Deception by Gaslight

A Gilded Gotham Mystery

By: Kate Belli

Narrated by: Melanie Carey

As a chill sets in on New York City in the winter of 1888, a jewel thief dubbed the Robin Hood of the Lower East Side has been stealing from the city's wealthiest and giving to the poor. Genevieve Stewart - a young woman whose family is part of Mrs. Astor's famed 400 but who has forged a life of her own as a reporter - decides to chase the story, but gets more than she bargained for: a murder victim sprawled in a dark alley in the dangerous Five Points neighborhood.

A handsome neighborhood tough comes to her rescue - but when she encounters the same man at a glamorous ball a few nights later, she realizes he's society scion Daniel McCaffrey. Could this be her Robin Hood? When two more murders rock the Knickerbocker world, it becomes apparent that something much more sinister is afoot than a few stolen diamond necklaces. Genevieve is determined to prove that Daniel is Robin Hood - but she's loath to believe he is a killer as well. From the glittering lights of Fifth Avenue to the sordid back alleys of Five Points, the truth is just one murder away.

©2020 Kate Belli (P)2020 Dreamscape Media, LLC

It took me a bit to settle into this book...

It took me a little bit to settle into this book, but once I did, I was enjoying it. This was a really interesting mystery. Genevieve and Daniel made a great sleuthing pair, and I enjoyed the slow burn romance that sparking between them.

The setting of Gilded-Age New York City was a nice change of pace. It seems like usually historical mysteries/romances are set in London. There were tons of ballrooms and back alleys to show the juxtaposition of the classes.

Overall, this was a well written mystery and I'm sure the start of a great historical mystery series. It really neatly meshes the historical, romance and mystery genres and I can't wait to see where the series goes from here.

Not a great story but not a terrible one either.

This appears to be written by a new author. The story is good, but not great, some of the story dragged on a bit and the overall tone is romance novelist goes mystery author. I figured out the majority of the mystery halfway through the story but that was by luck I think. The ending was frustrating and a bit trite. I’ll listen to the next one before I decide to write it off.

Love the gilded age!

Kate Belli does an amazing job with the gilded age! her characters of Genevieve and Danny leap off the page. A page turner even as an audiobook. Can't wait to read the sequel!

Charming and Entertaining

Deception by Gaslight is an engaging mystery, narrated with a perfect lightness and touch of wryness by Melanie Carey. It is comparable to sitting down to coffee and gossip with a favorite companion- while also discussing parties, food, dresses, and oh yes, murder. Looking forward to listening to the next in the series!

I love this series.

I was going to listen to this series slowly so that I could savor it but there are only four books so I’m going to dive in and enjoy!