Murder on Astor Place (Gaslight Mystery, #1) in Crazy Challenge Connection

Sep 11, 2019 Tara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2019

I thoroughly enjoyed this one!! I loved the setting. I enjoyed Sara and Malloy's characters. It defniteily makes me look forward to continuing on with this series. ...more

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Oct 25, 2020 Chris rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: series, ebook, fiction, mystery-historical, historical-fiction, new-york

I love historical fiction mysteries, and this series has been on my list for a long time. And maybe that's my problem with the book. I have read so many better-written series. This book was as if the author had sat down and followed all the steps in a "Writing Historical Mysteries for Dummies" book. A female character who has moved from one class to another so that she has the best tendencies of both worlds. Check. A male character from the opposite class of whichever one the female was born int I love historical fiction mysteries, and this series has been on my list for a long time. And maybe that's my problem with the book. I have read so many better-written series. This book was as if the author had sat down and followed all the steps in a "Writing Historical Mysteries for Dummies" book. A female character who has moved from one class to another so that she has the best tendencies of both worlds. Check. A male character from the opposite class of whichever one the female was born into. Check. Female refuses to conform to societies expectations of her; won't take no for an answer. Check. Male puts on macho front but has deeper sensibilities that he tries to ignore, usually do to something tragic in his own background. Check. Add a murder that crosses class lines so the reader can be taken into the wealthiest homes and the most horrid hovels and you've got a book.

If you know the genre, you've seen this plot in at least one book of almost every series. A young woman is found murdered. We discover the young woman had run away from her wealthy family because she was pregnant and has ended up dead in very reduced circumstances. The wealthy family wants to protect its good name more than it cares about its dead daughter. But our intrepid detectives won't give up.

In this case widow Sarah Brandt works as a midwife to the lower and lowest classes of 1890s Manhattan. But she's the daughter of a wealthy family - part of New York's 400. We don't know much about her marriage to a doctor except that it's clear that her family cut her off and then her husband died. When she is called to deliver the baby of a boarding house owner, one of the female boarders looks very much like someone Sarah used to know in her old life. When Sarah returns two days later to check on her patient, she finds the young woman has been strangled. It's also where she meets Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy, who is investigating the case. Of course, the two immediately butt heads. But Sarah is able to tell him a thing or two - that she suspected the girl was pregnant and that an instrument found in the dead girl's room is used for abortions.

The next thing we know, Sarah has decided to help Malloy in his investigation. The problem is that we never really know why. We get very little sense of what really motivates Sarah. Malloy actually has more depth to his character.
The writing, especially in the early part of the book, is clunky. Again, it sounds like someone working really hard on trying to write the way she's seen it done in other books. (And whatever you do, don't forget to describe a woman in long skirts walking down a hallway as looking like a "schooner in full sail." How original!)

There was enough interest in the story that I actually did finish it - and it is mercifully short. I'd read another if there was nothing else on offer, but I don't think I'd go looking for it. ...more

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Jun 05, 2020 Jessica rated it really liked it

Shelves: z-read-in-2020

Page-turning and surprisingly dark. Good mystery, good historical setting, good writing, and I really liked the midwife protagonist.

What I didn't like? I was caught off guard that she wasn't the only protagonist - about half of the scenes were from the viewpoint of an NYPD officer. Now I'm sure it's period-accuracy to have him calling teen dead girls "whores" or saving up money to bribe his way to captain, but I had a lot of trouble liking him as a character. He didn't develop enough by the end ...more

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Sep 29, 2021 Rachel N. rated it really liked it

Shelves: series, read-in-2021, mystery, historical-mystery, new-york-city, historical-fiction, new-york

Sarah Brandt is a widowed midwife living in New York City in 1895. While visiting a client she discovers a young woman, who she knows from when she lived with her wealthy parents, has been murdered. Sergeant Frank Malloy asks for Sarah's help looking through the woman's belongings and Sarah ends up helping investigate the case. I liked the two main characters and feel that the author did a good job depicting the time period. I did solve the case fairly easily. I do plan on continuing the series ...more

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Oct 16, 2018 Michele rated it really liked it

A little bit of a slow start but ended up being a great story. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

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Mar 15, 2008 Christina (AKA Babbling) rated it really liked it

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Aug 23, 2009 Juliana Philippa marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, 0-get-from-library, mystery-thriller-suspense, historical-mystery, 0-5-because-i-need-another-level

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Aug 13, 2010 Katharine marked it as to-read

Shelves: historical-mystery

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Mar 01, 2012 Nell rated it really liked it

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Oct 12, 2012 Renee rated it really liked it

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Feb 20, 2013 Mary X rated it really liked it

Shelves: reread, 2020

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Mar 12, 2013 Kim DeCina marked it as to-read

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Apr 25, 2013 Ellen marked it as to-read

Shelves: historical-mystery, new-york, 1st-in-series

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Jan 08, 2014 Jessica marked it as to-read

Shelves: historical-fiction, mystery

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Jan 19, 2014 Martha rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, jls, 2014

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Mar 19, 2014 ilovebakedgoods (Teresa) marked it as to-read

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Feb 28, 2016 Mary Ann marked it as to-read

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Mar 22, 2016 Amanda A marked it as cfl · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-h, cozy-tbr, ptbr

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Sep 28, 2016 Lindy-Lane rated it really liked it

Shelves: g-myst-czyy-thrl, first-in-series, lindy-lanes-rca2016

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Feb 02, 2017 Hilary (A Wytch's Book Review) marked it as to-read

Shelves: cozy-history

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Sep 14, 2017 HeatherMarie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2-mystery, detective, 4-american, 3-1800s, 6-library, r-favorite, 6-audiobook, 3-1990s, trope-law-n-order-or-1st-responder, trope-doctor-nurse-med-heal

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Oct 11, 2018 Kate marked it as to-read

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Feb 04, 2019 Carrie marked it as to-read

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Mar 30, 2019 Rebecca marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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Apr 13, 2019 Brenda H marked it as series

Shelves: recommended-cozies

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Feb 13, 2020 Ruth added it

Shelves: books-read-in-2020

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May 26, 2020 Melike marked it as to-read

Shelves: cozy-mystery, historical-fiction

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Sep 24, 2020 Kristen rated it really liked it

Shelves: suspense, first-in-series, historical-fiction, in-a-series, fiction, audio-books, historical, cozy-mysteries, 2020-challenge-books, src-fall-2020

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Oct 20, 2020 Sallie(GeorgiaGirl) rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio, october-challenge, mystery-thrillers, cozy-mystery, mystery, series, historical-fiction, 2020, 2020-goodreads-reading-challenge, cozy-mystery-new-york

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Oct 25, 2020 Chris rated it it was ok

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