MURDER IN MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS is book 19 in the Gaslight Mystery series by the talented Victoria Thompson. The Gaslight Mysteries are a historical detective series, set in 19th century New York City. The two main characters, midwife Sarah Brandt and prior police detective-turned-private inquiry agent Sergeant Frank Malloy, came from different ethnic and social classes. Their murder investigations always involve the upper classes as well as the servants and poor working class of New York. This allows Thompson to show all walks of life in her stories, allowing for a continuing great breadth of interesting facts about 19th century American society and daily life. These tidbits are smoothly woven in among the details of the crime and investigation though, so the lovely historical details are anything but dull. Fans of Anne Perry will enjoy this series.

Frank Malloy, now happily married to Sarah Brandt, has opened his new detective agency business called Confidential Inquiries. Malloy was recently dismissed from New York's police force because he inherited millions of dollars. While Malloy doesn't need to work, he enjoys detecting, and continues doing what he does best by tracking down criminals. I love the portrayal of New York's nascent police force with its attendant corruption. Sarah is figuring out that she misses her previous work as a midwife now that she's a nabob's wife, but at least Malloy is allowing her to continue assisting him in his investigations as his wife. I don't think Sarah gets as much chance to shine in this investigation as she has in books past, though.

There are plenty of suspects and many fun red herrings. The slow romance between Maeve, Catherine's nanny, and Gino, Malloy's assistant, is now providing some of the romantic counterpoint that Sarah and Malloy did in the earlier books. Most of my favorite secondary characters make brief appearances here, with a quirky neighbor butting in with her funny superstitions and Sarah's intrepid mother assisting with the murder inquiry. While this mystery series is not a true cozy, New York still feels small and intimate given the charming cast of characters. Thompson's light historical mystery MURDER IN MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS is an appealing way to happily while away a few hours wrapped in the scenes of the New York of yesteryear.

Book Summary