The death of Chilton Devries within the exclusive Knickerbocker club sends its wealthy patrons scrambling for answers. Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy is asked to solve the case as quickly and quietly as possible. But Chilton wasn't the gentlemen his social standing proclaimed him to be and with the list of suspects including everyone who knew the man, Frank must use every investigative tool available to him to find the truth.

MURDER OF FIFTH AVENUE is they type of mystery that lets you curl up beneath a blanket with a hot cup of tea and just forget the world around you. Well, you could do that if it weren't the dead of summer and scorching out, but I seriously gave it some thought.

The main characters are likable, smart, and driven which are always winners in my book, but they're not hard-bitten or tortured souls. These are characters that have real problems with real motivations and who handle them in admirable ways. More than that there's a continual evolution to each character. After writing the same characters for multiple books, it's hard not to stagnate, but that hasn't happened with the Gaslight Mysteries. They're still fun and the characters are still engaging.

As parts of a series, there are a few references to previous mysteries but Ms. Thompson does a wonderful job of making the books stand alone. Each book adds new layers and dimensions to the characters, but if you pick up in the middle of the series you're not bombarded by characters that have all had some previous dealings with each other.

With settings painted with clear, confidence and vivid colors, we see a time gone by, but with the issues of the day still relevant to today's society. Ms. Thompson has a clear winner with MURDER ON FIFTH AVENUE. Fast-paced, beautiful, and all around timeless.