This one was ok with a bit of a gothic flair. Molly finds herself on a "police sanctioned" assignment and ends up solving all kinds of mysteries that weren't actually a part of that assignment. She has a bit of a character hiccup at the end which disappointed me and I still don't get why she's hanging on to Daniel. Besides the fact that he's too wussy to break things off with his fiance, he's really a jerk to her in the beginning and doesn't respect her passion for detecting. For me, that would be a huge red flag---but I guess those were different times. (The blanket excuse that's made for every messed up thing that happens in these books.) I have a feeling Daniel is on the verge of breaking things off with Arabella but I do hope it's done in a way that actually shows some strength of character in him. So far, I'm not at all impressed. Coincidences abound in this series, but I was glad to see a loose end tied off concerning Molly's past in Ireland. ( )

In Like Flynn
4 Stars

In 1902 New York, the city is plagued by a typhoid epidemic, and private investigator Molly Murphy takes advantage of a commission by police detective Daniel Sullivan to go undercover in the country home of Senator Barney Flynn. Her task is to find incriminating evidence against the Sorenson sisters, a pair of spiritualist suspected of fraud. The Flynns, who lost their son in a botched kidnapping, are the sisters' latest marks, and Molly is determined to not only catch them in the act, but also to expose the truth about the kidnapping.

Molly's investigative skills are improving, but she still has too many TSTL moments in which she inadvertently finds herself in dangerous situations.

The two-pronged investigation has potential, but seem to take a back seat to the house-party like atmosphere of the Flynn family estate. The Sorenson case fizzles out, and the kidnapping becomes the focus. The problem with this is that there really aren't enough clues for either Molly or the reader to figure things out, and she ultimately stumbles onto the truth by accident.

On the romance front, there is a significant development in Daniel and Molly's relationship, but Daniel proves once again that he is a complete jerk. Molly really needs to give him the heave-ho once and for all. ( )

I really rated this three and half stars. Part way in I thought okay, I'm not reading anymore of this series..but by the end I thought well okay, maybe just the next one. ( )

Molly is finding it difficult to be a private eye in New York City so she travels undercover to Senator Barney Flynn's house on the Hudson River at the request of NYPD Captain Daniel Sullivan to investigate two spiritualists and while she is there, look into the kidnapping four years previously of the Flynn's young son, Brandon. She impersonates U.S. Senator Flynn's cousin visiting from Ireland. One criticism, this book ends rather abruptly as do some of Rhys Bowen's others. ( )

Fun, light mystery. Although the Daniel-Molly thing is annoying. ( )