Product Description

A Gaslight Mystery-- The new mystery series Catherine Coulter calls "Tantalizing..."

As a midwife in turn-of-the-century New York, Sarah Brandt has seen pain and joy. Now she will work for something more--a search for justice--in a case of murder involving one of New York's richest families.

"Victoria Thompson is off to a blazing start!"--Catherine Coulter

"A marvelous debut mystery with compelling characters, a fascinating setting, and a stunning resolution." --Jill Churchill, author of The Merchant of Menace

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #172889 in Books
• Published on: 1999-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 288 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780425168967
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Sprinkled with fascinating details of turn-of-the-century New York City, Thompson's old-fashioned mystery takes the reader from the mansions of Fifth Avenue to the flophouses of the Lower East Side. Sarah Brandt is a midwife who has been estranged from her wealthy family for years. When Alicia VanDamm, a young woman from a prominent family, is murdered, Sarah must return to the upper-class society she has scorned to find the killer. Haunted by her past and disgusted by police department corruption, Sarah takes it upon herself to avenge the girl's death. Annoyed at first by her interference, Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy asks for Sarah's help only when he has been taken off the case at the request of the victim's scandal-fearing family. The feisty midwife and the ambitious policeman grudgingly become allies in their search for justice. Sarah and Frank are appealing characters, and the author develops their rapport subtly and believably. In this first installment in a new series of historical mysteries, Thompson vividly re-creates the gas-lit world of old New York, concluding her mystery with revelations that will shock even 20th-century readers.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
Victoria Thompson is also the author of numerous historical novels.

Customer Reviews

A good start to a new series...
After reading The Alienist (Carr) with my face-to-face reading group, I began looking for similar historical mysteries. I could not believe my luck in finding another mystery set in turn of the century New York City. Add in a pre-feminist heroine and a cranky NYC cop, and you're definitely in business with this reader.

Sarah Brandt is a successful midwife making her own way in a middle class neighborhood when a nearby landlady's tenant is found murdered. The murder victim happens to be an old friend of Sarah's family, the young and beautiful Alicia VanDamm. Sarah, along with the reluctant help of detective Frank Malloy, investigates the murder despite the VanDamm family's best attempts to foil the process.

All in all, I thought this was a decent read enjoyable for all cozy mystery fans. However, this was not nearly as suspenseful as The Alienist, so I give it a good three stars.

Amazingly Vivid Historical Cozy
In the 1st book in the Gaslight Mystery series, readers find themselves transported back in time to the early 1900's. Sarah Brandt, a widow who makes a living in New York as a midwife, came from a privileged background and now finds herself helping all economic classes deliver their babies. One evening while delivering a baby at a rooming house, Sarah notices a young woman that she mistakes for an old friend from school. When she goes back to check on the new mother and baby, she discovers that the young woman had been murdered. She also discovers that the victim was the younger sister of her friend from school. The family is quite wealthy and powerful, and Sarah finds it odd that the victim would be staying in such a neighborhood. Determining to look into the murder, Sarah finds herself at odds with the police sergeant in charge of the case, Frank Malloy. After she provides several pertinent clues to him, Malloy grudgingly allows Sarah to help. And when Malloy is thrown off the case at the request of his corrupt police department, Sarah must take on a killer without becoming the latest victim.

I had put off reading this series for several years even though it came highly recommended to me. Normally, I do not read many "historical" cozies, except the Mrs. Jeffries series (which is no comparison to this fascinating series). But these books kept catching my eye, and finally, I gave in and picked up this book. I loved it, and am annoyed with myself for waiting so long to delve into this superb series! I couldn't put the book down, and loved the vivid setting and fascinating characters. The ending to the mystery was haunting, and I could not stop thinking about it for several days.

Overall, I felt like I had stepped back into time, to an intriguing period in American history, and cannot wait to visit turn-of-the-century New York City with Sarah again! The characters were just as wonderful as the mystery was compelling, and I look forward to reading this series for years to come.

The next book in this series is "Murder on St. Mark's Place". Enjoy!

Easy read, impressive historical mystery
A good read with a familiar feel. I think historical readers have a new series to look forward to.

Sarah Brandt is a midwife at the turn-of -the-century. When a young girl boarding at Sara's patients home is murdered Sarah's lack of faith in the NYC Police Department compels her to try and solve the murder herself. Frank Malloy is a tough cop with ambitions to move up. Sarah wonders if he will consider the case worth his time and Frank wonders if she will ever go away.

Victoria Thompson's first historical is a hit as far as I'm concerned. The mystery was well done and the historical jargon is clear without being overwhelming. I think it helps the reader sometimes to know what certain historical terms are and Ms Thompson was successful in explaining them without distracting from the story.