Murder on Astor Place (Gaslight Mystery, #1) in 2-3-4 Challenge

Jan 14, 2018 Jonetta rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 5000-books, nc-br-digital-library, 12800-in-2018, group-read, historical-mystery

Widow Sarah Brandt is a midwife in 1896 New York City, which is unusual in that she was well born but is estranged from her wealthy family. When she is called to attend to a woman in labor, she recognizes one of the young boarders in the home. When that girl is discovered murdered two days later, she becomes involved in the investigation with the prickly New York Police Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy.

I was hoping to find another historical fiction/mystery series to sink into and have found it i ...more

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Sep 07, 2014 Lauren rated it really liked it

Shelves: cop-hero, historical-mystery, incest, gilded-age

Murder on Astor Place
4 Stars

As a midwife, Sarah Brandt is no stranger to the struggles of life and death. However, after attending a routine birth at a boarding house, Sarah is shocked to learn not only that one of the other guests has been murdered, but that the young woman is someone she knows. When the girl’s prominent family refuses to permit an investigation and the police appear to be just as disinclined, Sarah takes it upon herself to discover the truth.

A good mystery, but it is the dynam ...more

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Mar 11, 2014 Veronica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-mystery

I had zero expectations going into this book and ended up being pleasantly surprised. The murder mystery was interesting and the resolution took me by surprise. I also liked the two protagonists, Sarah Brandt, the widowed midwife, and Frank Malloy, the widower police detective in a mostly corrupt police department. Both Sarah and Frank have some deep tragedies in their respective pasts, tragedies that very much inform their initial perceptions of each other. That made for some interesting dynami ...more

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Jan 18, 2018 Charlene rated it really liked it

Shelves: group-read, series-by-author, crime, rated-not-reviewed, suspense, law-enforcement, adult-themes, mothers-daughters, historical-fiction, books-i-own

This book took a while longer for me to read than I expected; it was a long time building the story.

A midwife in Victorian New York sees a young girl who looks like a former friend, from when she was in the upper crust of society. Now a doctor's widow, a nurse and midwife, she is an outsider to her family of origin.

As she is visiting a mother and baby the day after delivery, she comes across a crusty, possibly corrupt police detective who is investigating the young blonde.

The two characters win ...more

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Aug 30, 2014 Logan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own-bought-ebook, historical-fiction, mystery, 2014-books-read

Wow. Just, wow. Great mystery, superb characters, and tightly paced to boot. It was all I ever wanted out of a historical mystery! There were plentiful red herrings that served to narrow down the pool of suspects as the case progressed, and it only added to the fun of determining the real killer. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, Thompson still had one last trick up her sleeve. I love this genre so much, and I'm so excited that I found it through Goodreads. I'd never heard of this se ...more

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May 26, 2015 Veronica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Re-read.

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Oct 22, 2018 Anita Reads rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, cozy-mystery, historical-fiction, storytel, read-2018

#1 Gaslight Mystery
New York 1896, we meet widower Sarah Brandt who works as a midwife. She is estranged from her wealthy family after she chose to marry beneath her status, and therefore decided to become a midwife. Not long into the book she becomes mixed into a murder investigation on a young girl, who was pregnant at the time of death. The murder investigation is lead by Detective Sergeant Frank Molloy.

I had a feeling I’d really enjoy this before I went into it, and I was happy to see that I ...more

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Jan 19, 2018 Meera rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-mystery, hive2018

I wasn't sure about one of the main characters, Malloy, when I first started reading this but I realized as the book went on that he's wasn't as bad as he initially looked. The book also reminded me a bit of Anne Perry books. For me, the stronger part of the book was the personal lives of the main characters and their partnership. The mystery itself was mostly predictable and didn't hold my interest as well. But it was an enjoyable and kind of relaxing read and I'm looking forward to the next bo ...more

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Jul 11, 2018 Stacey rated it liked it

I love the setting, and will continue with the rest of the series. However, the 'mystery' was completely predictable, so it loses a star for that. ...more

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Feb 26, 2016 Renee rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery-cozy, mystery-historical

Astor Place is one of the best series-starting books I've read. I already knew that Detective Frank Malloy and midwife Sarah Brandt had a complicated (but platonic) relationship but, until reading Astor I had no idea how complicated. Reading that, immediately followed by St. Mark's, pulled me into their developing relationship more quickly and deeply than I'd anticipated. I have a pile of 4 other books that I've already borrowed from the library for this challenge so I can't read the next in the ...more

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