive us batty waiting to see if they will ever get together. Significant "progress" is made in that direction (if you can call it that) in this book, but Thompson also does an admirable job of showing us the obstacles of class, religion, and social circumstances that these two have to overcome. She may have even introduced a longer-term rival for Sarah's affections (and surely there's a nice Catholic girl out there to turn Frank's head and make Sarah stand up and take notice!) All in all - fun reading, great for the upcoming summer.

I found the first book in the series in a used book store and liked it so much I ordered the rest from Amazon. Good stories with fascinating glimpses of New York City's past. Also, they are strangely relevant to today as well. I look forward to the next one!

I have read all of Ms. Thompson's Gaslight series and she is improving with each one. The story and plotline are nicely done and she's really getting the feel for her characters and creating a wonderful setting for them. I was also pleased that she is moving ahead the romantic involvement between Sarah and Frank (slowly but surely) and the sub-plot to find her dead husband's killer is interesting. I look forward to more of her work!

Victoria Thompson's Gaslight mysteries are one of my favorite series. Sarah is sweet and spunky (in a *good* way, honest!) with a charming sense of humor in addition to her stubborn sense of justice. The romance between this wonderful character and Frank really drives the stories for me, but the mystery is also excellent. This installment in the series deepens all the characters and fleshes out the time period even more lushly than before. If you're a fan of historical mysteries and haven't tried these books yet, you're really missing out.

Ms. Thompson's Gaslight Series is full of little gems and this book is another. This is the fourth in the series, and in it we see Sarah's and Frank's relationship is progressing a bit further. We also have them trying to find out who killed an opportunistic woman. Sarah's neighbour, Mrs. Ellsworth's son looks like he's been set up to take the fall for the murder, and Sarah knows that he didn't do it. She enlists Frank's help to try to uncover who the real killer is. The plot is a bit predictable, but the characters are very likeable. This is a series well worth the time of any historical mystery fan. I especially like the setting. Turn of the century New York City must have been a fascinating place.

Victoria Thompson delighted me again with this mystery. She has the uncanny ability to keep me guessing all the way up to the end of each novel. Which is more than I can say for most in the mystery genre. Sarah Brandt and Frank Malloy's on going relationship is as always entertaining. The suspects in the book were interesting characters as were their 'vices'. I love Victoria Thompson's writing she is at the top of the pack when it comes to historical mysteries!!