Murder on St. Mark's Place (Gaslight Mystery #2). Victoria Thompson. Tantor Audio (2015). Genre: Mystery.
First Line: "Sarah heard the wailing when she was still halfway down the street."
Summary: Sarah Brandt has been summoned to the home of one of her patients. She assumes the pregnant woman is in labor, even though it is a little early. When she arrives, she finds Agnes Otto hysterical after learning her young sister has been brutally murdered. She begs Sarah to find her killer.
It turns out that Mrs. Otto's sister, Gerda, had been spending a lot of time going to dances at the nightclubs in the city. She worked in a factory during the day for very little money and then would go out with some friends to dances. The girls, often quite poor, would trade "favors" for gifts. They would never take money, they weren't prostitutes after all. The girls would dance with a different man every night. Mrs. Otto recognizes that the police will spend no time investigating this case. As far as the police are concerned, they have no time to spend looking for the killer of a poor, cheap girl who got herself killed. Unless, of course, the family had money and could bribe the police department. Mr. and Mrs. Otto are very poor, so there is no chance of that. Sarah is the only hope.
Sarah approaches her friend, Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy. Well, maybe calling him her friend is a little strong. Sarah helped him solve a murder involving another one of her patients and hopes that he will be willing to help her with this case. She stops by his home, but finds only his mother and his young son at home. Frank's mother is sure Sarah is trying to win over Frank by visiting his son. While this is not true, Sarah does take a liking to the boy.
Sarah asked Mrs. Otto for the names of Gerda's friends and decides to visit them. She convinces them to let her go with them to one of the clubs. Sarah learns that there have been other girls killed the same way Gerda was. It is this piece of information that convinces Sergeant Malloy to help Sarah. He was assigned to the murder of one of the girls and never found the killer. Discovering the killer will be no easy task. Can Sarah and Frank catch him before he kills again?
My thoughts: This series takes place in New York during the time Teddy Roosevelt was head of the police force. Unfortunately, there is a lot of corruption in the force during this time. Frank Malloy stands out as an honest man who refuses to take bribes. Frank is a hard working man, who also cares deeply for his son. After his wife died in childbirth, Frank's mother has cared for Brian while Frank works. Brian is thought to be mentally challenged. He is three years old and has never spoken a word. This is a secondary story line that is interesting.
Sarah Brandt is a midwife and lives in the heart of the city. Her patients are generally poor families. She didn't always live in this part of town however. She was raised in a wealthy home and trained in the rules of society. She never had much tolerance for those rules and was bored by dinner parties and other functions. When she married her husband, who was beneath her social standing, her father disapproved. Even worse, after her husband was killed, Sarah became a midwife and began supporting herself. Her father is appalled and thinks she should have moved back home. That is what a proper lady would do. Sarah disagrees. Sarah is tough, no-nonsense, brave and tenderhearted. Sarah and Frank deny to themselves that they have any interest in the other, but as the story progresses, they have both admitted to themselves that maybe they do have some feelings for the other.
The time period and setting are so interesting and lend a lot of atmosphere to the story. We learn about the seedy nightclubs and what they were like. Also, part of the story takes place on Coney Island. It was funny how neither Frank nor Sarah had been there and were embarrassed to be spending time there. It was thought to be a waste of time and money and only a certain type of person went there. Some of the other rules of society that were interesting were; strangers never talk to one another in public, a man would never tip his hat or greet a respectable woman he doesn't know, and only foolish women wear things like fancy hats, beads, lipstick and rouge. These adornments were associated with prostitutes.
Another fun character that has been a regular is Sarah's nosy neighbor, Mrs. Ellsworth. She is constantly sweeping her front steps. This is her way of watching what is going on in the neighborhood. She is always aware of Sarah's comings and goings and comments on them and asks questions. She is also highly superstitious. Sarah tolerates her with grace even when she is not in the mood. She recognizes that she is just lonely and tries to make an effort to invite her in for tea.
The mystery was complicated and dangerous. The murder that was committed was quite brutal, the girl had been beaten to death. The lifestyle lived by these young women and the men they cavorted with is not for the faint of heart. It was all handled well with enough description to help you understand, but not more than was needed. I love the word choices made that were absolutely appropriate to the time. I was on the edge of my seat towards the end as things started to add up. I really enjoy this series and look forward to the next book.
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