Sarah and Mr Malloy investigate a case of a possible poisoning with the help of Maeve and Gino. A good story that involves a back story of the man?s mother and her Southern background. We learn the man?s grandmother poisoned him to keep the family?s good name. Sarah and Mr. Malloy finally get married at the end of the book. Goodreads: In this Gaslight Mystery from the national bestselling author of Murder in Murray Hill, midwife Sarah Brandt and Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy investigate foul play in the secretive high-society world of nineteenth-century New York City� In the midst of Sarah and Frank?s wedding preparations, Sarah accompanies her mother on a condolence call to the Upper West Side, where Charles Fairfax, the son of family friends, has died unexpectedly after suffering from a mysterious disease. It is a tragic and all too common story¥or so it seems. Charles?s father asks to speak with Sarah privately. He believes his son was poisoned and would like Sarah and Frank to look into the matter with the utmost discretion. Putting their own personal affairs on hold, Sarah and Frank soon learn that not everyone wants to know more about Charles?s death, particularly if he was murdered. As they unravel secrets that reach back to the War Between the States, they also discover that they are in the company of a very present danger

I absolutely love this series and this installment was no exception. Ms. Thompson has created likeable and believable characters. The plot was well constructed and kept my attention. I would recommend this series to any lover of a good historical mystery ( )

Murder on Amsterdam Avenue
4 Stars

With construction ongoing at his new house, Frank Malloy is eager to escape and readily agrees to investigate the mysterious death of Charles Oakes, a childhood acquaintance of Sarah's. It is soon revealed that young Charles was poisoned in his own home, but which of his family members or servants hated him enough to kill him?

An interesting mystery with compelling insights into the long-lasting effects of the American Civil War. One profound aspect of this series in general, and this book in particular, is the emphasis on the fact that very little has changed in the last century when it comes to twisted prejudices and hatred.

The investigation is pretty straightforward with several red-herrings to keep the reader guessing. There are some minor plot holes that could have been avoided with more character development, but the resolution is satisfying overall.

Frank and Sarah's growing menagerie of friends and family from different walks of life is a highlight of this series, and it was fun to see them all gathering to celebrate Frank and Sarah's marriage.

( )

This is the seventeenth book in the Gaslight Mystery series by Victoria Thompson set in New York City in the late 1890s. Former City detective, Frank Malloy, and widowed midwife, Sarah Brandt, are engaged now and waiting for their new house to be renovated before they marry. Sarah and her mother have just come back from a condolence call to an old friend where she is asked by the dead man's family if Frank would be willing to investigate the circumstances. Frank is at loose ends now and eagerly takes on the job. As always, there are plenty of suspects.

One of the best things about this series are the interesting secondary characters, especially Maeve and Gino Donatelli. This entry dealt with some of the rules of society and obstacles members may face. The mystery moved along quickly and was well crafted. It could easily be read as a standalone even though I always recommend reading them in order.

Unlike many series where the characters never change, Victoria Thompson has done a great job of continuing to make them fresh. I look forward to continuing the series in the future. ( )

Murder on Amsterdam Avenue is the 17th book in Victoria Thompson's Gaslight Mysteries series. Widowed nurse/midwife Sarah Decker Brandt and Widower millionaire/former Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy are engaged to be married. The Malloys (Frank, his widowed mother Alma, and his son, Brian), are living in the Bank Street house where Sarah, her foster daughter, Catherine, and Catherine's nursemaid Maeve Smith; will join them after the wedding. The wedding is being delayed until the remodeling is finished.

There have already been changes in the Malloys' lives since Frank inherited so much money. He was driven out of his job by the envy of the rest of the police force. Mrs. Malloy was driven out of the apartment she'd lived in since she'd emigrated from Ireland because of the envy of their neighbors.

