30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Read, But...., June 3, 2009
Victoria Thompson gives us another trip through New York in the gaslight era. This time her heroine, midwife Sarah Brandt, is caught up in a murder that involves her mother, her nursemaid Maeve, and a crooked spiritualist operation. We have the usual convoluted twists and insight into a bygone era coming together for an entertaining mystery read. Unfortunately, I saw the solution to this one coming from a mile away.
The characterizations that make this series so compelling are slighted this time. Sarah's midwife duties disappear after the opening pages and she seems secondary or tertiary in much of the action. The usually volcanic detective Frank Malloy is entirely too calm and polite when dealing with Sarah, her mother, Maeve and the various other females who interfere in his investigation. Worst of all is that there is almost no sign of the developing romance (or whatever) between Sarah and Malloy.
Are we seeing signs of the publisher rushing the author? If so, back off and let the lady write!
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another Great Read!, June 2, 2009
Sarah finds herself pulled into the murky, late-Victorian world of questionable but fashionable spiritism when her mother, Mrs. Felix Decker, requests Sarah attend a seance with her in order to contact the spirit of Sarah's late sister, Maggie.
While seemingly unexplainable events transpire at the seance at Waverly Place, Sarah isn't buying any of it and discourages her mother from attending any future events.
Shortly thereafter, however, Sarah is summoned to the house on Waverly Place by Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy at the behest of her mother, who just happened to be attending a seance where a murder has just taken place of the woman who hosted the event; a woman, apparently, not well liked by anyone.
Suspects abound despite the fact that all evidence points to the lover of the young spiritist, Madame Saraphina, except for one slight problem: the boy wasn't in the room at the time.
Sarah, being the girl she is, immediately champions the young spiritist and her lover in an attempt to clear his name and Frank, being the guy he is (and the fact he's crazy about Sarah) proceeds with as much investigation as he dares, given that the clients who were involved in the seance are all members of society's upper crust.
Sarah and Frank discover nothing is quite as it seems as they carefully navigate the investigation and slowly unravel the secrets of the Privileged and the Parlor Snakes. The problem is, it's difficult to tell who belongs to which group.
The only 'negative' and disappointing aspect of this book, and why I didn't rate it with 5 stars, is the complete lack of romantic interaction between Frank and Sarah. Yes, we all like a well-crafted murder mystery - but the romantic element, which provides necessary texture to what is otherwise just another 'whodunit' is, for all intents and purposes, completely absent and I think was a disservice to the story as well as to the characters.
All in all, a cozy read, and I look forward to the next installment, provided we see some growth in Frank and Sarah's relationship. Two other endearing characters who did not make an appearance in this book were Frank's mother and Frank's son. I look forward to seeing more of them in the next books to come.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Zzzz, June 3, 2009
Over the years, Victoria Thompson has written some very lovely and compelling books featuring midwife Sarah Brandt and Detective Molloy. Her books have been atmospheric and her characters were thoughtfully and lovingly portrayed. Not so, this time. In fact, "Murder on Waverly Place" feels very convoluted and very rushed. Sarah and Molloy seem like they are mere shadows of their original characters just going through the motions to solve a not so compelling murder at a seance. I wish that I could say something positive about this book, but I can't think of a single thing except that I learned an abbreviated history of the flash light. I hope this is a momentary speedbump in what has been up until now a great series.
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