This is the latest installment in Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight Series. While it can be read independently, readers would benefit from knowledge from previous books in the series.
Newly wealthy Frank and Sarah Malloy enjoy dinner with their neighbors and meet Mr. Pritchard, a milk distributor, who is oddly obsessed with the notion that January 1, 1900 is the start of the new century. They see him behaving strangely at the New Year’s celebration near Trinity Church and learn on New Year’s Day that he has been murdered. When their neighbor’s implore them to find the murderer after the police drop the ball, Victoria and Frank are on the case.

This series is still wonderful! It is like visiting with old friends, and the plot is never dull. AS the Molloy's and their neighbors are ready to turn the century, a terrible murder has befallen a family member, Was it the controversy over his rants about the turn of the century, or was his squeaky clean milk business not as pure as he claimed? This entry has twists and turns and some favorite characters returning to add the this multi layered mystery,
#netgalley #gaslightmystery #victoriathompson, #murderontrinityplace

As a fan of the Gaslight mysteries I have to say that this latest offering was entrancing. Since Sarah had married Frank Malloy and he became rich — due to a somewhat suspect plot device — the books were fun but didn’t flow quite as well as earlier offerings. In this book it seems as if the characters have become accustomed to their circumstances and the mystery once again becomes the main plot device.
It is New Years Eve 1899 and the year 1900 will soon be starting. Is it the start of the 20th century or will 1901 actually be the beginning? At a dinner party hosted by Mrs. Ellsworth, their devoted neighbor, her son’s father in law (Clarence Pritchard) is convinced that those who believe 1901 is the start of the new century (as championed and explained by the newspapers) are very wrong and need to be set straight. Sarah and Frank go to Trinity Church to see in the new year and there they see Mr. Pritchard accosting strangers in his quest to make them believe his truth. New Year’s Day finds Mr. Pritchard’s body on the grounds of the church and the police uninterested in finding who killed him. As Frank Malloy is hired to solve the mystery he finds out that Mr. Pritchard’s beliefs about the new century may have nothing to do with his death but perhaps his being the owner of a very prosperous dairy will provide the answer.

Number 22 in the Gaslight series, this installment has Frank and Sarah Malloy investigating the murder of the ultra-honest, but somewhat fanatical owner of the Pure Milk Dairy on New Year’s Eve in 1899.

Thompson always sets her mysteries within an interesting early 20th century New York City setting. This episode includes a fascinating description of the factions in the “Milk Wars” — with recent legislation requiring pasteurization pitted against the prevalent corruption of enforcement agencies. Startling (to me) statistics claimed that 1/2 of the children of New York City in the mid 1800s died before the age of 5, with contaminated milk (or secondary infections from contaminated milk) as the leading cause.

Another fun period detail — the “Checkered Game of Life” — the 1860 Milton Bradley (the man, not the company) original on which the 1960s reissue was based — introduced the “teetotem.” We know this as the spinner — a feature introduced because dice were seen as unsavory reminders of gambling paraphernalia.

While this was a pleasant read, I felt like it was mostly filler — there was very little plot advancement and consisted mainly of different characters repeating what they had learned to other characters and lots of visiting and the pouring of tea. The most interesting plot tangent to me was a special kind of arranged marriage which had very little to do with the mystery but proceeded at an appropriate pace and highlighted more of the New York social scene at the time.

A solid addition to the Gaslight Mystery series. It hits all the notes that fans love....Frank & Sarah's relationship, the meddlesome but well meaning neighbor, banter between Gino and Maeve. This time there is the added addition of a spoiled, troubled debutante, and the rakish but good hearted crime boss.

The murder itself wasn't that exciting, although I did learn a lot about the Dairy business at the turn of the centry. I didn't really care for the victim or his family, so that mystery fell a bit flat for me.

Still an enjoyable read with characters that I've grown to love through the years.

An interesting mystery surrounding yet another part of New York City's turn-of-the-century past. This time around, 1899 has rolled into 1900 and as the Trinity bells chime a man is murdered. Sarah, Frank, and company investigate and stumble upon another almost forgotten NYC scandal, the swill milk factories. Fans new to the series may enjoy the characters and the setting, but longtime fans of this series may find it has become too repetitive. The spark that was there in the early books is gone. Frank and Sarah are no longer interesting; Sarah practically has nothing to do now and spends most of her time going to the clinic and getting involved with other people's affairs. Frank investigates almost exclusively with Gino and even Maeve has more to do than Sarah. Making Frank a rich man was also a huge mistake. Money does change people, even in the fictional world. I'm sad to say that I think this was my last Gaslight mystery. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for a DRC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

What a curious and unique theme of using a milk delivery company as a plot for a murder mystery. This led to my farther conception of what life was like during the Victorian age. Added to my enjoyment of another Gaslight murder mystery was the reappearance of Mrs. Ellsworth and Black Jack Robinson in major roles. Looking forward to the next Gaslight murder mystery.

I want to thank NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing an ARC of this book to read and review.

This was an enjoyable mystery. Even though this is the 22nd in the series, the characters and the story are interesting and engaging. Good mystery for the holidays.

I enjoyed this latest adventure with Sarah and Malloy more than I have in recent books. The mystery was fun, the subplot made me fall in love with the secondary characters and everyone felt warm and familiar. Like visiting old friends. I highly recommend it to fans of the series.

It's hard to believe this is the 22nd Gaslight Mystery featuring the fascinating Malloys, Sarah and Frank. Thompson is as fresh as ever here. This is another fascinating look at the era in NYC, with Sarah's background as a midwife bringing a sharp perspective on unwanted pregnancies at the time, and Frank's background as a former policeman providing a cynical and yet accurate view on police corruption and crime. In this story, the Malloys are caught up in a puzzling murder affecting their neighbor. Not only is this a very satisfying mystery, Thompson also rewards readers with a special treat - a side story that brings two unlikely people together.