From the Bookshelf of 2-3-4 Challenge Book Discussions #1

Murder on Astor Place
by
Start date
January 1, 2018
Finish date
January 31, 2018
Discussion
Murder on Astor Place
Discussion leader
Jonetta

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

* Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson
By Jonetta · 1 post · 22 views
last updated Dec 30, 2017 08:25AM
* Late 19th Century
By Jonetta · 18 posts · 19 views
last updated Feb 10, 2018 03:21AM

What Members Thought

Jonetta
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
Phrynne
Oct 14, 2016 rated it really liked it
I guessed this series would be a good one for me - historical mystery is always my thing and here we have Maisie Dobb's American cousin (joking!) detecting her way around New York instead of London.

Our main character, Sarah Brandt, is a daughter of one of New York's top families, but is estranged for marrying 'beneath' her and now works as a midwife. She has a hankering for detective work and when she meets Frank Molloy, a real police detective, she gets a chance to try it for real. This book s
...more
Mary Beth
Apr 21, 2016 rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition
I loved it! It is a historical mystery and its a page turner. The story is really good straight from the beginning to the end. I loved the characters. Its an excellent story.
Robin
Jan 15, 2018 rated it it was amazing
Shelves: mystery, 2018
Widow Sarah Brandt is a midwife in late 19th century New York City. When she is called out to Astor Place to attend Mrs. Higgins at the Higgins Boardinghouse, she believes she recognizes one of the boarders. The girls looks just like her old friend Mina when she was the same age. When Sarah goes back to the boardinghouse two days later to check on the mother and child, she finds that the girl has been murdered. Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy has been sent to investigate. He has ambitions to mov ...more
Lauren
Sep 07, 2014 rated it really liked it
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
Veronica
Mar 11, 2014 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
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
Charlene
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
Logan
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
Veronica
May 26, 2015 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Re-read.
Anita Reads
#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
Meera
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
Andrew
Jan 02, 2019 rated it really liked it
Shelves: audiobooks-2019
4.5 Stars
Amie
A decent mystery, but the ending seemed a bit rushed and icky. I will try the next in the series.
Monica
Jan 22, 2018 rated it really liked it
Tracey
Nov 02, 2013 rated it really liked it
Angela
Oct 10, 2018 rated it really liked it
Kris (My Novelesque Life)
Jun 29, 2018 rated it really liked it
Sue
Jun 05, 2015 rated it liked it
Joanna
Sep 18, 2016 rated it really liked it
Shelves: mystery
Vicki
May 08, 2017 marked it as to-read
Veronica
Jan 14, 2018 rated it really liked it
Viki
Jan 27, 2018 rated it really liked it
Vicki
Mar 25, 2019 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Melissa
Mar 26, 2019 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
« previous 1
153223

2-3-4 Challenge Book Discussions #1