Murder on St. Mark's Place

Gaslight Mystery Series #2

By: Victoria Thompson

Narrated by: Callie Beaulieu

Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Thinking that she has been summoned by German immigrant Agnes Otto to usher a new life into the world, midwife Sarah Brandt is greeted by the news of an untimely death instead. It seems that Agnes' beautiful younger sister, Gerda, had fallen into the life of a "charity girl". Caught up in the false glamour of the city's nightlife, she would trade her company and her favors for lavish gifts. And now she was dead - victim, no doubt, of one of her "gentlemen friends".

No one cares much about the fate of girls like Gerda, but Sarah does. To find her killer, she turns to Sergeant Frank Malloy. As the two pursue an investigation that leads from the bright lights of Coney Island to the stately homes of Fifth Avenue, they find that their shared passion for justice may cost them dearly.

©2000 Victoria Thompson (P)2015 Tantor

must listen

the reading was extremely entertaining the performance was quite good and the characters came to life.

Murder in St. Marks Place

This is a good series. In this book Sarah gets involved in helping prostitutes that's being killed. She goes undercover to help find the killer. Frank Mallory helps her. I hope he stays in the series. Him and her is my favorite part of the series. If you like goog clean mystery books I think you'll like this series. If my review is any help will you please click on the helpful link below. Thank you.

Lovely historical fiction

I’m not entirely sure what I expected from this series but I’ve really fallen in love! This is light fare and fun to read.

Very suspenseful

I enjoyed the story so much, especially since the heroine was a woman working, though she didn’t really have to. Also, it was so well-told and easy to understand. It made me cry a few times when I realized what a hard time it was for women in that era. It is better now but we are still the weaker sex. I was taught to fight by my father, so I could protect myself, and it came in handy a few times. It was also an edge-of-your-seat suspense thriller. I am going to read the rest of the books after the enjoyment of this one.

Very interesting mystery

I finished this quickly because it had me hooked from the beginning. The writing is tight and the pace is good. No fluff here. I liked the subtle and mature undercurrents in the working relationship between Sara and Frank that had a good blend of interest and wariness with a human interest story tucked in the background. It’s like a good movie that is not overacted. Once again, however, the narrator doesn’t quite match the quality of the writing. She reads it too slow, too modern, and often with the wrong tone and mood. Although, admittedly, she’s better in book two than she was in book one. (Update: and she’s improved even more in book three as well.) I sped up the narration to give it more life. This story is definitely worth listening too. I love the complex mysteries.

predictable plot

i'd hoped for a bit of a plot twist, but the killer was utterly predictable from the first time they appeared in the story. boring.

Perfect murder mystery

I love historical mysteries with strong female characters. This series has me mesmerized. There are no slow parts. The action and characters keep my attention. Great series.

Terrible Narrator Good Story

Literally the worst narration I've ever heard. Liked the story, will probably purchase additional titles. Hopefully a change in Narrator is forthcoming!

gaslight mystery series

great story. I didn't figure out who the bad guy was until very close to the end. suspense kept me turning pages, and when listening, kept my steps slower so I could hear what happened next! if you enjoy clean (no R rated scenes) this is a cozy mystery you will enjoy.

The gritty history that they didn't teach us

I feel like I'm learning the real history of those times ... I've read a lot of history, and historical novels, and the hints about the underbelly of society were made palatable and not so very terrible in those stories. This is written from a perspective on the police as a new part of society ... and it seems the police were hired guns that wanted to be paid by the victims as much as by the police department. Pretty darn grim ....

I've read the first two books in this series, and what elevates the story is the slow emotional awakening of one of the officers ... he's no saint, he's as uninterested in cases where the victim's family can't afford to give him a "reward" of cash as the other officers, but he finds himself confronted by the perspective of an upper class widow who gave up her position in society to work as a midwife, supporting herself, and taking care of lower class women and children. She helps him, and his son, without need of or asking for any reward, and that works on his somewhat deadened conscience. He, in turn, helps her discover the man who is killing the shop girls.

I highly recommend these novels if you like historical mysteries, and if you are interested in discovering some truths about the feral nature of American society as it existed in those times.