Murder on Fifth Avenue by Victoria Thompson

Historical Mystery

Murder on Fifth Avenue is book number fourteen in the Gaslight Mystery series and it did not disappoint.  Sarah Brant and Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy are great characters and they continue to work together to solve a new mystery.  There is a big difference in this one.  Both Frank Malloy and Sarah’s father, Felix Decker, ask Sarah and her Mother to help in solving the crime.  Here is what Goodreads has to say about the book:

"Sarah Brandt’s family is one of the oldest in New York City, and her father, Felix Decker, takes his position in society very seriously. He still refuses to resign himself to his daughter being involved with an Irish Catholic police detective. But when a member of his private club — the very exclusive Knickerbocker — is murdered, Decker forms an uneasy alliance with Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy to solve the crime as discreetly as possible.

Malloy soon discovers that despite his social standing, the deceased — Algernon Abernathy — was no gentleman. In fact, he’s left behind his own unofficial club of sorts, populated by everyone who despised him. As he and Sarah sort through the suspects, it becomes clear to her that her father is evaluating more than the detective’s investigative abilities, and that, on a personal level, there is much more at stake for Malloy than discovering who revoked Abernathy’s membership — permanently."

Characters:  I keep wanting more development in the relationship between Sarah and Malloy.  I did not see much but it seems that there is a set up for something in the next book.  We continue to see Sarah’s Mother in a new light and this time we see more of Sarah’s Father.  He is more human in this book and that seems to be a set up for the next installment in the Gaslight Mysteries.

Plot:  The reason for the murder was well developed.  There were several red herrings before we find out who actually did the deed.  There was also another murder before anything was solved.

History:  This is set at the turn of the century and Victoria Thompson does a great job of capturing the flavor of the time.  There are several really interesting side characters that add to the history of the time.

Tension:  In several books Sarah and Mallory have been in danger.  This time neither were in actually physical danger.  The tension came for the pressure on Mallory and the difficulty in dealing with the upper class when any member of that class is involved in a crime.

I have to wait another year for the next book.  There was a bit of a cliffhanger at the end. I want to find out what is going to happen so I will be among the first to buy the next book.  (I was among the first for this one too.)

Berkley Prime Crime published Murder on Fifth Avenue by Victoria Thompson in 2012.