Sarah's mother, Elizabeth Decker, is anxious to have her daughter rejoin the polite society she rejected when she eloped with Tom Brandt. Elizabeth is pointing out that the only people with whom Sarah and Frank are likely to feel comfortable are rich people. Sarah's toehold to that return is going to be a condolence call on the Oakes family. She'd known the son, Charles, who has recently died of a mysterious illness. Elizabeth reminds Sarah that Charles' widow, Hannah, will need friends.

Hannah Oakes is pretty and pretty spoiled. She seems more upset that she'll be in mourning for a whole year and won't be able to go to Newport than she is to be a widow. Her mother-in-law, Jenny Oakes, is made of sterner stuff. She's maintaining that upper crust reserve even though it's her only child who died.

Jenny has a romantic backstory. She met her husband, Gerald, when he was part of General Sherman's march to the sea during the Civil War. When they reached Jenny's family's plantation, she was the only member of her family still alive. Gerald fell for the raven-haired, chocolate-eyed beauty, married her, and had his father come south to bring her safely up north (where Jenny got snubbed by the Oakes' fellow Knickerbockers, New York's elite families). Gerald has been a friend of Sarah's father, Felix, since they were children. Gerald is heartbroken. He wants Frank to investigate his son's murder. It seems that Charles' glass of warm milk fell to the floor when he was dying. Hannah's cat lapped up the spill and also died. (Sorry, fellow cat lovers.)

Meanwhile, Frank is being driven crazy by the sounds of the workmen. Also, they still haven't repaired the front knocker. I suspect he's secretly glad for an excuse to get out of the house when Sarah and Elizabeth come to talk with him. I enjoyed the sentence about Frank's suit letting the Oakes' maid know he should be taken seriously (Felix sent Frank to his own tailor, so you know that suit is classy enough for a Knickerbocker house).

Frank no longer has a right to ask Doc Haynes to look at a body, so he takes the poor cat to a civilian coroner Haynes recommended: Titus Wesley. Yes, Titus finds something suspicious. So who wanted Charles dead? Certainly not his parents. Could it have anything to do with Charles' appointment as superintendent of the Manhattan State Hospital? What about Virgil Adderly helping Charles get his job? Did Adderly expect something in return?

NOTES:

Chapter 2:

a. Frank learns that the Oakes, like Theodore Roosevelt's branch of the Roosevelt, lost a lot of money and Charles needed to earn his living.

b. Gino Donatelli was introduced in book eight, Murder in Little Italy. He talks about what it was like being part of Roosevelt's Rough Riders. (I hadn't known they'd charged up Kettle Hill instead of San Juan Hill or why the name change, not to mention what Clara Barton had to do to keep the wounded soldiers from lying on the bare ground.)

c. See book sixteen, Murder in Murray Hill, for the case of the missing women.

Chapter 4: Sarah, Frank, et al. discuss what kind of job prospects African Americans have in New York City (this book uses 'colored' and 'Negroes' which were reasonably polite terms in the past).

Chapter 6: Here a 'bouncer' is a term for the newly rich, as we learn during Frank's interesting interview with Charles' grandmother, Prudence Oakes.

Chapter 7:

a. The first book, where Sarah and Frank met, is Murder on Astor Place.

b. We get some history of the Manhattan State Hospital, treatment of the insane, and unscrupulous doctors earlier than 1898.

Chapter 9: Mrs. Ellsworth recites rhymes about being married in September, October, or November.

Chapter 14 has a conversation about collecting European artwork and furniture between Sarah and Frank. (Frank's thought amused me.)

Chapter 15 has the wedding.

No, I didn't guess the killer or motive, but it made me both angry and sad. The facts we got about some aspects of New York City life back then were very interesting, as usual. I hope Coroner Titus Wesley will become a recurring character. I like him. The solution to the house remodeling problem made me smile. The wedding was nice, and it was good to see who'd been invited. Hope Mrs. Decker's dressmaker, Susan, can make some more outfits for Alma Malloy now that she's finally been persuaded to stop wearing black. Even if Frank and Sarah have been married off, there's still the attraction between Maeve and Gino to watch.

If you've enjoyed the earlier books, you should enjoy this one. ( )